Meet Carol Hunter | The Money Mender

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carol Hunter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carol, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
Favorite affirmation: “It’s never too late to achieve a level of money freedom because doing something is better than doing nothing at all.

What does this mean / what do I like about it: After decades of working with mostly black professional women and a few men with no prior financial literacy training which led to extreme financial mismanagement, this affirmation has become the mantra of hope shared to shift their mindset from one of financial despair to freedom. My current community is mostly middle-aged and have reached that point in life where the financial light bulb turns on and have enormous fear regarding getting old and wondering if their retirement income will outlive them. For 35 years, I have quoted this affirmation to calm the fears of those who feel that they’ve waited too long and wasted too much money to achieve a favorable financial outcome, especially in their post work life season. And many actually come to me believing that they will have to work a job until they die due to the dire state of their finances. I am affectionately known as The Money Mender, and I share this affirmation to immediately calm the fears of those who seek me out as a financial mentor and coach to fix their broken money systems. So, whether I am speaking to a live audience, ministering at a church, hosting a virtual training, engaging in a one-to-one coaching session or sharing my financial teaching resources, it is very meaningful to know that this affirmation ignites the journey to the financial transformation that my clients desire.

What should our readers know about your business?
The name of my business is Carol Hunter Global, LLC. Prior to my divorce in 2009, I built my brand under my non-profit organization, which is Prosperity Unlimited, Inc. During that time, I was affectionately known as The Prosperity Lady. After my divorce, I rebranded under Carol Hunter Global and now I’m affectionately known as The Money Mender. Now I can speak about my work.

Life has not been easy for me, but I am resilient. I hail from very humble beginnings. My father abandoned our family when I was 8-years old, and my mother was left to figure out how to raise 4 children alone. As a young girl, I dreamed of a better life and felt that obtaining a college degree was my ticket to success. When I entered college as a first-generation college student, pre-approved credit cards were offered to us and when I graduated with a B.S. degree in Accounting, I also had 19 credit cards and $30K in unsecured debt. Not school loans. Credit card debt! I was setup to fail financially at a very young age. Instead of filing for bankruptcy at 24 years old, I applied my accounting knowledge and created a spreadsheet to manage the payments to my creditors. After finally paying off the debt, I began sharing my debt cancellation system with other young black professionals and also asked my Pastor at the time if I could volunteer twice a week at the church to help members get out of debt and manage their money. Little did I know that a business was being established.

From this point, things began to take off. I began receiving speaking engagements on a regular basis, and I was hosting financial seminars all over Atlanta. And then the out-of-town invitations, TV and radio appearances and featured articles in magazines started pouring in. By 1995, I realized that my brand needed me full-time, so I retired from my corporate position and gave my brand 100% of my attention. I can truly say that is one of the best business decisions that I ever made.

Shortly after leaving my job, I wrote my first book and after many updates over the past 35 years, it still remains my #1 selling product. And that simple spreadsheet that was created to manage my creditors was named the Rapid Debt Reduction System and was included in my Debt Free Starter Kit which also included my Debt Free Forever book.

Over the years the brand continued to grow, and my teaching resources were in demand in the U.S. and abroad. In 2002 I received the incredible opportunity to host and produce my weekly 30-minute TV program on the Black Family Channel called Living the Good Life and it aired from 2002-2007. In 2004, my brand reached international status when I was invited to South Africa for 3 weeks to speak in several countries on a plethora of platforms. I was at a very pinnacle point in my business and in 2007, the issues in my personal life became a distraction, but I continued to persevere.

My divorce saga lasted for 3 years, and the burnout caused me to slow down for a season so that I could heal and show up strong again as my best self. A lot of major things happened during this period to include the 2008 recession and the acceleration of technology. I built my brand organically without social medial marketing, funnels, etc, and while it was somewhat intimidating to grasp the new business model, my resilient self knew that I had to shift into quick study, fast learner mode. So, I overcame the learning deficit by self-educating and attending classes to remain competitive and relevant.

