How Millennial Business and Finance Coach Carlos Then Used His Marketable Image to Help Others

This effort to cement himself in the minds of others to grow his business has existed since his early college years. Not too long into his college career, Carlos’s roommate came to him for help with filing his taxes. Being a natural problem solver, Carlos taught himself the required material and learned to file taxes for his roommate and others in his dormitory. This soon grew into a business in which he would charge students all throughout campus for similar services. 

He realized quickly that a website and logo for his small business could help spread the word and while providing a stronger sense of professionalism. Crafting the logo and site himself, he immediately sought to use them to his advantage. At the time, school library computers were more customizable for students. Seeing this as an opportunity, Carlos directed the homepage on most all the computers around campus to his own website. 

Though the school eventually disciplined him and made him reset all the homepages, the stunt was a success. Now, with all the new eyes on his site representing his work, the business grew exponentially. Even after he strayed away from this particular campus-focused tax business, he was able to leverage his problem-solving endeavors into internships and job opportunities with more established firms. 

One such opportunity came through Meryll Lynch, who offered him a brokerage position at a $22 an hour salary with benefits and commissions, among other things. However, this position prohibited the sort of tax work he had been doing. But with the opportunity to experience the professional world and work with a more diverse range of clients, he accepted the offer anyway. 

Carlos saw this newfound position as more of an opportunity to analyze the world of finance and other things, rather than just an investment vehicle. 

After five or so years, Carlos realized his growth had become stagnant. He identified that both personally and professionally, he was no longer learning nor earning to the degree he had once before. He left his comfortable job and took a break, traveling and extending his knowledge to the best of his ability. 

Throughout the majority of these years, Carlos maintained his website with the same direct formatting he had originally envisioned, cutting out the frills and making it clear his ability and availability to those interested. Along the same lines, he refused to change his profile picture and other imagery for over a year and a half, in order to establish consistency and visibility.  

As he moved on from the more corporate environment, he became inspired by others to obtain his life coach certification. He had still remained working in the field of finance, but he realized that his ability to problem solve, as well as build meaningful relationships with his clients, had opened up the possibility for something larger. 

Using both his recognizable name, extensive experience and pre-existing client base, Carlos began to focus more on offering personal services to help others struggling with their finances. All throughout his life, he had never stopped learning and looking for efficiencies wherever they might be found. While many people came to him with specific financial problems, his breadth of financial knowledge allowed him to advise holistically.

The ultimate mission was to help others see money as a tool rather than scarcity. He wanted those who came to him with issues to not only learn how to get themselves out of trouble but to thrive in the midst of their previous difficulties. The same mantra he built himself on had now become the driving force for this growing community: learn more to earn more. 

Working with more and more people in financial turmoil, particularly with credit issues, Carlos realized that despite his good intentions, he was providing a service that many people need, but simply couldn’t afford due to the very nature of their situation. 

Carlos began devoting a majority of his study to understanding credit comprehensively and devising a way to impart this knowledge in simple terms to those who really need it. This idea became his second book; I Give You Credit, a do it yourself guide to credit repair. With the insubstantial cost of this book ($40 physically, $20 digitally), those who could not afford Carlos’s other services now had a tool to help them start earning. 

Increasing accessibility ended up growing Carlos’s business even further, allowing him to work with and help thousands of people. He aims to help as many people as possible realize that generational wealth is attainable. An important saying he imparts on all potential clients is, “Learn, then drop the L and earn.” Realizing money as a tool, expanding one’s knowledge, and abiding by a plan of constant growth, can help anyone achieve what they want in life. To Carlos, this means being in a position to help those around him do the same. 

Carlos Ariel Then is a well regarded Millennial Business and Finance Coach; you can find more information about him and his services by visiting his website at https://www.mrthen.biz/ .