How She Built Wealth With a 9 to 5 Job | Shilpa Maniar

Interactive Transcript

Speaker A Foreign.

Speaker B Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. We're so excited to have you. You have had incredible, an Incredible career working 15 years as a executive at Google. You've done so many amazing things and you've been able to build your personal wealth and your personal journey in a traditional 9 to 5 role, which a lot of our community members ask for. They want to see more women that done something a little bit more traditional. I think a lot of times on social media it can feel like you have to build a business to do well and you've really shown that you can, you know, work up the ranks and do well in other ways. So thank you so much for coming.

Speaker A On and thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here.

Speaker B I'd love to start with your childhood. I think it really shapes the way that we view money. What was it like growing up? Were your parents very money savvy and was that how it was passed down or did you kind of learn a couple of things?

Speaker A You know, I think that growing up as a child, my parents were really good about integrating like the value of a dollar to us. And so I think part of the immigrant struggle, or being a second generation immigrant is understanding what things used to cost back in the day. Because I think that parents often say, well, gas used to be like X number of cents and now it's like a dollar something. And I think now it's like five dollars but. But always like showcasing like the value of a dollar kind of impacts the economy and the structure. So I think because I understood the value of a dollar and had a concept of what inflation meant, I knew it was important to save, but also I knew it was important to understand like how to invest in a smarter way. But my investment would be like my piggy bank, right, Because I didn't have a bank account. So I was like, okay, well I can buy this ice cream today. And this is how much it's going to cost. I should probably save up if I want it like five months from now. And so I think we had this concep like saving. And the one thing that my parents did when we traveled was they would give each one of us a role. So I think one of us would be, I have two older siblings and so one sibling would be the, the tour guide and figuring out all the tickets and the tour spots. And then my middle sister was always currency exchange. And so how much money do we need in that day? And so she would ask my father for cash and she would exchange the Money trying to figure out the best time or rate to exchange or place to exchange currency at. And then I was always the one that was the research oriented one, either documenting things or being the video photo person. But I think even in those, in the, we travel once a year. So even in those experiences we were always witness to like, okay, what's a good day to exchange currency? What rate are we exchanging it at? So we had that value again of what a dollar meant and how to spend.

Speaker B Oh my God, it sounds like your parents were amazing and so forward thinking.

Speaker A To like, I don't know, I think, I don't know if it was a combination of like, how do we maximize like the amount of money? Like you know, like maximize our experience or optimize the experience by outsourcing to. Outsourcing to the kids. But also like, it's also like how do we be smart about. Smart about it so that the dollar goes the longest way. And so it was, I don't know if it was like, I don't want to say, it's kind of like the Gujarati Jewish way of like, you know, really spend in a wise fashion for.

Speaker B Those that don't know what, you know, the Gujarati stereotypes are around money. Do you mind explaining that a little bit more?

Speaker A Oh yeah. So there's so many different, I guess types of languages spoken in states and in India. And so I, my family is from the state of Gujarat and that area I guess is known for being, I don't want to, you know, I say, I say it in the most polite way possible. But it's, it's known for being really optimal with your money. And so people are always like, oh, you're being Guju. And that usually means that you're being wise with your money. Maybe there's a sense of frugality in that, but it's really meant to be. Usually they're not superfluous in spending extravagantly. It's usually they're being a little bit wiser and spending a little bit less and trying to still optimize the experience.

Speaker B That is a really great way of describing it. I remember growing up and I'm, I'm Punjabi and we would hear this saying like Punjabis will buy a car and a house as soon as they make money and then maybe think about buying a business later. And Gujaratis will buy a business first and then they'll buy the house and the nice car later. And it's not necessarily, you know, not everyone fits into those stereotypes but it's that idea of, you know, you can be more focused on investing and saving and, like, have the rewards sort of later down the line. Were there any other ways that your parents instilled, like, good money values? Because we have a lot of parents that listen to the show and say, like, my kids are only five, but how do I get them to think about money?