During this season, I also want to acknowledge that my tribe did not abandon me. I’m sure they noticed that I was not as visible, but they never left. I still have a large percentage of followers that have been with me for 30 years and they vow to never leave. That crew refers to me as Mama Carol. My tribe repeatedly tells me that they stay connected for these reasons:
1. Regardless of how bad their financial situation is, I never judge or condemn them.
2. I show compassion at all times.
3. They want to learn from someone who beat the odds that looks like them. Instead, I show them their path to money freedom.
4. I make financial literacy fun.
5. I help them believe that money freedom is achievable, even if they are starting late.

So, what sets me apart from others? Once people come into my tribe seeking a financial transformation, they do not leave, and my teaching style causes my audience to keep showing up for more knowledge.

What am I most proud of? I embarked upon this journey in 1988 and in May, I will celebrate 35 consecutive years in business. When I started, there was no internet, email, social media, etc. and I had so many reasons to give up when life got hard or challenging. But I love my work and the people that I serve and giving up will never be an option.

What am I excited about? I am excited about supporting all of the people that will eventually be introduced to me and my programs so that they will experience their financial transformation too. Now that the pandemic is settling down, I am also excited about returning to the live stage to share my financial wisdom with the world.

I have learned so many valuable lessons over the past 35 years in business and here are a few of my favorites:
1. Always take care of your team. They are your greatest and most valuable asset.
2. Business is fluid so we can never stop investing in knowledge. That’s where the power to thrive comes from.
3. Do not waste time comparing yourself to others. Just stay true to your vision and consistently work your action plan.
4, Everyone is not your customer. Be clear about who your avatar is and serve them at the highest level possible.
5. Make your customers feel valuable. The customer experience should always be excellent and memorable.
6. Never assume that high income earners have their finances in order because they have a harder time managing more.

I have shared quite a lot about me and my story, but here is what I want the world to know: As The Money Mender, my message is simple. I am the creator of Fix Your Money Systems, and I help professional women and a few men create a foundation for money freedom. Your money systems include your banking, spending plan (budget), credit, investments, retirement planning, insurance and estate plan. These are your 6 core money systems and if any of them are broken, I can help you fix them.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Here is the itinerary for the week.

1. Upon arrival, we would come to my home to drop off luggage, get settled into their living quarters for the week, shower and relax for a couple hours to get past the jet lag.
2. Then we would head to a nice restaurant where reservations are preferred such as Ruth Chris, J Alexander’s, etc. and enjoy a wonderful meal catching up with one another. I am not a drinker and if my guest is, they would order their preference.
3. We would return to my home to relax in preparation for a full day.
4. Day 2 would start with a nice breakfast at the Edwin Hotel or First Watch, followed by a spa experience with at least 3 services. Then we would relax and have a chef prepare lunch at my home. Later than evening, we would enjoy the theater.
5. Day 3 would be a full day of shopping followed by a nice dinner.
6. Day 4 would be a rest day.
7. Day 5 would start with a workout with my personal trainer followed by a catered brunch with close friends. Later that evening we would enjoy a concert at the Ampitheater.

My friends and I do not have to visit a lot of places. It’s important for us to create memorable experiences.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are several people that deserve to be recognized on my journey to success. In 1988, I asked Pastor Walter Kimbrough who was Senior Pastor at Ben Hill United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Georgia if I could come to the church on Tuesday and Thursday evenings to help members create a spending plan to become better stewards over their finances based on biblical principles. I had no idea that a business would be born out of my volunteer service. So, I owe him a huge thank you for saying yes to my future success. A few months later, I had become very passionate about providing financial literacy education to the black community, so I decided to start hosting free financial seminars on weekends. Of course, I needed a team and enlisted the help of my closest friends who were Karen Atkins, Lisa Lalor, Connie Lyles and the future Bishop Sharma Lewis. My dining room served as the office, and this is where the business activity took place. A few years later I started to receive speaking engagements and realized that an actual business had been born and in 1995, I retired from my corporate position as Assistant Controller and dedicated myself full-time to my brand. This required a huge leap of faith because I had outgrown my dining room and needed an office and a team. I will be forever indebted to Regina Rogers my first employee. She was my Executive Assistant and every other role that I needed and remained with me for 14 consecutive years. I did not have a mentor to coach me and never set out to start a business. But 35 years later what I know for sure is that I would not have been able to build a successful brand if this tribe had not given me their unconditional support.

Website: www.themoneymender.com

Instagram: @IAmCarolHunter

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