Finding Zen in Entrepreneurship: A Journey of Self-Discovery with Kelsey Willock
[et_pb_section fb_built="1" admin_label="section" _builder_version="4.16" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content"][et_pb_row admin_label="row" _builder_version="4.21.0" background_size="initial" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||" theme_builder_area="post_content"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" _builder_version="4.21.0" quote_font_size="27px" quote_line_height="1.1em" background_size="initial" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat" custom_margin="|2px||2px|false|false" custom_padding="|||0px|false|false" hover_enabled="0" global_colors_info="{}" theme_builder_area="post_content" sticky_enabled="0"]
This week, I got the chance to sit down with Kelsey Willock, the Co-Founder and CEO ounder of Aura Finance. Aura Finance is a mindful money management app that helps people invest confidently. Rather than expecting people to have all the answers, especially at the start of their journey, Aura provides financial coaching to take the stress out of managing money. Aura's values based approach means users get a completely personalized experience, directly hold shares of stocks in their portfolio, and filter out companies they don’t want to invest in through their ESG (environmental, social and governance) screens.
With Aura being all about creating a more mindful, more zen, approach to investing, it’s no wonder its founder mirrors those traits. Kelsey’s calm, but focused, energy made this interview so pleasant as we chatted over Zoom. We discussed her journey founding Aura, and we also got deep about the emotional side of being a founder. Interestingly, the word entrepreneur is derived from the French word “entreprendre”, which usually translates as "undertaker" or "adventurer." Kelsey’s journey as an entrepreneur has truly been an adventure, and at its core, an exploration of the self.
Kelsey always wanted to be an entrepreneur. Even before she founded Aura, she already had around 160 ideas that she wanted to pursue. Instead of choosing just one, she took the idea of having a million ideas stuck in the notes app of her phone, and turned it into Stuck In Notes Magazine, a place for women all over the world to submit their stories or ideas that have also been stuck in their notes. “I deeply believe that when you share your thoughts, hopes and dreams, they’re more likely to come to fruition.” Once her community grew, it gave Kelsey the confidence to try something bigger. “I think that was the catalyst for me. I was able to make a community and I was like I love this, I can do this.”
So in 2021, she quit her job to found Aura. But to understand her passion surrounding finance and investing, we have to go back to Kelsey's college days. Her junior year she got the opportunity to work for Goldman Sachs, where she stayed for six years. But, like so many college students, after graduation she felt buried by a hefty sum of student debt. Her manager at Goldman “taught [her] the power of working smarter, not harder for your dollar. [Her manager] said, 'we can consolidate this debt, and rather than take every dollar you make and put it against your debt, we can invest it.' So [Kelsey] was essentially driving [her] interest rate into the negative by learning how to use money more efficiently.” This is so powerful. Imagine if all college graduates with student loan debt were able to apply this knowledge to their situation. Kelsey knew she could help these people, and so many others, work smarter, not harder for their money.
“I think investing is actually really easy. It's just intimidating."
Kelsey's journey co-founding Aura began with On Deck. If you've never heard of On Deck, it's an application based experience that helps founders get their ideas off the ground. It starts with a weekend summit, then combines an online community, software, and events to help founders find co-founders, make early hires, build early product momentum, get distribution, and raise capital. I'd heard of On Deck before, but I wanted to know how it really worked, if it was a step by step process. Kelsey's answer was that with startups, there is no step by step. “One of the things I had to accept, especially coming from a corporate background, is that there is no playbook. You can learn from others that have done it before you. You can surround yourself with people that can challenge you. But, the true confidence in entrepreneurship is accepting that you're going have to step into the unknown. So for me, joining On Deck was getting comfortable stepping into the unknown.”
The unknown, or what some people refer to as the risk, with founding startups is truly what holds so many back from making that first step. Kelsey recalls what other founders have said that describes the experience, “it's like you build a plane on the way down after you've already jumped.” You have to take the leap of faith and have the confidence in yourself that you can keep moving forward, even if you make mistakes along the way. But taking that leap rewards you in ways you couldn't even imagine.
”I've learned more about myself in the past two years than I have in my entire life through this experience. Because it pushes you in ways you didn't realize you could be pushed, and you have fun in ways you didn't realize would be fun.”
I love entrepreneurship for this reason. I see the entrepreneur journey as an analogy for life. We show up on this planet and we have to navigate through ups and downs and persevere. We can play it safe, or we can take the leap of faith, follow our passions, and find the joy along the way. Kelsey is an amazing example of the latter. She is relatable, raw, and she's here for it all.
I wanted to know, with all the pressure she deals with on a regular basis, what things Kelsey does to keep her sane. Therapy has been a big help for her. For Kelsey, she has struggled with stress and anxiety in the past, but there were two main catalysts that got her to take her therapy journey seriously. The first, was the passing of her dog. “I was not okay, and my dog used to be my therapy, and rather than get another dog immediately, I knew I needed talk to someone who could give me the tools to better manage this.” Synchronistically, she was also reading the book “Maybe You Should Talk To Someone,” so Kelsey took that as a sign to join therapy. And if you’ve been thinking about therapy, maybe this is your sign!
From my articles so far, I've noticed that all founders have a strong sense of self-awareness, and Kelsey is no exception. Through therapy, and her entrepreneur journey, she’s increasingly developed this sense of self. Founders are the individuals who drive the vision, so they need to be aware of how they're feeling. You can't create the best version of your business, if you're not the best version of yourself. Startups are an extension of their founders because, as Kelsey describes it, “it's what you want to see in the world.”
Kelsey and I finished our interview with one final question, what advice she would give to people who want to start a business but don't know where to start?
”Just start anything. I used to put a ton of pressure on myself that I need this perfect idea. And I finally realized that your perfect idea will likely change, even if it feels perfect to you at the time. That pressure holds people back. Whereas allowing yourself to go on the journey in the first place, is usually how you unveil what that perfect product is, which will never be perfect by the way. So give yourself a chance, try something even if it feels silly or small. It's not silly or small, because getting started is the hardest part.”
If you want to support Kelsey and Aura, check out their website. Aura is currently in beta, but join their waitlist and be the first to know when spots open! Also, follow them on Instagram, they put out the prettiest content!
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]