Speaker A Yeah, you know, I think that, you know, being in a family with three daughters, there's obviously the stereotype of, like, my dad felt this pressure to always be the one managing the finances. And. And I think, you know, as we got older, we kept sharing with our mom, like, maybe you should understand what's happening. And I think as my mom started learning kind of all of the different strategies my dad had invested in, then I think we started learning with her. And so, you know, I think had I had a brother, maybe the dynamic would have been different just being in, like, in a South Asian family. So I think we really had to ask the questions to my dad to say, is this the CD that we're invested in? When can we pull out the money? We weren't earning money until we were in high school or on our own. I got my first job, I think, telemarketing. So, like, that's the first time I actually had cash that I earned. So my dad was always giving us an allowance. And so I think the allowance that my dad and mom negotiated to give to us would always be okay at $20 a week. What was I going to spend it on? And if I didn't spend it, then that's my savings, and then I would incur that. And then if I had enough money, then I can buy the toy that I wanted. And so they really tried to make it in a way that we were learning how to spend our money for things that we really needed or wanted and not just getting things because we had access to things. So I think it was just like. I think the first thing is just getting everybody a piggy bank. No one uses change in quarters and like, things, but, like, we used to use all those. Like, like, we used to obviously take all the change and put it in our piggy bank. Now I think people probably just use bills. So I don't know how piggy banks work now, but, like, well, sometimes there.

Speaker B Are like, online cards that you can have or like a. Like a MasterCard that's like, for. For a child. And so you put money into card and the kid can, like, spend it, but also see on their app.

Speaker A I love that.

Speaker B So it's. It's the same idea do you feel like there's a way in which, in general, South Asian parents raise their kids around money that's maybe different to the Indian diaspora when we maybe have more of a Western approach to raising kids and money? Like, did you feel like there was much of a difference?

Speaker A I think from my experience and not having kids and so just kind of observing how my friends who have kids and my nieces and nephews and kind of seeing how my sisters are raising their. Their children is, you know, we didn't have. Growing up, I didn't have a credit card, so I always had to have a wallet and a bill, an amount. And so I think the difference now is I'm not sure if children these days understand how quickly money is being spent or transacted because they're using a digital platform. Right. A card or an app, or just calling an Uber and not really understanding, like, oh, that just cost $20. But it got billed to my father or bill to my mother. So I think that because of the physical exchange of a bill or cash, like, I think we grew up a little bit. I would say you could see the spend and you could physically feel the spend. So I'm curious, you know, for this generation of children that are growing up with all digital apps and Venmo and Zelle, understanding the actual transfer of spend, like, the same way. I'm curious.

Speaker B It is so true. I think there's been some science behind it where if you buy things in cash, it hurts more because you see the cash go versus, you know, the tap of Apple Pay.

Speaker A Yeah. Like, even myself now, like, I find myself, like, not because I do use credit cards a lot more than I use cash than, you know, as a kid, I think we use cash because that's what our parents gave us is a 20 bill or a $10 bill. But I use my credit card, and I only understand what I. How much I spend on Ubers and how much I spend on certain things. When I look at, like, my spending report and I see a pie graph, and I was like, wow, I ate out a lot. Like, I should start cooking a little bit more. Or I'm like, this is how much I spent on, like, you know, rideshares like Ubers and Lyfts, and I'm like, okay, maybe I need to, like, you know, navigate the subway better or need to figure out another approach.

Speaker B And so I also think in New York, as I've been visiting, Uber's are outrageous here. Nowhere else in the world have I been where it's like, really oh, you want to go, like, 10 minutes? That. That's $30.

Speaker A If you want to go 10 minutes, it's $30. Well, that's good. Good data point. So. So I guess that helps me, like, feel a little bit better about how much money I'm spending. So it is a little bit higher. I, you know, I think the traffic is just horrible here. And I'm sure you read about the congestion tax that they're playing, like, to cross town. And so they're trying to make people pay money to cross town so that they could reduce, like, the number of cars. But I don't think it's changed much.

