Meet the Tribe - Stephanie W. Mackara
Each week we bring you the story of one incredible entrepreneur who can be found inside the Hatch Tribe COLLECTIVE. Today, we are excited to introduce Stephanie W. Mackara of Charleston Investment Advisors, LLC.
What is your business and how did it come to be? I have a Registered Investment Advisory firm that was built out of a need to help people. At our firm, we don’t simply sell or trade stocks, we empower people to wake up every day with a plan, knowing what they desire, where they are going and how to get there. I spent the first half of my career working for start-ups and big banks, and they had one thing in common, they were teaming with brokers who saw clients as a means to a paycheck and not as people with goals, dreams and aspirations. With an academic background in Psychology and the Law and a professional background in financial services, this unique combination gives me a well rounded analytical and professional background to serve our clients and grow with them.
What’s the hardest thing about being your own boss? There are many challenges, perhaps the greatest is knowing what to prioritize and when.
What’s the best part about being your own boss? Creating a business that I am proud of, seeing the benefits to clients and colleagues and being the master of my own destiny.
How do you balance your personal life with your business? It tends to blend, which is not unlike most business owners, but when you love what you do and who you serve it’s not really work.
How do you take care of your mind, body, and spirit? I am constantly searching for spiritual and intellectual growth. I work out 5 times a week and this has a profound positive impact on me physically, mentally and spiritually. I do enjoy meditating and wish I was more disciplined, I enjoy reading and learning ways to inspire and grow my mind and develop practices to take better care of myself, my business and my family.
How do you keep yourself accountable? This is perhaps the most difficult. I remind myself and create time for the many different types of work involved in owning your own business. Many of which are not immediately impactful to the bottom line but necessary to grow and develop the business into the best version it can be. Gentle reminders of who and what I aspire to be, both in and outside of the business help me to reset and be accountable.
How do you handle those moments of self-doubt and fear? I remind myself how far I have come and that I am not perfect, all I can do is my best.
How has a so-called failure actually set you up for future success? There are 3 – 4 examples of times in my life that I did not go with my intuition and instead was so desperate to get out of a situation or thought I needed a particular client, all because of the revenue potential, that I lost business. The lessons I have learned is that there will always be plenty of opportunities, the skill is to be clear about what your desire and who you best can serve and WHY? Knowing your why and continually developing your why creates focus and purpose that drive your decisions, and allows you to be true to yourself.
What resources do you love that you think other business owners should know about? I recommend that people define 3 areas of their life and business they need to focus on and then schedule time each week to immerse themselves in that space. It will be different for everyone, but a great resource to help guide you is the book The One Thing, this helped me, unapologetically, create space to grow.
What book or podcast are you digging right now? Shameless plug! My first ever book is hitting the market this April. The title is Money Minded Families: How to raise financially well children. Today we are faced with so many financial challenges, many of which we are ill-prepared to manage and certainly ill-prepared to teach the next generation. So my book takes a stab at helping people become more mindful about their finances, helping them to understand financial socialization and connecting their values and their families values with their spending, saving, sharing and investing. It can be pre-ordered on Amazon.
Who is one woman you admire and what you do you adore about her? Honestly, there are so many women I admire. I find such inspiration from women who are brave, strong, vulnerable and smart. I find this in my clients, my friends, strangers and celebrities. We always, always have something to learn from another.
What is one quote or motto you live by? The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.
What does the world need more of? Kindness and compassion.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received as a business owner? You aren’t going to be a fit for everyone. Don’t take it as rejection, but instead understand where both your skills and passions align then design a business that supports it.
To connect with Stephanie Mackara directly join us inside the Hatch Tribe Collective!