Meet Shelbi Spicer who’s been a Licensed Financial Professional for the last 7 years, on the side of the industry helping people set up accounts with retirement, Life insurance, and college plans for kids. Shelbi Spicer formerly ran an office in Los Angeles where they specialized in minimizing taxes in retirement and showing families show to leave generational wealth.
Shelbi Spicer is the Founder of Spice’n up Your Finances. Spice’n up Your Finances covers financial literacy, money Mindset and Business. Spice’n up Your Finances’ mission is to help women earn more money, invest more, and become more empowered.
‘’My company encompasses every aspect of financial knowledge. We start with Money Mindset & Money Psychology and teach the technical side of how to make your money work for you. We also help women scale their business to the next level with business coaching and money mindset coaching.’’
As a mother of 2, Shelbi runs the business for women to feel more confident with making more money, investing more and saving more.
What motivated you to start your company?
After years in the financial industry and training licensed agents to become successful in the industry. I noticed that Money is 80 % mindset and our stories along with it and 20 % the knowledge of what accounts to put it in and how to make it work for us. Don’t get me wrong knowing where to put our money is important too but understanding why we are the way we are with money is the start of it.
I noticed that I kept running into people that were in relationships and women who had no clue what to do with their money. They would say “ Oh my Husband is the one that knows this stuff: or “He is the one that makes the financial decisions”
Did you know that most women don’t learn about money until its too late? Too late meaning they are divorced or widowed. That’s when I ended up getting calls from women. Is when they were in a financial mess.
My mission women to feel empowered before a relationship, during and even if there is a separation in a partnership.
Did you have any set backs, challenges or epiphanies along the way?
Honestly, most of this didn’t even hit me as how important it was until I became a single mom.
I was in the industry for 4 years at this point was making six figures with my partner (who I share my first son with & shared prior biz with).
I didn’t have things set up legally or financially. I just trusted people by their word. So when I became a single mom. I lost everything, My income because I was no longer a part of the business. I lost my car because I didn’t have any income. All I had was my, My 6-month-old son. We had to move into my mom’s because I had no money in my bank account. I was on Medi-cal and Food Stamps. I was depressed and the only thing that kept me moving forward was my love for my son.
God provided though.
I was able to pay off my attorney’s within the first year and buy a car in cash and get a fully funded emergency fund.
Since then I have been able to move into the house I was dreaming of when I was living with my moms. Found & met my dream man ( who we have a 1-year-old together). Raised my credit from 480 to 700.
Because I had this financial knowledge I was able to get myself out of this dark hole however during this challenge.
My second epiphany was when I got to the point where I felt like I was on the other side. I looked back and realized that what really brought me through was me focusing on myself. I dove into my relationship with money because I never wanted to be in the same spot ever again. This was my driving force.
I now teach women how to have a great relationship with money so that they can increase their income, investments and scale their business!
Can you share a few financial mistakes that women often make?
- Having a partner, parent or friend make their financial decisions.
- Believing they have to sacrifice family, fun and other thing to be successful
- Thinking that their situation will change without diving into the beliefs or relationships they have with money
Tell us about your academy what is it about and who is it for?
I have two courses:
- Wealthy Women Academy – A program that is a blend of relationship with money and the tangibles on how to make money work for you. This 7 week journey helps women to start nurturing an abundant relationship with money in the physical form and their habits and mentality around it. This academy was created for women who work hard for their money and want to start having money do the heavy lifting for them so they can achieve goals faster.
- One with Prosperity- (My Signature Program) This program is for women who want to slingshot their income, saving to where they haven’t achieved before. This program also dives into the mindset around eliminate the debt cycle. One with prosperity, really helps you understand how you view money. What your money personality is and how to shift the relationship so you can create the financial dreams you’ve been wanting to achieve. This is an 8-module course. This is where women shatter your glass ceiling and leave with a new beautiful relationship with money. I work one on one with people.
What are the company’s plans in the next 5 years?
Helping thousands of women start or scale their businesses and breaking through barriers. This to me is more than just a women-making income. It’s a reflection of changing generations to come. The work that a woman does with a money and money mindset can change their family’s future for generations to come. I want my clients to feel so confident with money that they pass down what they know to their children.
What are your current areas of focus?
My current area of focus is working 1 on 1 women with about their relationship with money on the mindset side to help women increase their income with ease and enjoy their life.
What is the one piece of advice that has impacted you the most?
How you do money is how you do life. So make sure you master your relationship with money and it will trickle out into other areas in your life. I have seen this for myself first hand. I honestly believe this is why I attracted my partner.