Speaker B It's kind of like how in London, if you bring your car into London, you have that tax of, like, bringing your car into town. Similar. And it seems to have. But I want to sort of shift gears and talk about how did you decide that you were going to go down the career path of having a 9 to 5 job versus, you know, starting a business? Did you feel any pressure to do one or the other? And did you kind of have a plan for what you wanted your future to look like as a kid?

Speaker A Wow, that's a really good question. I think that you're often in, like. I'm feeling like I've been in autopilot for the last 20 years since I've been working. So I think that I often don't even. Like, I forget how I felt as a kid and what those dreams were. But, you know, I think something that, you know, I grew up in a family. My dad has his own business. My mom supported that business. She had a lot of, like, creative passions. But I think I grew up in a way that I was kind of prone to thinking I would be working in some business capacity. So I wasn't the kid that wanted to be the doctor. Like, I knew the doctor wasn't for me. I just didn't really. As cliche as. I just did not like blood. Like, I knew that was not gonna be my thing. I remember as a kid, I wanted to go into. My mom was in a lot of plays and things, and so I saw her, you know, on set and I saw her on stage and I was like, oh, I really wanna be doing something creative. And so I wanted to go to school for journalism. I was like, I wanna be a writer. I wanna do these cool. Like, I wanna share stories with the world and being South Asian. I was applying to college and I was like, okay, I'm gonna fulfill this dream of mine and, like, go to journalism school. And it's gon, like, had my application ready, and my dad, like, saw my application. He was like, okay, well, I want, you know, I think you should be an engineer or go to business school. And I was like, well, I don't think I want to do that. You know, I really want to go to journalism school. And I think he had me talk to maybe about like 10 different parents, dads and moms, like, and families to convince me to consider doing, you know, a traditional degree.

Speaker B And I can imagine him just like, doing the call up, like, talk to my kid. This is like, SOS emergency. I need them to do what I think is best for them.

Speaker A Yeah. And it was. And I think he wasn't seeing. And obviously we see today, like, the monetization potential of like, these, these creative fields. But I think back in the day they were so, like, exposed to these traditional paths and these corporate paths, and it was so easy for, like, they felt comfort in guiding us in that direction. And so I remember, you know, having those conversations and, you know, as simple as even, like, I think I didn't even know what an engineer really did besides, like, you know, what I might have seen on TV or the news. And I think I pulled up the encyclopedia for E with my friends in my bedroom, and I was like, this is. I read about an engineer and I was like, I think I can do this. Like, I read it and then I think, you know, if I did that, my father and mother would have supported my education. So that's how I kind of fell into engineering. I went to school at University of Michigan, so, like, go blue for those watching. And I did my undergrad, my master's in engineering. And then I still had that passion for creative and product. And so I worked at NBC Universal to kind of fill that void of like, how do I still be an engineer but still be close to production? And I did that for a few years in la, in New York, and then I. And then somehow Google found me, who was my former employer. And Yeah, I spent 15 years at Google working in monetizing video content and monetizing ads. So still try to find out a way to tie it back to some type of media outlet. And that's really been my path. And now I have the beauty of exploring, you know, a new pivot in my career, which I'm really excited about, because I think it really helps me kind of tap back into that inner child and figure out now for the next few decades, like, what's going to be the biggest opportunity to solve for the world, but also to kind of match the skill set and interests that I have.

Speaker B It's really incredible. Like, you've been able to find, you know, financial freedom, and then that's also enabled you to then do what's important to you and your passion and have like, the sort of next stage of your life before we get there. I'd love to learn what was your journey like through Google? How did you work your way up the corporate ranks as someone that hasn't, you know, really been through that corporate experience? And frankly, we don't see a lot of women of color that have gone so high up so quickly. What was your, like, secret? What were your tips?

