Tell us a little about your passion. What is it about?
I am passionate about building evolving wealth management strategies because our lives are constantly changing we have different aspirations and missions in life. I am also interested in learning more about Blockchain and how it can be used in various sectors to bring transparency and accountability through sustainable/ethical development
What is the change that you would like to bring to the world?
I want to live in a world where people's best interests are kept at the core of each financial strategy and in turn we are all moved towards making a positive social impact with our legacies.
What happened to make you want to do this?
You could say Positive Social Impact is part of my DNA. I was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). My mom has always been a very strong role model because she has always faced whatever life threw her way with such grace and strength. We moved to Kenya to escape the escalating war. There, my mother worked with the United Nations, supervising missions for sustainable agricultural developments and helping small businesses obtain funding. Her example taught me to live from my values and forged my deep desire to make a tangible difference in people’s lives.
Five years later, we moved again, this time to Canada, where I was able to study business administration and international development. While I was still a student, a trusted family friend approached us with an opportunity to invest in agricultural projects in Congo that would create jobs and provide a sound return, unfortunately they ended up taking financial advantage of us. The deceit was heart wrenching. But going through that pain, registering it and accepting that loss made me realize I never wanted anyone else to go through what I had. That’s why I get angry when clients tell me they ended up in investments simply because their advisor told them to. You deserve better than that. Just like I did. Today, I use the full range of my experience, talents, resourcefulness and passion to help people and businesses design financial plans so your money can serve you and others in ways that are aligned with your values. My vision is to help clients make smart safe and secure financial decisions.
Has something happening in the world to make you want to work even harder?
We are living in an interconnected world and as such we need to start acting like a village. Taking care and nurturing each other. We are all in this human experience together because we can all win if we decide to raise one another up. Being a mother, I have also realized that I want to work hard so that all our children can be able to read about war and not live it, read about hunger and not feel it and read about limitations but not experience it.
How do you think being a woman of colour has impacted your journey?
I am happy with being me and if my colour for some reason offends whoever I meet, I have no control over their feelings ( whatever you think of me is none of my business). My path is not defined by someone else's opinion. I am still on this journey of self discovery that in fact, it would be very tough for me to just drop this wonderful process so that I can accommodate a fickle narrative that limits my potential.
Have you had a remarkable breakthrough or a win that you would like to share? We all love hearing success stories! Tell us yours!
I would say understanding my mission in life brought so much clarity and who I connect with. Becoming an entrepreneur while juggling family life and obtaining my designations has been quite an exciting ride.
What would a fun event would you like to attend? Cosplay, fully dressed as reRurouni Kenshin from Samurai X with my family. ( I am still working on convincing them, one of this days they will come around).
Contact Zainab Williams to build your wealth at zainabwilliams777@gmail.com