What I Learned From FinCon 2022

This was my 3rd time attending FinCon. The Conference where Money Nerds Unite and help personal finance content creators and brands create better content, reach their audience, and make more money. In this post I’ll run down what I felt were some things from this year, and what I learned from FinCon 2022!

FinCon is an energetic community of personal finance content creators and brands to connect, collaborate, and learn from each other. What I learned from FinCon 2022 where these three things:

• Collaborate with others
• Establish affiliates to grow your income
• Commit to consistency

Lets dig a bit deeper on these concepts on what I’ve learned from FinCon 2022, and my key takeaways from this years conference where Money and Media Meet.  

Collaboration Not Competition

I mentioned in the post following FinCon21, I felt there was a common theme or takeaway of the entire conference. Last year it was that video is key, and if you’d like to make an impact a YouTube channel or TikTok channel could help you grow. This year, after attending many sessions and having many conversations, if I were to sum up the recurring theme this year, I felt it is “Collaboration is Key.” 

I heard time, and time again that the key to growth, the key to success, and the key to being profitable is partnering and collaborating with other content creators.  

If you blog, write a guest post for another blogger. Then have them reciprocate. They can guest post on your blog. If you have a podcast or YouTube channel have other content creators be a guest on your channel or podcast, then ask if you can guest on their show.

It was discussed that there is enough audience to go around, and to not compete with other creators. We can work with each other to bring value to our audience. 

Don’t Be Afraid To Collaborate

I’ve often put off, or procrastinated in reaching out to other creators. I remember back to FinCon 2019, and again in 2021. I met so many people in which we exchanged information, shared each others’ stories and discussed about connecting. Guess what? I didn’t. I was plagued with impostor syndrome, made excuses to myself as to why I didn’t send that email, send that DM, or make that phone call.  

This is going to change.  Following this year’s conference I’m going to connect with other creators.  I’ve already discussed some topics with other bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, and Authors.  Discussing side hustle income. Reselling and Flipping.  Real Estate Rehabbing and Investing, How to Save Money by Being Frugal, Short Term Rental Properties, as well as Financial Considerations While Going Through, and Following Divorce. 

I’m going to be a lot more intentional in working with others, and inviting others to bring value to our audience. I’m excited to get rolling and breathing new life into fresh content on Heavy Metal Money.  

Make More Money

Many of us financial content creators would like to provide financial education and improve financial literacy across many groups of people. We’d like to help people with their planning, saving, spending and investing. However, even though we dig what we do, most of us are unable to do this for free. Many of us would need to make money. If I were focus on another key take away it was on how to monetize your content, and I learned that Affiliate income is the number one way most content creators make money. We need to work with Affiliate Networks as well as working directly with those products and brands that we feel align with our values. Creators can be tasteful, and intelligent in placement and using Affiliates to earn income. 

Teach With Courses

I felt the next most popular way to make income was selling courses to your audience on a variety of topics.  Personally, I had often felt conflicted on selling a course. I feel that many of those people sell courses they get the haters and trolls that will jump on your back about how you are fake. You make your money selling courses and NOT for what you are supposedly teaching. So, I’ve be reluctant to providing a Real Estate Investing Course to my audience, in fear of backlash from the trolls. In talking with others here at the conference, whom I would refer to as friends and colleagues, assured me that if you are providing value, with clear examples of how you are successful. There is nothing wrong with providing this type of training content to your audience. And as far as the trolls go, Fuck’em. 🙂 

Growth is Slow and Steady

The last lesson I learned from this year’s FinCon was to be consistent!  This is not only for your audience, but for the Google algorithm and helps with SEO. Whether you are Blogging, Podcasting, distributing social content on TikTok or Instagram, determine what that posting schedule will be.  Every week, twice a month, of once a month? Determine what you realistically can commit to, and stick to it!  Growth will come, and for those beginners out there, your growth will come over time. It may take months but this to begin to pay off.  Build your posting into your routine and and be consistent. 

Another way others can maintain consistency is to batch content. In other words, they’ll plan out and record, or write multiple posts in a single day or weekend.  I’ve heard batching content often helps video creators that are doing their hair, put on makeup, or dress in formal clothes.  This way, they wouldn’t have to get done up for camera multiple days in a week. 

Take the Bad with the Good

We received much inspiration, and value I received in attending FinCon22. There were but only a few things I felt could be improved upon. Keep in mind, I can’t imagine what goes into planning, and executing an event at such great scale. I absolutely commend the team for taking on such a project and providing such a valuable conference for us creators. 

A Black Box

There were many sessions and panels that provided strategy. These often provide guidance on how to grow our YouTube channel, or Make Money with Instagram or TikTok. However, I continued to feel much of the true details were vague.  For example, when fielding audience questions there were many responses that pointed out that Panelists simply didn’t know. Speakers would defer that their assistant did these actions. For example,  “My assistant handles the DMs and Comments” on social.  When it comes to us beginners, we may not be that far along, with thousands of followers. We may be not in a position to hire assistants or virtual assistants.  

When in discussions or sessions on how to grow your audience, and income, it seemed somewhat magical and mystical.  We heard where someone went from earning $38 on Etsy to making thousands a month. Another went from $100 from their blog to $15k a month in digital products. 

We Should Get Into The Weeds

It is important to build strategy of what direction we take our businesses. I feel that having tactical workshops on the steps that were taken. The challenges encountered, mistakes made and how they were overcome, and success was achieved would be wicked-valuable. Perhaps these sessions would need to be a bit longer than 30 or 45 minutes. We often avoid “getting in the weeds” however, sometimes we need to get into the nuts & bolts. This may not include live demonstrations. However, could include screenshots, as well as specific steps and processes. We can including the tools and other 3rd party platforms used to illustrate your idea, grow your following, or increase your cashflow.  

Fight for our Right to Party

This is just my two cents on the closing party! It was great to let loose, relax and dance with old, and new friends!  We got to mingle, and cut a rug on the dance floor.  However, for those that don’t drink, and are as uncoordinated as Elaine Benes from Seinfeld. It would’ve been great to have a couple other activities for party goers to partake.  A Photo Booth with props, perhaps. Maybe one of these spinny camera Photo Booth things.  A few arcade games, skee ball, or Golf Simulator rentals would have been rad! 

Let’s get our Mardi Gras on! 

I’ll See you in 2023 For FinCon in New Orleans! I’ve Never been to the Birthplace of Jazz. I look forward to another exciting event where I can learn, grow, and connect with others!