Tell us about your proudest achievement.
I’m still growing and evolving with my own personal relationship with money but my biggest breakthrough for myself was doubling my income while working half the time and being able to be the mom that I wanted to be. Which is Present for the soccer games and practices and being able to give my 1 yr old the attention he needed.
I’m sure there is more to accomplish but I am very grateful that I learned to condense my time frames with earning money.
Client wise: Not only does this work that I do personally with someone change their course for their financial future but it changed multiple generations. I love seeing my clients teaching their kids about money habits and owning a business.
What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them?
Wow, I honestly don’t view things that happened in my life as failures. I have no regrets on what has happened. I am more grateful for the experience. Even though during those times I felt like I was never going to make it though. I believe that I have been through what I have been through so that I am able to grow to be the best version of myself. I also believe that there is someone out there who is going through or has been through what I have and I have the power to share the message to help pull them through. People were there for me during my hard time and growth in my business and I get to pass it on.
My biggest lesson over the last 5 years was to trust myself & my intuition.. There were so many times that I didn’t all trust my gut and I ended up being in a bad situation. I gradually allowed myself to start standing up for myself and what I needed. Once I tried it once and had a mini win. Kind of like going to the gym after not going for a while you need to start with the small weight and then work your way up. I started getting in tune with trusting myself again and focusing on what untimely led me to where I am today and I believe has made me a better partner and mom.
![From Music to Perfume: How did your background as a music teacher influence your transition into perfumery, and how do you incorporate your musical sensibilities into creating fragrances? I’ve always thought in terms of metaphors, and music has many that can be related to perfumery! Beyond just thinking in terms of top, middle and base notes [soprano/alto/tenor in choir], I approach each fragrant idea as a composition. When documenting my ideas, song structures often come to mind. As the scent brief is visited, I meditate on what the fragrance should convey - do I want to create an accord or a “chord” of fragrance note combinations? Do I want an a capella soloist (a particular ingredient to stand out more than others?) Many of my thoughts regarding song composition transfers to my scent formulation process, with me treating each note as an intentional soliloquy at some point.
Brand Origin: What inspired you to start Pink MahogHany in 2005, and how has your vision for the brand evolved since its inception?
An avid lover of all things pleasantly scented (with slight modesty), looking back in retrospect, it’s no huge surprise that I’ve created an indie perfume house with just an idea to provide unique options for those who may be sensitive to unnecessary pungency. Initially, I just wanted to evaluate various blends to note their aroma profiles when “played” together…it wasn’t until I had friends and family asking if I knew of brands that catered to those who may be on the more olfactory sensitive side, that I really began to take my research more seriously. In the almost 20 years that Pink MahogHany has been in existence, our micro visions for the brand have evolved to larger territory. Where Pink MahogHany used to only be a personal brand, we are now also a bespoke formulation service provider to other indie brands seeking unique fragrance offerings for their products. These products range from (but are not limited to) perfumes, candles, body butters and lip balms. Ingredient Transparency: You emphasize transparency and the use of desirable ingredients in your products. How do you select your ingredients, and what challenges have you faced in maintaining this standard?
Being an indie brand often comes with a set of assumptions and misconceptions - one of them being more negative than positive as it relates to ingredients used. There is a lot of “fluff” in the industry with labeling falsification. Because fragrance formulas are a trade secret, not every molecular breakdown of a material has to be noted on the ingredient label (it would be incredibly long), but we at Pink MahogHany™️ adhere strongly to the IFRA [International Fragrance Regulatory Association] regulations that state for common and potential allergens to be listed on our ingredient label. We’ve taken this a step further to also include these ingredients listed on our website to promote further transparency, all while protecting our intellectual property. Unfortunately, we’ve had companies to unethically sell lesser expensive “dupes” of our artisan perfumes, so as a way to create a better authenticity stamp, we make it our duty to be honest about our claims. If our perfume says “Rose Bulgaria”, it is in fact just that and not a component of rose being passed off as the source material. Collaborations and Custom Scents: Can you share more about your work with private label clients? What excites you most about creating custom scent solutions for other indie brands? I could easily sum this up in one word and say “Funding.” True, there is money out there, but I’m always thinking outside the box. Having a program that has an “Each One Fund One” mentality doesn’t exist (that I’ve been made aware of). Bootstrapping can be quite the challenge, even when you’ve reached the 6-figure mark annually. Competition to be seen and set apart is extremely high, so having quality packaging and branding is a must. There are lots of factors to consider, though when desiring to make upgrades. If there were a unique, tier-geared funding operation available, it would help perfume brands offset packaging and bulk material costs in the beginning stages.
