Life and Work with Angelica Brav

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angelica Brav.

Angelica, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Hello!! Hope you all are doing amazing!!
A little about me is I’m 30 years old, I have two amazing kids and Im married to the most amazing man of God I know. Honestly, God has been good to me in so many ways!!
When I’m asked to say my story, I’ve got to say finding Christ is a big part.
I’m going to try to make it as quick and painless.
In 2013, I got a job with the city of Tempe working as a custodian. Not my dream job but I can say I was very grateful. In my mind, it was not about what job I had now, but what job I could get in the future to set me and my family up better. At the time, I believed that this was the only way to really do that. During this time, I was pregnant with my first child. I felt a bit scared because I had heard that women sometimes get fired because of being pregnant so I hid it for a bit. I did let them know once my probation was over. It was not as bad as I thought. However, after I had my baby about close to a year later, I knew it was time to really start looking for a way to move up. I felt God saying if you dont move it this could be your life and that scared me.

It scared me so much, I was applying everywhere. The job itself was great but it was unfortunately surrounded by some negativity, enough that I knew it was not good for me to stay there. So, I began my search, I was so determined that in one week, I had about 10 interviews. Through the grace of God, I got called back for 2 of the positions. This is when I realized God has a sense of humor. The first position was working in the Courts which was closer to career goal at the time for administration of Justice which is what I graduated in. The other was an Administrative tech 2 position that most people kept telling me I would not ever get because based on their experience, it was hard to get into. As I said, it doesn’t matter what challenge has been in front of me, with God, I have beat them. Both doubled my income and both had great hours. The thing here was now, I was pregnant with my second child and I had started to think maybe criminal justice is not the best for me. I was so confused. I kept thinking “am I wimping out of my dream ? ” or if I go with what I believed was my dream at the time, was I going to be able to be the best mother for my kids because I knew it would take me away from my kids a lot. You almost  have no life to doing that type of job. So, I did the pros and cons of both and the administrative tech position won. Which was amazing. The best experience I had ever had at a job, the people were welcoming and they were some of the main directors in the city. They were so nice and the positive energy was great. They even threw me a baby shower with barely had known me. I thought “this is so awesome, everything I could’ve wished for.”

This is where everything switched.
I started thinking about who was going to take care of my kids while I kept doing this. My aunt was taking care of my firstborn and now, I’m thinking “is she going to hopefully take care of 2?”. I also know how hard that could be on somebody, so didn’t want to do that. Then, when I looked into babysitting, the ones I felt comfortable with, I would basically be losing my whole paycheck.

I spoke to my husband about what I was thinking and Him being so awesome told me “you know, I always thought  staying home with the kids would be great for them, who’s best to take care of them.” Which I had already felt God has put it in my heart to stay home. This meant I was quitting my job. The city job I enjoyed and had just barely had for about a month and a half. This was the hardest part. My father and my mother thought I had lost my mind. Everyone close to me called me stupid. They made up stories at the old job by people who were not in the department I was in, but people I had met along the way.

I just knew that I was trusting God and that God wouldn’t let me down. When I tell you that if it wasn’t for God, I don’t know where I would be, it is no lie. I became a Christian and I can tell you that my whole life changed. I began to get closer to God, I’m not going to lie, it was hard at times and still kind of hard. The difference was that I saw how I began to get blessed everywhere we went.

If I hadn’t listened to God, I wouldn’t have been able to start this amazing business with my husband. I get to work with my husband, we have a partnership. I am able to make my schedule, have my kids where I go. We get to help people become financially independent!! I got to learn so many things about money and business that I never knew before. So, we not only help people but we educate people on how everything they have worked.

I never knew I would love this, I hated most things that had to do with money or numbers. I truly just didn’t know before how important planning for your future the right way was. I am so glad I didn’t let all the negative comments from all these people get to me. We have to understand that people can’t see what we see sometimes because we don’t have the same dreams and visions. However, now, my husband and I are building a business that makes a difference for people. A business where we do the right thing for people 100% of the time. We are leaving a legacy for our children and our children’s children. Our kids now will know the money rules, that we didn’t know before but wish we had. We are changing our family tree. I am so pumped up, fired up and super excited!!! We are going to have one of the biggest financial business in Az.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Honestly, I don’t believe that anything comes easy. A lot of the struggles I had were getting confident talking to people and in front of a crowd. I’m not going to lie, I still have to work on it. I have to talk to myself a lot. I remind myself that I am strong, powerful and healthy, that I am fearfully and wonderfully made! The best advice I have honestly is the one my husband gave me when we started this journey since he knew more about it than me. Which are: developing your faith, self-improvement, and being ok with being uncomfortable for a while is key to changing your lives.

It definitely has continued and keeps changing our lives for the better.

Remember: Don’t give up on your vision. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s dumb or unattainable. Most importantly, also, don’t be afraid of change. Guard your dreams and goals like you would guard your cell phone.

Tell us about your business. What do you do, what do you specialize in?
We do everything with personal finance. We help families get out of debt faster, save more money and make more money! Who doesn’t want that, right! I know I did. We also help put people in business for themselves. The thing I’m most proud of is also the thing that sets us apart from any other business. It is that we do what is best for our people and our clients 100% of the time and we cater to middle America, while others may only cater to the wealthy.

There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that a lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
I would say always find somebody who does what you want to do, does it the way you do it and has what you want!
In our business, we are blessed to have so many amazing mentors so many of mine come from here. However, I know that Instagram and YouTube are great places to look as well. If you want a mentor, honestly, you have to put in the work to find one and also some you may have to invest in with time and money but it will only benefit you. The best investment you can do is in yourself!!!

Contact Info:

• Email: a.brav@aol.com
• Instagram: @bravs_future_rvps

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