“It’s crazy to me that we have made this industry so confusing and so secretive,” says Jessica Willis, Founder of Pocketnest, a financial platform that she licenses to financial institutions, as well as employers for employee financial wellness. A self-proclaimed finance wizard, Jessica knew she wanted to help others who may be intimidated or less knowledgeable to be able to organize and optimize their finances. She became so excited about the platform as she was building it that she was happy to jump out of bed at 5:00 AM to work on it and sad when she had to head for her office job hours later.

She encourages anyone else to make a similar leap toward their own mission that serves other people. Take advantage of every startup event and networking opportunity. If you don’t know how to do something, find people who will help you. These people will become your mentors, perhaps for life. Always have something to show people, even while you’re still perfecting it.

Remember that startups exist within an ecosystem. Just as you require and receive help, you will be called upon to help. Find a way to pay it forward. This is how you build your all-important community.

Quotes

• “I want to make personal finance be not so overwhelming, and difficult and unapproachable.” (15:51-15:56 | Jessica)

• “It was probably six to nine months of me getting much more excited about Pocknest than my full- time job. My husband even asked me one time, ‘Do you even like going into the office?’ And I said, “I mean I guess I do. I just like working on Pocketnest better.’ And he said, “Oh my god, you want to get fired!’ And I felt that would be so much easier if someone else could make that decision.” (18:37-19:14 | Jessica)

• “If I knew my daughters were settling for something they didn’t love doing, I would say, ‘What are you doing? Take the risk. Take the jump and go for it.’” (19:33-19:41 | Jessica)

Connect with Jessica Willis:

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/pocketnest

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