Speaker A Oh, my God. There's no secret. But that's really kind. Thank you. You're so, so generous. I, you know, I think one of the things that I've always been intentional about is knowing or having a desire to, like, work for. Like, I. As crazy as this is, and I, and I, and I'm gonna go on a tangent, but it's like everyone's been speaking a lot about the universe and manifestation and the power of manifestation and intention. And I didn't even know that was a. I think back in the day, I didn't even know that was a thing. I think when I was in college, I was like, I'd love to work at NBC Universal. Like, I like the shows they have. I think they, you know, they obviously distributed Friends. And I was like, I just want to work at NBC. And I somehow worked at NBC. And then I think I was at NBC and I was just. I would randomly tell people, I'm like, if I'm not working for myself, I'm working for Google.

Speaker B Yeah.

Speaker A Like, I'm like, if I'm not doing my own thing, I'm working for Google. And. And just randomly happened that I got an interview at Google. And so it almost was like I didn't even know I was manifesting the next move, but it somehow. Saying it to the universe and it somehow was becoming a reality. And. And then when I got to Google, I, you know, obviously just really enjoyed the work I was doing. And I think one of the things, again, was staying intentional of, like, where is the impact I want to make in this role? And how do I want to be sure that I'm, you know, we have these attributes, which is like, thought leadership used to be one of them, but like, executional excellence, like, how am I collaborating with others? What is the results that I'm driving? How am I helping the user? Have A better experience and really focusing on, like, the intention of the company and making sure that in every role I took, I was meeting or exceeding the expectations I had set for myself and for the team. And I think being very clear in communicating those expectations and then being very diligent to make sure I'm measuring myself against those expectations, like we do it at a quarterly basis, really helped me build the story for myself, for my team, to help me progress into the next level, if that makes sense.

Speaker B That makes a lot of sense. What do you think were the things or what do you see as the things that people now kind of get wrong when it comes to growing up through that sort of corporate ladder?

Speaker A Yeah, I think that you smiled.

Speaker B I feel like you've got a few.

Speaker A No, no, no. I think that there's so many different things because I think that there's. People join companies at all different stages and experience and tenure. So speaking of somebody who maybe just came out of college or came out of school and it might be their first job, it's like, what I think is important is understanding the level and the responsibility that you're in so that you can really perform at that level. So understanding the role, we say role profile. So understanding the responsibilities that. That your manager and you have come to terms with and really setting clear goals. I think one of the biggest challenges I see with at least folks that are maybe newer to the corporate world is when they don't set clear goals or objectives, then I think that they're more vulnerable to failure and more vulnerable to like, maybe not getting promoted in an accelerated trajectory. And so I would say really setting those clear goals and objectives. And I think as you get more senior in your career, those objectives and those goals are going to not just be for you as an individual, they're going to be for the collective team. So making sure that you have a really deep understanding of what you're doing and what your team is doing and how that ties to the business impact and how it's business critical to the overall goal of the company. So the first thing I would say is clear objectives and goals. Making sure that you're aligning with your manager and you're aligning with your team to make sure that there's impact and true impact there. The second thing is obviously execution. So making sure that you're delivering and you're pivoting those expectations as new information comes right. Like, things are constantly changing in the world. Systems are constantly changing. And so making sure that you're being flexible and you're checking in on those expectations so they are modifiable. And then the third thing is, like, making sure that people know your story. So I think you can be hardworking and work really well in silo. But if people don't see and if they're not invested in that journey, then you're less likely to get the exposure that you need. So that a room of people are going to say, this person is ready for the next level. So I think the part that sometimes, you know, everyone has a different style of, like, how do they showcase their work? And that's also a cultural thing. So I know that like, like in Asia, people are less likely to say, I, I, I did this. And they're going to say we. But it's really important that in, at least in American corporations, that the work that you did and that you drove is known to multiple folks that are in the room that are going to determine whether you get to the next level.

