the Fıeld
A Visit With Agents of Change
COMPETING
TO WIN
Pushing for Olympic gold showed Lauryn Williams how planning is winning. By John Hilton
18
InsuranceNewsNet Magazine » August 2019
S
printer Lauryn Williams debuted as an Olympian in 2004, taking a silver medal in the 100 meters during the Athens games. The American fell .03 seconds short of gold. Williams worked and trained daily for years to keep her dream of Olympic gold alive. Finally, she got the chance at the 2012 London games and returned home with a gold medal as part of the USA’s record-setting 4X100 meter relay team. Now in her second career as a financial advisor, Williams, 35, is leaning on her athletic experiences to help navigate a similarly challenging path to success. “I’m trying to teach myself to measure and really focus on what I’m accomplishing one step at a time instead of basically feeling like every client conversation is a championship race,” said Williams, who started her virtual company, Worth Winning, three years ago. “You’re planting seeds all the time as an entrepreneur and some of those seeds are going to have a really delayed return on investment. But just show up and do the best that you can in that moment and be really proud of yourself.” Spurning a traditional office means Williams can communicate with her mostly young client base in their medium of choice — be it Facetiming, over the phone or even via texts. Her client base is about 60 now, a number Williams is building through social media marketing on Instagram, Facebook and other sites. She also does webinars and delivers talks on topics such as student loan debt. Much as in her athletic career, Williams is perpetually working and recalibrating along the way as she fights to establish her career in a field dominated by white, older men. She has a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, along with her Certified Financial Planner designation. Williams has a plan for additional designations as her business and client base grow. In a unique approach to compensation, Williams offers specific services, such as student loan advising, for which she charges according to a specific fee schedule. She does not charge traditional asset under management fees.