Industry Challenges: What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an independent fragrance house, and how have you overcome them to grow your brand? As the brand continues on the path of organic growth, I would like to expand our reach into schools, offering perfumery as an arts elective for middle and high school. I’d love to partner with botanists, farmers and horticulturists directly to grow and source raw materials for the students to work with in the creation of tinctures. My passion is getting back to nature as best as possible, as nature was my first “scent experience” as a child. We would also love to witness our fragrance creations being used to scent model homes, our focus diffuser blends being used in automobile dealerships as well as partner with Air Bnb and boutique hotels that specialize in highlighting minority, indie brands. Personal Journey: How has your personal experience, particularly as a divorced mother and someone who has experienced the loss of a child, shaped your approach to life and your work in perfumery?
Because I homeschool my twin sons, we are together a lot more than most, so one thing we all do is have moments of sharing where a neutral “floor” is laid to converse about anything. Though they are quite communicative by nature, I realize that sometimes I can be in work mode so much that it spills over into what should be our quality time. My sons see the authentic me and learn how to communicate through seeing authenticity. I’ve learned not to feel as if I have to be the epitome of perfection but allow them to see my imperfections vulnerably but with discernment. Having had two traumatic experiences pretty close together has taught me how to truly slow down and enjoy the simplicities of life - igniting a spiritual aspect that I’ve always carried but never fully explored…until Kenji’s sudden passing (2018.) Grief has a way of catapulting us into a quest for more meaningfulness in both life and business. After Kenji’s passing and my processing through the initial stages of grief, I was able to incorporate our spiritual bond into Pink MahogHany by way of essential oil diffuser blends for both focus and sleep and most recently aromatic perfume elixirs. It’s been quite the process channeling the void of his physical presence, but I also have peace knowing he can be honored in a great way through scent. I noticed once I began to be more open and receptive to spiritual signs, synchs and “winks”, more ideas began to flow. It’s been this way since his transition. Emotional Expression: Fragrance is often tied to memories and emotions. How does your personal life influence the fragrances you create, and do you have a particular scent that holds special meaning to you? My creative process is much more alchemic now, and I include Kenji by talking out loud to him, believe it or not. I’m a firm believer that when our loved ones transition from the physical plane, they are still present - just in another form. I choose to keep his memory alive by not pretending he never existed (even if for a brief period of time). I am working (slowly) on a book and accompanying fragrance, but I know it will require me to revisit some memories I’m not quite ready for, so until then, his big brothers will launch their debut fragrance, The Peaceful Tiger (they chose the name.) I’ve learned that even in what we consider “small things”, our transitioned loved ones want to be recognized and acknowledged. When the twins and I designed their fragrance label (with a designer out of the country that didn’t know anything about me personally), we had issues with the graphic - so much so that the designer asked if they could rework the design. When they sent the proof for approval, the Tiger was not only younger but sleeping, with an uncanny, angelic resemblance to baby Kenji! Becoming more aware and being more sensitive to my intention for launching a fragrance has definitely made room for more divine situations like these to occur. Healing Through Scent: In what ways has creating fragrances been a form of healing or expression for you, especially after the loss of your son, Kenji Mwamba? I know my sons may not necessarily want to be perfumers, but they definitely have an entrepreneurial heart. My desire is that whatever they decide to pursue (acting, script-writing, music or architecture), they know that anything is possible with the right amount of determination, grit, belief and immersion. One reason I chose to homeschool is so they could enjoy learning without restraint and have ample time to devote to their own separate passions and it still be fun. They know Pink MahogHany is theirs if they want it (many, many years from now - lol), and we are already discussing business structures for whatever they choose their role to be once I retire. Work-Life Balance: How do you find balance between your professional responsibilities and personal well-being, and what self-care practices do you prioritize? I’m not just a perfumer; I’m also a consumer, and self-care is huge for me. I often take salt baths to reset my energy and clear my mind after being around large groups of people or free a long day. I’m a habitual perfume sampler, and I have so many to choose from to wear as my “nightcap.” Even if just for 10-15 minutes, I cherish each moment I’m able to have some “me-time.” When time and co-parenting schedules permit, I’m definitely on a flight somewhere to indulge in some delicious food and mouth-watering mocktails!](https://www.womenontopp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_3812-1200x720.jpeg)
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