Speaker B I do that sometimes. Like when I, I get called out on this so much when I do a speech and I'll say, we grew or we did this. And I was like doing a panel for something, and one of the jury members of this award, they were like, who's we? Like, it's just you in the room. You need to say I. And I was like, I apologize. Like, I didn't, I didn't realize. But you're so right. How do we. For those working in those spaces that are like, okay, this is really resonating. I definitely, you know, need to showcase my work more and get more ahead of the decision makers. Like, how do you do that?

Speaker A Yeah. You know, and obviously you've had so much success. I've just been, you know, I've read your book. You were, You've. I think that was a New York Times bestseller. Right? Or almost.

Speaker B No, it wasn't.

Speaker A But I feel like in my mind, in my heart, the way I tell everybody about your book, I'm like, you need to read this book. I actually have extra copies of it. And I, I just, I literally hand it to people, or if I don't have one, I'm like, you need to buy this book. Great. Yeah.

Speaker B Oh, that's so sweet. Yeah, we. New York Times bestsellers are based on only sales in the States. So if it's worldwide sales, it doesn't. Doesn't quite count. But in my heart or in your.

Speaker A Well, you know, I think that when you. I guess what you just asked me, like the I and how do we pivot? But, But I. You Know, I think I would have never noted that about you. And I think that in reading what you write and hearing what you say, I think that it's very clear that a lot of your success has because of, because of your vision and what you've done. And obviously you've had collective inputs from people outside probably advising. But. But I think that you've done a really good job like marketing what you do. But you know, I think it is shifting your mindset from an eye to we is uncomfortable when you first start because you feel like, am I being, you know, there's these negative connotations to it where it's like, I don't want to seem arrogant, I don't want to seem overly confident. I want to have humility. And so you feel like as soon as you shift from the we to the eye, am I reducing that humility of myself or am I doing a disservice to the team that collectively worked on the goal? So I think the way that I've been able to feel comfortable because obviously being South Asian and then now having to kind of work in corporate America for almost 20 years, I've had to become comfortable with saying here's the work that I did to drive this specific impact and this is how the team contributed to this goal. But it's really being able to tell that story in a way that your direct impact is known, but that you're still able to involve the team in terms of how they help contribute, if that makes sense.

Speaker B A lot of sense. Do you mind giving like an example of like how someone might say if they were just speaking on the team versus like if you were like critiquing one of your juniors to be like, no, you need to put yourself front and center as well.

Speaker A Yeah. I think as the leader of the team, you're often setting like the vision and the macro picture and you're setting the goals for the team. So then you, you have your individual contributors figuring out, okay, what is their role to help the team achieve those goals. So a time is I had launched a, which was a market like market special like market POC we called it. So basically we covered advertising across our publisher ecosystem, which means that we covered media and entertainment news and publishing, commerce, auto, healthcare. So each industry, we did not have a specific technical solutions engineer that was focused on the sector, focus on how they were performing according to peers and really building that domain expertise or industry expertise. And so I've been built out a program to say here's what the need is and I Think we need to kind of structure it. And so I had individuals kind of managing those sectors. So collectively, as the leader, I would look at the macro view. So I would say, okay, across the publisher ecosystem, here's the revenue or the opportunity we've exposed because of pure competitive analysis. And then the individuals might have been, say, media and entertainment saw the largest opportunity. Maybe it was because that individual might have had done, you know, had access to more data or figured out a smarter way or figured out a more efficient way to say, here's where the gap is. And so I wanted to make sure that that individual also got the exposure to say, here's the opportunity I found within this market that was a gap. And here's where I think we can really help with these, you know, X number of partners to help them increase their pricing strategy or reduce their pricing strategy. So they were also getting the benefit of the additional revenue.

Speaker B That is really helpful, I think. Thank you for sharing an example because it really highlights that you can share your impact and not feel like you're the things that you've spoken about. Do you find that there are things that you, like, recommend to your teams over the years when you have especially young women, say, I want to work my way up, but I just don't even know where to begin. I don't even know what skill sets. Am I meant to. Have I meant to change? Am I meant to be myself? How do you even navigate the more softer side of it?

