From Broke to Blessed: She's Taking Entrepreneurs on a Journey to Financial Freedom

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Hi Wild Ones,

If you’re like me, you’ve probably had moments where life throws you a curveball—or several. These past few weeks, I’ve been spending time with my mother, who’s been navigating an incredible loss after her husband passed away on Christmas morning. In the midst of it all, I’ve been finding solace and purpose in the work we’re building together as entrepreneurs.

In addition to telling stories of entrepreneurs like YOU, and like Narenlie Santiago, who’s featured today, one of the projects closest to my heart right now is the Good Goods Finder—a growing directory that’s designed to connect coaches, service providers, local businesses, and product creators (handmade, manufactured, and digital) with people eager to support them.

So far, 19 amazing businesses have joined the directory, and the feedback has been both inspiring and insightful. These early adopters are paving the way for something truly special, and I couldn’t be more grateful for their trust and participation.

The questionnaire is now live, and I’ve expanded it to cover a wide range of businesses, from handmade goods and coaching services to local and digital businesses. This means no matter what you create or sell, there’s a place for you in the Good Goods Finder.

As for the bot that will power this interactive experience—it’s getting closer to being ready! I’ve been working behind the scenes to make sure it delivers a seamless and engaging experience for both shoppers and business owners.

What’s Next?

Here’s the exciting part: The Good Goods Finder Bot will soon be live, and I’ll be hosting a demo to show how it works and how it can help you grow your business. To make the demo as impactful as possible, I’d love to have even more businesses in the directory by then.

If you haven’t signed up yet, now is the time! The Basic level is free, but for the first 25 businesses who join at the Enhanced level ($25/month), I’m offering a complimentary upgrade to Super Premium ($50/month) when the paid tiers launch.

Join the Movement

The Good Goods Finder is more than a directory—it’s a way to showcase the heart and soul of small businesses like yours and connect with people who care about what you create.

👉 Sign Up for the Good Goods Finder

Let’s build something incredible together, one listing at a time. 💡

Thank you for being part of this journey,
Sue

And now… prepare yourself to be inspired and transformed.

Picture this: A 30-year-old entrepreneur, standing in the ruins of her failed luncheonette business. Rent overdue. Dreams shattered. Sound familiar?

Meet Narenlie Santiago.

Her story isn't just another rags-to-riches tale. It's a journey of spiritual awakening, financial enlightenment, and the power of a transformed mindset. Buckle up, folks. This ride's about to get interesting.

The Fall

Narenlie's first business venture crashed and burned spectacularly. Why? She admits, "There were a lot of things that I didn't know." No kidding. But here's the kicker: this failure became the catalyst for her transformation.

Desperate for answers, she turned to an unlikely source: the Bible. Luke 14:28 caught her attention. It's about calculating the cost before building a tower. Ironic, right? She'd just built a business without doing the math.

Enter Dave Ramsey. His financial advice resonated with Narenlie. She got her finances in order. Tithed faithfully. Did "all the right things."

Fast forward ten years.

The Second Fall

Narenlie and her husband started a trucking business. One year later? Shuttered. Again.

Cue existential crisis."Lord, like what's up?" Narenlie found herself questioning everything. She was doing all the "right" things. Why was she still struggling?

The Turning Point

The next scene: Narenlie, parked at a local park, staring at trees. Questioning her life choices. Classic entrepreneur move, right?

But then, something shifted.

She remembered a podcast about the widow's story in 2 Kings. The question hit her: "What do you have in your house?"

Epiphany struck. Narenlie had a culinary degree. She'd been baking on the side. But she'd ignored it, thinking it wasn't her "true purpose."

Talk about missing the forest for the trees. (or, as I like to call it… failing to see her own acres of diamonds)

The Transformation

Narenlie dove deep into the Bible. Not for comfort, but for answers. She started questioning everything she thought she knew about money and faith.

She discovered Russell Brunson. Funnel hacking. Myron Golden.

Suddenly, her purpose became clear. Financial coaching. Helping others avoid the pitfalls she'd experienced.

But there was a problem.

The Mental Battle

Narenlie struggled with guilt. Wanting more felt... wrong. Greedy. Un-Christian.

"I felt like the purpose was supposed to be in those four walls," she admits, referring to her church. "If I pay too much attention to my business, then I'm going to be disobedient to God somehow."

Sound familiar? It's a common trap for faith-driven entrepreneurs.

But Narenlie wasn't having it anymore. She started challenging these beliefs. Questioning the status quo.

The Breakthrough

Narenlie's perspective shifted dramatically. She realized that wealth could be a tool for good. That her desire for success wasn't selfish—it was purposeful.

"I don't need to feel guilty about wanting to have an empire or be as big as I can be," she declares. Preach, sister.

She developed a new understanding of biblical principles. "All of God's promises lead to nothing if you don't follow the financial principles," she explains. "You're gonna become wealthy whether you like it or not."

Controversial? Maybe. Empowering? Absolutely.

The Mission

Today, Narenlie is on a mission. She's a financial coach, dedicated to helping others—especially in the Latino community—achieve financial stability and prosperity.

Her approach? It's not just about numbers. It's about mindset. Addressing the emotional and spiritual aspects of money management.

"Money is part of every part of our life," she explains. "But yet, for a lot of us, no one ever really taught us how to handle money."

She's changing that. One client at a time.

The Lessons

Narenlie's journey offers some powerful lessons:

1. Question everything. Especially your beliefs about money.

2. Failure isn't final. It's feedback.

3. Your purpose and your prosperity are linked. Embrace both.

4. Guilt about wanting more? Ditch it.

5. Nature can be a powerful source of inspiration. (Beach walks for the win!)

The Challenge

Narenlie's story isn't just inspirational. It's a call to action.

Are you letting outdated beliefs hold you back? Are you ignoring your "baking business" because it doesn't feel spiritual enough?

Maybe it's time for your own park-bench epiphany.

Remember: "The desires in your heart... God put them there." Narenlie's words, not mine, though I hold tight to them.

So, what's in your house? What skills are you overlooking? What dreams have you shelved because they didn't fit your idea of "purpose"?

It's time to dust them off.

Reexamine them. And maybe, just maybe, build an empire.

After all, if a failed luncheonette owner can become a financial coach changing lives... what's stopping you?

Your move, entrepreneur.

You can connect with Narenlie on Alignable.

Maybe Instead of Becoming Our Computer Overlords, The AIs Just Want to Set Us Free?

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with AI. To be frank, while my writing business survived the mess of 2020, many of my clients’ clients didn’t. That trickled up.

Then little businesses everywhere discovered ChatGPT and decided they could cut their content marketing budget down to $0. (Eeek - if you’re feeling like everything you read these days is vanilla in the worst way, you’re seeing it.)

Writers everywhere are looking for new careers. (Or, like me, pivoting into writing projects that emphasize the HUMAN connections of business - there’s a whole new craving in the marketplace to connect with real people.)

But instead of joining the “Ban AIs!” crowd with virtual torches and pitchforks, I’m truly excited about many of the possibilities AI creates.

In particular, because my whole mission is to help you get outside more so you can get spectacular ideas for serving your people. Part of that is the Idyllwild Woods entrepreneur retreat center (we just paid the final invoice from NovaDome - it should be here in a few weeks!). Part of that is using my expertise to create lead generation and nurturing assets to help entrepreneurs stabilize their revenue.

But I also encourage the wise use of AI to help you get your work done faster (and often better). That’s why I was happy to see The Rundown AI’s request to sponsor today’s newsletter.

It would be way too easy to go down crazy rabbit holes as you learn to use AI. Better to have a guide show you the way.

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