Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Seavron Banus, Founder of Stepwise, located in Park City, UT, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Stepwise is an educational platform that aims to make financial knowledge more accessible to everyone. It offers actionable, step-by-step advice on how to save, invest and build wealth. The goal is to bring people closer to financial freedom by equipping them with actionable knowledge to create a successful financial future. Stepwise aims to help democratize finance and close the wealth gap by making personal finance strategies, tips, and tactics more available online. Our main customers are young adults in their 20s and 30s who are often starting their careers and families. Our customers look to Stepwise to help simplify, consolidate and save time as they navigate their own financial situations.

Tell us about yourself

I work in private equity and specialize in operational improvement at fast-growing companies. As a business strategist, I’ve spent the past 15+ years blending behavioral psychology, organizational design, and process improvement at companies across North and South America. As part of my passion for growth and improvement, I started Stepwise to help equip people with the knowledge, tools, and resources they need to become financially successful. The advice I offer is based on my own experience of going from $30K in student loan debt at the age of 22 to $100K saved and invested by 27. I’m passionate about improving financial literacy and believe that understanding what gives people purpose is essential to their personal and financial success. I am motivated to help make the world of personal finance more transparent and to provide a key piece of education that is missing from our traditional educational system.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

One of the accomplishments I’m most proud of is starting something from scratch. Taking an idea and bringing it to life requires a lot more time and effort than most people can imagine. It also takes a lot of perseverance to push through the challenges you encounter along the way. It’s also been really meaningful to see the tangible impact that Stepwise has had on people’s lives, from the recently divorced mother who used it to get back on her feet to young professionals who used our actionable tips to start investing for retirement. I’m proud to have created an educational platform that genuinely walks people through the actual steps they need to take to improve their financial situation rather than just telling them why they need to do something.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

I think one of the hardest things is finding ways to reach your audience. You can have a great product, idea, or content, but the challenge is getting it in front of the right people. It takes a lot of time to distribute, share and market what you have created to ensure it reaches the people you are trying to help. You have to meet your audience where they are, learn how they think about these topics, and engage them in a way that works in their busy lives. Specifically, personal finance is often seen as scary, boring, or anxiety-inducing, so figuring out how to make it actionable, fun, and a positive experience is very challenging. People won’t come back and stay engaged if doing so creates a negative emotional response or association in their lives.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Make sure you are passionate about your project/business. It should be something you genuinely enjoy working on and would do regardless of the outcome; otherwise, you will struggle to devote the time and energy needed to keep it going.
  2. Process and priorities matter. It’s important to take the time to step back and talk with friends, family, advisors, etc., about what you are spending your time on, why it matters, and what 1-3 things you should be focused on. It’s easy to end up spinning your wheels and going down rabbit holes when you’re trying to get something off the ground.
  3. Focus on the customer’s problem. You have to figure out what problem you are trying to solve and how you specifically are solving it better than other options. This may require a lot of pivots, research, tough questions, etc., but at the end of the day, your business will only get off the ground when you figure out what that problem is and focus on solving it in a new, unique, or better way than others.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://stepwisewealth.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stepwisewealth/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seavron-banus/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.