Speaker A Yeah, you know, I think that that's a really good question. And I think that every, like, I mean, even in now in my life, I'm trying to figure out, you know, what's the next thing. And. And I. I really believe in. We are constantly evolving work. I'm a curious person. I think. So are you. Like, I think I enjoy learning and I learn, enjoy building new skills. I enjoy learning from others. Like, I think for people, for young women that are still trying to figure out, like, what should I do? I don't really know my strength. I'm still trying to out, like, there's so many different career opportunities. Right. So I think a few data points that I've always looked at when I've been thinking about my next, you know, pivot is one is what fulfills me, like, what I'm. What what's my purpose? Like, what do I feel the most passionate about? So I think just having a sense of knowing what excites you, what industry excites you, and really asking yourself those questions. The second thing is obviously location So I think that's a factor in like, okay, is this an opportun. The right opportunity for me, because return to office is a thing. So if you're working for a corporation at a startup. I don't know how flexible startups are, but I know in big tech it's, you have to basically be in the office again. So I would say location is an important factor. Compensation obviously is an important factor. Is like, there's careers that could be a little bit longer tenure before you see a big paycheck, and then there's careers that you might see that bigger paycheck earlier on, but there might be more risk or more indefinite timeline for those, for those roles. So really figuring out like, what is the compensation that you feel comfortable with based on where you're living and what you, what you, what you like to do. And so really looking at those three data points, I would then try to figure out like, okay, what are the, the companies that are available or what are the types of roles that I'm looking for? I don't know if that helps.

Speaker B That really does help. And I wanted to ask another question that comes up a lot. One of our community members said, she said, you know, I feel this pressure to start a business because when I go online, that's what everyone is the way to make wealth. You're like smiling.

Speaker A Well, I just feel like everybody now and I'm always like, surprised and I'm impressed as well, but I'm also a little like surprised at the number of people when I go on social media or I go on LinkedIn and I look at their profiles. They have founder.

Speaker B Yeah.

Speaker A And I think that we've somehow lost the concept of like start a business, understand the problem that you're trying to solve. So like, how many there's businesses being started, like all the time. Right. So sometimes I, I really, I feel like I read some profiles and I'm like, what is the problem statement? Is this a real world problem statement? And so like, I just feel like people are throwing out these founder titles, but not really either having a real business that has a real business model or profitable model or some type of operating model. Like, I just, I don't know if it's being thrown around too loosely.

Speaker B I think it, I think it definitely is. And, and then it's causing a lot of anxiety and it's causing a lot of. Not grasses, I guess, GR. Greener syndrome, where a lot of like the young women that listen, they go, well, should I get out of my 9 to 5 job? Is it not something that I should be doing? And as someone that's had a parent that's had been a business owner, but then someone that's chosen to build your wealth through a corporate career, like do you have any words of wisdom of.

Speaker A Like starting a company versus like writing.

Speaker B For someone the that you know that it's still possible to build wealth in a 9 to 5 job?

Speaker A You know, I'm so happy that you asked that because I think that often times and people still say, say this to me, they're like, if you want to 10x your wealth, you have to start your own company and work for yourself. And I think that is definitely an approach. But it's really tough to have, you know, a unicorn company or to have 100 million valuation. Like, it's tough. I think if you're gonna go the founder route, I think it's really again just like a proportion of like, you know, do what you love but at the same time know the problem statement or what you're solving for to, to kind of drive that ambition, intention so that you can see the reward. But I think that if you are like, you know what, that's daunting, that's like overwhelming. It's a lot of work to start your own company. I rather just work for somebody else because I like to be directed a little bit or I like to be coached or I like to have the mental stability that I have this bigger company looking out for me and it's not all on me. And I think that's where I think corporate's a good place. And I do think that there is a lot of monetary potential like working for someone else. Like, I think that there's an old school thought of like, oh, you're never going to make that much money when you work for someone else. But I think if you work hard and you do the right thing and you are a good team player, I think you can be, be making a good amount of money working for someone else as well. I also think also nine to fives, I don't think really exist right. Like no one's really working a 9 to 5.

