We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christi Van Rite. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christi below.
Christi, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
For many years, my work ethic and resiliency came from my parents. Dad always had (and still has) multiple things going at one time. Some of his side businesses failed, others have continued on, some years profitable and others not. But he kept going. As did Momma when they divorced when I was in 2nd grade. She hadn’t worked in many years raising me and my brother, and suddenly she had to go to work and figure out how to pay for a home, food and two kids. I know there were many times she went without to make sure he and I had something to eat and a roof over our heads, but I never knew it. What I did recognize, even as a child, was that I would never let my fate be in someone else’s hands. I would always know that I could take care of myself financially no matter who I was with or where I was. I used this singular focus to get through college and the first 15 years of my career .
All these years later, not only do I understand the draw to the entrepreneur lifestyle, but also the pure rollercoaster that it is. I wish the English language had a word that could describe the emotional and real-life toll that this unpaved trail through the forest can be. Books, blogs and podcasts prolifically describe what it means to be an entrepreneur in an attempt to prepare you or describe the process. There are certainly similarities between us as path forgers and ideas to be shared. The stark reality is that every path is different and until you have the sinking feeling as you look at your business and personal checking accounts and realize there isn’t enough to go around this month, or loose a key team member who you relied on, or your spouse tells you that you have been absent and something has to change – those are the moments that I was not prepared for. The fear of what failure means for your family and your staff is a constant monkey in the circus.
I certainly have seasons of setbacks. Marketing plans that don’t produce when I desperately want to grow the business, new families that I know we could make such an impact for that never engage and I don’t know why, and sometimes it’s still looking at the checking account and knowing that I need to push a plan out further because I can’t let go of cash. Some seasons seem to pile on the disappointments to the point of questioning if I’m pushing through resistance or pushing a square rock up a mountain and I’m only half way there.
Many, many people told me I couldn’t make this business work without having an investment component to pay for it all. I firmly believe that clients deserve conflict free advice and support, and you just can’t do that if you are paid from investing their money. I have proved them wrong. We are profitable, we are innovative and we are changing how families view their services.
I know without question that what we changes peoples lives. I know that I was not put on this earth to be mediocre. I am here to change lives and I do that through the services we offer. I know that I am making our industry better, setting a higher bar and families are the ultimate benefactors of our industry recognizing they deserve better.
I hold on to these and I know I have already proved them wrong. I just have to keep getting up and trying again.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am focused on serving families. We provide bookkeeping, bill payment, payroll and coordination services. Our job is to give you time back to focus on what matters most to you. We integrate with your current team of Investment Advisors, CPA’s and attorney’s. We help keep everyone on the same page – yours. Loose threads tangle progress; a tightly woven team ensures success.
I have seen first hand how this work makes a direct impact on families lives. If we can provide peace of mind that the business of running the family is being handled, we give them the most precious of gift – time. They now have the time to spend with their kids, spouses and family. They can keep building their businesses that change the world, be at their kids soccer games and recitals. By removing a handful of those to-do’s that take time, they can be more present for those who need them the most. I am humbled to be a small part of a families story. It is not something we take lightly or for granted.
In Q1 of 2024, we are launching our Advisor community. I firmly believe that when we teach and support others, we get better ourselves. We have created a home for anyone – advisor, CPA or attorney – who also wants to, or does, this type of work can come together to learn, access resources and find support.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Mindset has been the single most important quality that I fall back on daily. I am here to DO GOOD! Having an optimistic attitude and being able to pick my head up from the daily grind to see what’s happening has helped me catch a marketing plan or idea that needed to pivot slightly to be more productive. Had I kept my head down, I likely would not have seen it until much later, costing me time and money. Optimism can get hard when the chips are down, so practice it daily to stay in the habit!
No matter where you are in your journey, find a tribe. Probably not your spouse or family – they are too close. Let’s face it, they may (or may not) be supportive, but if they didn’t sign up for the emotional rollercoaster, you will wear them out pretty quick – ask me how I know…
You need a couple of people that you can call when it all goes sideways and you’re questioning your decisions. You also need someone you can call and tell about your successes. They care for you in a way that they will tell you if they think you’re off on a wild goose chase, help you think through an idea or confirm that you might be onto something. They are probably other entrepreneurs (read: risk takers) and at some point, you can be a call for them too. I did not recognize just how important this is in the beginning. And, if they aren’t the right person, find someone else.
Know how to put together a pro-forma. It’s just a fancy word for understanding where your income is going to come from and overlaying a budget. It is so easy, and many times necessary, to put in capital to keep going the first few years. You need to know where your money is going and if you’re getting a return on it.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
I think it is strategic to lean into your strengths. I’m not a fan of the saying ‘time is money’, however the reality is that it is true. I love to learn, but I have to realize that if it takes me 3 hours to do something that I can pay someone else to do in one hour at a quarter of my hourly rate, not only did I loose money, but I lost productive time. My time and attention is best utilized when I am in my zone – building our business and innovating processes.
For years I did the bookkeeping for my household, the business and the clients we are handling the bookkeeping for. I am not a CPA by trade and frankly, it was like pulling teeth each month for me to sit down and do the work. It took me days and I was generally grumpy for the few days leading up to it and while pushing through to finish. Then I read Who Not How by Dr. Benjamin Hardy. While it seemed so simple (why didn’t I think of that), that’s what it took for me to hire a bookkeeper. Now, they are solely focused on everyones books. Clients get their reports within a week of the end of the month and when I have a question, I just call them. My mental bandwidth got a huge bump and the staff was thrilled to not have to get the grumpy Christi.
If you aren’t into numbers and keeping your books, hire a bookkeeper! If you aren’t a web designer, hire one! They will get it done in way less time, it will probably look better, and you can go bring in new clients to cover the cost.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.whiteriverconsultants.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christi-van-rite-white-river/
