Career Goddess Academy Progress Report - July 2019

It’s the seventh month of 2019. Wow! 2020 is right around the corner!

What are you working on? What goals do you want to achieve? How do you want to create endless opportunities?

Well, I’ve learned that the best way to achieve a goal is to document it. Don’t just think it, ink it! This will inspire creative thoughts that will lead you to achieve your desires faster.

That’s exactly what I did when I created my first blog in 2010 and started documenting my journey to the Miss Illinois USA Pageant. Here’s my first wordpress blog, y’all! Shout out to my friend Jarrell Chatman for getting me starting on this journey.

If you’ve been thinking about starting a blog, just do it! Here are some step by step instructions to get you started.

Bluehost is one of the most reputable web hosting companies in 2019 and you can start your own blog with them for as low as $3.95 a month (through my link). That’s less than a cup of tea from Starbucks (I used to love my peppermint chai tea latte!).

In this Career Goddess Report, I’m sharing my progress for the month of July. Most people know me as a Certified Public Accountant, Speaker, or World Traveler. Now, I’m not a person who is infatuated with titles anymore but I’m on a mission to create endless opportunities that align with the core of who I am.

Here’s how I became in CPA in less than 9 Months

I honestly can’t believe I’m putting myself out there into the world in this way since I am such an introvert who values my privacy. But if this helps others rise higher faster, I’m all in!

When I coach others, my goal is to always help others surpass what I have achieved. When you work with me, you’ll definitely experience what it takes to transform the impossible into the possible.

So…here is my progress report for July 2019.

I’m not doing this to vaunt about my accomplishments or seek sympathy for the stumbling blocks that come my way. It’s about creating a personal diary that allows me to track my progress and position my mind to create endless opportunities.

Hopefully, this allows you to create ideas on ways you can supercharge your goals this year!

Let’s go!

Note: I did not work every day in order to achieve these goals. I value my “ME” time. I truly believe that rest and relaxation is key to your ongoing progress! You don’t always have to grind. You can let things naturally flow in the direction of what you desire the most. So, I did not work (outside my home) the first week of July and enjoyed multiple days of relaxation on traditional work days. This gave me the energy needed to let life flow and attract the things I wanted.

PODCAST

After 10 years of trying to figure out how all of this podcast stuff works, I finally dived in and released the CEO Unlimited Podcast! Woohoo!!

Check it out here and support. You can also use our good friend GOOGLE and type in “CEO Unlimited Podcast”.

The CEO Unlimited Podcast is available on multiple platforms including Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic.

Here are my latest episodes:

I released 5 podcast episodes in my first month! And my first interview featured Tiffany “The Budgenista” Aliche. Say what?? Yes, I’m really excited about that. Did I plan to release 5 episodes and have this amazing interview opportunity? No! I just did what came natural and opportunities came my way. I had to forget about perfection and focus on progress. There’s so much information within me and around me that I want to share in order to help others create endless opportunities.

Here’s what I learned:

Get Help
Get Started
Keep Going

NEW BOOK

I’m an author…wow!! I’ve been wanting to say that for over twenty years. I am so grateful for everyone who has helped me on this loooong journey.

My first book will be released in September as an ebook. Order your copy of “Dividends Are a Queen’s Best Friend” here.

Did I plan for this to be my first book? Heck no! I had other plans in mind. But I had to release this book right now because of what’s going on in the economy and how the workplace is quickly changing. People need options. And this book will give you a mental shift and expose you to new ways of earning money (without lifting a finger!)

Grab your copy here!

WRITING

My blogging adventures have led me to earn money as a freelance writer, financial coach, and consultant. These are great side gigs that allow me to earn money inthe comfort of my pajamas doing what I love!

You can find more of my work on wealthywomendaily.com. I’m the Founder and Editor in Chief of Wealthy Women Daily. Subscribe here to get weekly wealth tips delivered to your inbox!

Here are some articles that I published in July.

Money Tips to Teach Your Kids Now, According to Tiffany ‘The Budgenista” Aliche – Published by Black Enterprise
Survey Shows Gen Z Expects Higher Money After Graduation – Published by Black Enterprise
African American Wealth May Fall to Zero By 2053 – Published by Black Enterprise
African Americans are More Likely to Be Denied a Mortgage Without Reason – Published by Black Enterprise
Iconic Black Newspaper, Chicago Defender, Says Bye to Print After More than a Century – Published by Black Enterprise
How to Open Up a Retirement Savings Account for Your Kid and Help Them Accumulate $1M Before They Reach $50 – Published by Black Enterprise
Millennial Moves: Removing Barriers for Young, Black Accountants – Published by Black Enterprise
5 Ways to Experience the Magic of Orlando – Published by blackdoctor.org
Here’s How to Enjoy 24 Hours in Lake Genev, WI – Published by blackdoctor.org
5 Wellness Vacation Ideas You Should Explore this Year – Published by blackdoctor.org
Candi Brown Crowned Mrs. Corporate America 2019! – Published by Career Goddess Academy

SPEAKING

Writing is cool but my first love is speaking. In fact, I started writing more so that I could write a book and attract more speaking opportunities. Well, I finally wrote the book so now I can focus on what I do best!