Speaker B What are you working when you were at Google? Like 7 to 12?

Speaker A I'm trying to think like I'm like always like 9 to 5 and like if I like, I, I, it's really tough. Like I don't know how to do that. I don't think I've ever been that person. So I'm probably not like the best advice person here for the, for time boundaries. But I think because of access to information, email, contact, global time zones, like you are kind of working at different hours of the day. You might still be working a 40 or 50 or 60 hour work week, but it might not be as structured as a 9 to 5.

Speaker B Do you listen to podcasts? There's one by Emma Greed on Diary of a CEO. Have you seen that episode?

Speaker A No, I haven't.

Speaker B Very niche. But she is, is the co founder of Skims and founder of Good American, like with the Kardashians. She's like the business person behind these like celebrity brands. And she said that, you know, work life balance, you can have it, but then you can't expect like incredible salaries or incredible work opportunities. And if you are someone that works very hard, you often then do see a little bit more of a reward. So it kind of seems like that that's part of your journey at least when people can worry about salaries. I don't think a lot of people outside of the sort of fang bubble realize how far salaries can go in these like large tech companies. Like you know, what could someone expect in, in very general terms to be making.

Speaker A Oh, this is a good question. Okay, so I want to say, I mean I think most of this information is public in big tech. I think big tech is kind of what people and finance might still be very much this way in terms of how people are getting compensated. But you because of the way compensation structures work or how people get paid, it's a salary, a bonus and equity. So because fang and stuff have been doing so well from an equity standpoint that generally has had a good return. Right. Especially if you're holding on to it for the long run, I would say. I mean the potential is so, it's so broad. It could be anywhere from like a hundred and some thousand to you know, millions based on your role and your tenure and your expert expertise.

Speaker B Yeah, I really appreciate that answer because I think there's so many people that don't realize, I mean it's not that every single person makes a salary, but you can make, make millions of dollars working in a 9 to 5 job that is not 9 to 5. But you don't have to start a company to build wealth. And if you're putting your money aside like you're earning this much and you're investing a lot of it, like eventually you do get to a time where you're work optional, you're working because you enjoy it and not because it's the only source of income. Did you find that it was important for you to have that financial freedom before you moved on to the next chapter of your career.

Speaker A Yeah, I think that for me, you know, it's interesting because it kind of going back to how we started. So like, you know, being Gujarati, being in a family that was like, use your dollar wisely, you know, like, do you really need that or do you want to save it? And like the saving kind of mentality. I, when I was looking at jobs out of college, I remember getting an offer from like an investment bank to do a sales and training role that was, was like twice as high as the salary that I was getting at nnbc. It was like a really, I think it was at that time, like it was like a hundred thousand dollar offer.

Speaker B Oh, wow.

