Steffa Mantilla is the CEO and founder of Money Tamer, a personal finance website that helps families understand personal finance, learn how to get out of debt, and build wealth.  Steffa is a Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI) and uses her background in operant conditioning to help people understand the “why” behind their money decisions plus how to change them. 

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I spent most of my career as a zookeeper.  I trained carnivores like lions and cheetahs so I had to understand animal behavior.  I found that I loved learning about behavior, both human and animal, so I went to a lot of conferences and workshops on operant conditioning. 

After the birth of my son, my husband and I made the decision for me to stay at home to raise him since my paycheck wouldn’t cover daycare costs.  Staying at home is what got me thinking about starting a business.  I ended up studying to become a Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI). 

I combined my knowledge as a CFEI with my knowledge of operant conditioning to give a unique twist on helping people understand why they’re making poor money decisions and give them the tools to change that. 

What inspired you to start your business? 

I grew up learning about saving and mutual funds from my dad.  My family was military so we moved around a lot and my parents had to plan to spend wisely.  I was fortunate in that  I had a good foundation of financial literacy by the time I left their house. 

Fast forward to years later, once I got pregnant my husband and I realized it wouldn’t make sense for me to stay in the same job.  Childcare cost too much and the life of a zookeeper means you work long hours, weekends, and holidays.  I didn’t want to miss out on our family life. 

We started going through the process of paying off debt, building an emergency fund, and getting our money act together.  While I was doing this, I had the idea to start a website to give others the information to do the same.  Thus, Money Tamer was born. 

Where is your business based?

My business is completely online but I’m based out of Houston, Texas.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

It started with me thinking and planning out the business.  I got very specific about what I envisioned my long-term business to look like and worked backward to see all the steps I”d need in order to achieve it.   

Since my business is online, I only needed a website to start.  I looked up information other successful bloggers wrote to get a general timeline before profitability and what I’d need to get up and running.  After researching, I chose a web host, registered a domain name, downloaded WordPress, and got to work writing.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Since I’m a stay-at-home mom first, my free time is very limited.  I don’t have time to make a lot of videos, spend time on social media, and do a lot of outreach.  Instead, I focus mainly on writing articles that will rank high in Google search, also known as SEO.  

This is a much longer process than the instant gratification that social media can be but it works best for me since I don’t have time to do much with social media.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

My biggest challenge has been finding the time while having a young child at home.  I was constantly comparing myself to other bloggers who started around the same time I did but were further along in their journey. 

But I realized that this was a discouraging mindset to have.  I needed to stop comparing myself, a person with zero website experience prior who had 1-2 hrs a day to work, with someone else who works with a team and can put in a full work week on their site.  Once I did this, I became happier with my progress and was able to cut out comparing myself with others. 

How do you stay focused? 

I stay focused by making sure I have a quiet place to write.  I also spend some time every month making a list of upcoming goals or things that need to get done.  This helps keep me on task.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Every person’s story is unique from everyone else’s.  Even if we cover the same topics, my take on the topic will be different than theirs since we have different life experiences.  I focus on providing honest information using my own personal take. 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

SEO and email marketing are the two main strategies for growing my business.  These are areas I had absolutely zero experience in prior.  I had to self-teach how to use these to grow. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

If you keep going back and forth about whether you should start a blog, I suggest you just start.  The barrier to entry is extremely low.  You can find web hosting for $6/month and a domain name for $12/year which can easily fit into your household budget. 

You don’t have to be an expert in tech or marketing; you can learn as you go.  You’re constantly evolving so what you did last month may have changed this month because you read an article or learned from an experienced mentor.  You don’t have to have everything figured out before you begin.

What’s your favorite business tool/resource? Why?

My favorite app is currently Trello.  I have a board where I list all of my article keywords.  It’s how I keep track of all my future article ideas.  And since it’s on my phone, if I’m away from my computer and have an article idea, I can open the app to write it down before I forget.   

My Trello board is accessible via desktop as well so I can easily plan out product launches, or make a content calendar for the upcoming months.

Who is your business role model? Why?

I don’t necessarily have a business role model but there are a few fellow entrepreneurs whose information I trust.  I watch a lot of YouTube videos from Miles Beckler and Income School.  They break down the concepts you need in order to have a successful online business.  I also enjoy when they do website analysis or interview other entrepreneurs.  I find those videos inspiring and they make me want to keep going. 

How do you balance work and life?

While my child is still young, I only focus on work in the morning before he’s awake, at night after he’s asleep, or during weekly playdates.  This means that I have a lot less time to work than other people in my business.  Instead of letting this slow me down, as my income has grown, I’ve outsourced a lot more things like tech help or graphic design instead of doing it myself. Once my child is a little older and starts school, I’ll have a lot more time to focus on my business.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

I enjoy exercise as a way to decompress.  I’ll either use my indoor rower or will go on a walk outside while listening to podcasts.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

For the next 6 months my focus is on content production and building an email list more effectively.

How can our readers connect with you?

The easiest way to connect with me is on my website https://moneytamer.com