In the past 20 years (geez I sound a bit old), I’ve spoken at commencement ceremonies, national accounting confences, women’s leadership events, corporations, and community organizations.

I stepped back from frequent speaking opportunities to write more and build my portfolio. In the last 3 years, I’ve written hundreds of articles all over the web for leading publications such as Forbes Travel Guide, HuffPost, Black Enterprise, Women on Business, Addicted2Success, and many more!

So, now that I have a portfolio of almost 1000 articles, I’m ready to get back on the speaking circuit. I’m putting my desires out there and I’m excited to see what unfolds this year. I’ll keep you posted!

Here’s what I did to get back in the speaking groove:

• Attended Toastmaster Meeting on 7/9 – Served as Grammarian
• Attended Toastmaster Meeting on 7/23 – Served as Toastmaster

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Pageantry opened many doors for many – including becoming a brand ambassador and strategy consultant! Now, I have a business that does just that.

To learn what the best companies are doing, I get hired to deliver brand messaging for companies all over the world. I’ve delivered key brand messages and awareness for leading companies and organizations such as Visa, GEICO, Novartis, NBC- Sports, Allstate, Bank of America, and Intel.

Now, I use these brand strategies to help Accounting & Finance professionals grow via CEO Unlimited Firm. You can check out more of what I do at www.ceounlimitedfirm.com. I use digital technologies to help Accounting and Finance professionals and firms remain relevant and relatable in this ever-evolving digital landscape.

What makes my firm different from other communications and strategy consultants is that we start and end with the numbers. If you know your numbers, you can achieve any goal faster!

FINANCIAL

Speaking of numbers, here are some of my financial “achievements” that made me happy this month.

Retirement Savings: I contributed to my Roth IRA account! Woohoo! I’m on a mission to max out my Roth IRA this year. Are you? An important piece of being a career goddess is knowing how to create a financial foundation that allows you to focus on the things that matter most to you. You have to position yourself to live life intentionally.

Shopping Rewards: I earned $25 Gift Card from ShopKick. It was so easy and I was able to get a good workout in! When you use ShopKick, you can get rewards points and gift cards just for walking into stores. Download the ShopKick app using this link or put in code DEAL186738. Get your first Walk-in or Scan (within 7 days of joining) and you earn 250 kicks towards a free gift card of your choice. I’ve received tons of Target, Starbucks, and WalMart gift cards.

Investing My Spare Change. I invested my spare change into exchange-traded funds (ETFs)! Well, I didn’t manually do it. I created an account with Acorns and set up recurring deposits. Acorns also deducts spare change from your account every time you make a purchase using your linked debit card. Click here to open and get $5 using this link. It’s an easy way to start investing and you don’t have to do anything after you set up your account. The app does the work for you! All you have to do is sit back and watch your balance in your portfolio grow.

Maximizing Bank Rewards: I met all the basic requirements to get $300 from opening a new checking account. Woohoo! The best part about it is that I got rewarded for doing things I was already going to do. All I had to do was make a minimum deposit, use my card for 5 transactions, and keep the money in the account for a certain period of time. I was able to complete my 5 transactions for less than $5 (total). Of course, I plan to do the same with a credit card. If you are mentally and financially responsible enough to manage a credit card, check out the Chase Sapphire Preferred here. You can earn 60,000 bonus points with Chase Sapphire Preferred. I can be rewarded, learn more. Sign up using my referral link to get started.

OPPORTUNITIES

• Accepted to AICPA Leadership Academy Class of 2019!
• Connected with Jesse Jackson at the Chicago Defender event
• Worked on the set of EMPIRE and educated others about ROTH IRA
• Selected to Assist with brand messaging for Intel Extreme Masters in Chicago (enjoyed playing Tekken video game)

SOCIAL MEDIA

I’ve been a ghost! This is one area I need to do better in for my businesses. Follow me, leave a comment, and I’ll follow you back!

@charlenerhinehart = 1859 followers (count went down from last month)

@blackcoupletravels = 1515 followers (growing!)

@wealthywomendaily = 372 followers (need to start posting and developing a strategy!

@ceounlimited = 187 followers (it will grow one day…haha)

@careergoddessacademy = 395 followers (I don’t event have this one connected to my phone)

I’m more of a LinkedIn kind of girl but I know it’s important to reach people on other platforms too. I have over 6000 connections on LinkedIn and plan to post and share more in August.

REPORT SUMMARY – JULY 2019

This report was inspired by a conversation that I had with my business partner, J.D. Smith.

After looking at social media, I shared with him, “It’s almost August. Did we post anything on our social accounts in July. What the heck were we doing?”

I was using social media as a benchmark to define what we did. But since I don’t post my entire life on social media, this measurement was not a good reflection of how I spend my time.

So, I did a report so that I could see what really happened and how I can grow next month.

Now I see that I wasn’t an absolute slacker this month like I thought I was. I met some goals, take time out to focus on rest, relaxation and family, built my portfolio, and helped others create endless opportunities. That’s what life is all about right?

What are your goals for next month? Let me know below. Let’s hold eachother accountable.

See you in August! Keep Creating Endless Opportunities!

Yours truly,

Charlene Rhinehart

Founder, Career Goddess Academy

Career Goddess Academy Progress Report – July 2019