Speaker A That's like, it was a big offer, right? And, and I remember like sitting there and saying, okay, I have this sales and trading offer and then I have this offer, you know, and these media production companies and they're a lot less. But I think when I sat with, you know, it's always a family decision when you're young, right? So it's like a family's in this room and you're like, okay, what am I doing? Like, why, you know, career is such a big thing, right? Career and merit. I guess. Like, I'm still like, haven't figured that. I think we need more family meetings on that. But like, but like kind of career was a girl sitting. And then I think my, my family, my dad, my sisters, my mom, they were like my, you know, do what you love, like, what are you going to enjoy? And my mom would always say that, do what you're going to enjoy doing. And so she's like, don't chase the paycheck. Like, do what you enjoy doing. Which is crazy from like a family that's like, safe, save, save, right? You're like, probably like make money fast, you know. And so I was like, okay, well I'm going to turn down this really big paycheck. And it's probably going to me like, you know, years to kind of even get to that salary. But I'm going to work where I think I'm going to have the, the most fulfillment. And that's where I took the media and entertainment job at NBC Universal. You know, I'm sure they pay differently now. Like, but like I was saying, like, you know, I was like, I was like, I will work for free. Like, I'm so excited to do this job. And then when I switched, you know, five years later to Google again, I remember getting the offer from Google. And even though I had said I manifested and I wanted to work there, I was still enjoying NBC. And I was like, this is a great job. And. And I said no. I said no twice to Google. And they came back the third time with. With more money. Now I'm like, five years later, I'm like, maybe New York is a little bit more expensive. So I. I shifted, but it still wasn't. I still was not at where I was for that first job offer I got in sales and training, which is insane, right? And it took me, like, it took me a while to get to that, Even that base. And. And then I remember at Google, then, then as soon as I got there, I think they were like, wow, you were underpaid. So that's tech, I guess, for you. And so they were like, okay, we're gonna, like, we're gonna make you at market value for the tech industry. And then I think, then incrementally, I think the compensation or the reward of tech, I was growing with the industry, so I was starting to see, like, oh, you can make a lot of money working for someone else, or you can make not a lot of money because it's relative, but you can do what you can do. You can still have a nice paycheck and not feel this, you know, this need to, like, have to be doing, like, working, I don't know, working in sales and trading like you used to, or. Or having to start your own company or buy a hotel or motel or whatever. That looks like, you know, that was.

Speaker B A very good draw. The answer, that last one, buy a hotel.

Speaker A You know, I was always, like, impressed by how much money they make. Like, I. The hospitality industry. I'm like, okay. I just never, you know, it's incredible. It's incredible.

Speaker B I want to keep chatting and going on, but I am mindful of your time. And before we wrap up, I have one final question for you. For someone that's listening and going, I love this. This is so incredible. Like, I feel inspired to, like, turn up to work and, you know, give my career more of a refresh. Do you have a favorite book or. Or podcast or just something that has helped you that you refer to as a good resource for, like, that sort of softer career development skills?

Speaker A I've been reading the Power of Now to kind of ground myself on, like, kind of thinking forward and thinking about what do I want to do now and what are some of the things that I want to see in my life for the next decade or so. So I think that book is really good. And then the other thing I highly recommend, and this is not necessarily a book, but I think working with a career coach or executive coach, which is different than a therapist, sometimes I think it blurs. But I think having somebody else that's a third party guide you or think through your career journey with you is really an invaluable asset. So I've been working with an executive coach for the last few years. Years. And I feel that those exercises have helped me prioritize my intention to help streamline some of my aspirations because I think our aspirations can get ahead of us sometimes. So really being able to have that person brainstorm and kind of filter them down and then also come up with a plan so that you're intentional in the search of a career or a job or whatever that looks like for you so that you know how to market your LinkedIn profile and you know how to scope your resume. So I think I would recommend also working with somebody that is actually, I've.

Speaker B Never heard that before and I think that's so, so valuable. Thank you so much for your time.

Speaker A Letting me be here. This is so fun.

Speaker B We're gonna have to have you back sometime.

Speaker A Oh my God, this is so fun. I always enjoy talking to you and I think you're the reason why I feel less guilty about buying a nice purse because I think you told me like a Birkin, which I still can't get, but I one day but I remember that you're like, you should not feel bad about getting, you know, items that, that appreciate just as quick as some like positions. I think you had told me.

Speaker B Absolutely, absolutely.

Speaker A Thank you for all your advice.

Speaker B I'm glad to help.

Speaker A Yeah, thank you so much.

Speaker B Thanks for coming on.

Speaker C Disclaimer Friends that Invest does not provide personalized investing advice for your individual needs. We are not financial advisors. The Advice from Friends that Invest again exist for educational purposes only and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision. Advice from Friends that Invest is general in nature and does not consider individual circumstances. Always do your research and due diligence.

How She Built Wealth With a 9 to 5 Job | Shilpa Maniar

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