In the latest installment of the NGPF podcast, you will hear from Tanya Menendez, a fearless entrepreneur. After co-founding Makers Row, a marketplace that matched designers with American manufacturers, Tanya went on sabbatical before settling on her next venture, Snowball Wealth. In this podcast, Tanya shares her motivation behind Snowball Wealth and it's mission to simplify student loan repayment so borrowers can pay less. Enjoy! 

Details:

• 0:00~2:45 Introduction
• 2:45~5:12 Early money lessons
• 5:12~7:59 First job and learning leadership skills
• 7:59~16:07 Majoring in sociology and graduating into the financial crisis
• 16:07~21:40 From selling leather goods to starting Maker’s Row
• 21:40~22:09 A word from NGPF
• 22:09~26:03 The world of startup incubators and fundraising
• 26:03~29:21 Best experience working at Maker’s Row
• 29:21~30:55 On building a team
• 30:55~38:15 Taking a sabbatical
• 38:15~40:03 What Snowball Wealth offers 
• 40:03~41:40 Changes in the student loan forgiveness process
• 41:40~44:50 Online community for women and non-binary people to talk about student debt
• 44:50~47:26 On starting a membership program
• 47:26~48:27 Business model for Snowball Wealth
• 48:27~51:02 Advice for high school students
• 51:02~52:12 Conclusion

Resources:

• Snowball Wealth
• Maker’s Row

Quotes:

• “One thing I like to say is to see your career and your financial journey as a movie and not a snapshot. If you’re in a tight situation today, that doesn’t mean that you’re going to be in that position forever.”

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About the Authors

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

More posts by Tim

Ren Makino

Ren started interning at NGPF in 2014, and worked part-time through high school and college. With his knowledge growing alongside NGPF, he joined the team to work full-time after graduating from college in 2020. He is also the producer of the NGPF podcast. During his free time, he likes to try out coffees from different roasters across the world.

More posts by Ren