First FinCon Tips: How to Crush It!

How To Crush Your First Fincon!

Last year was my first fincon. This Year, Fincon is taking Place in Portland From September 10-12. I’m a virgo, so of course I would go to a personal finance conference on my birthday!

I’m a nonbinary latinx money coach and the host of the Unicorn Millionaire Podcast, and I’ve been in business for four years. Last year, I went to my first fincon in Atlanta and had a BLAST because I prepared intentionally for it.

It took me 4 years to go to an event that is FOR people like me because I’ve heard so many people in my community talk about how white and male it is, but guess what? It was not hella pale, hella stale. The marginalized, BIPOC, queer folks found each other, and I am SO glad I decided to finally go.

No matter how you identify, you might be nervous AF and might be wondering:

Do I need a million business cards?

Will I look dumb?

Will I actually meet anyone cool?

Spoiler: yes, you’ll meet cool people. I even met lots of cool white dudes.

And no, you don’t have to do everything to have an epic experience.

Here’s how to crush your first FinCon without burning out or hiding in your hotel room.

First FinCon? Plan Like a Pro

FinCon is massive. Between main stage talks, niche meetups, and the Expo Hall that’s basically a Costco for financial swag, it’s easy to get distracted.

Tips:

• Review the agenda ahead of time and pick your must-attend sessions. Don’t wait until the conference, when you are tired and busy AF networking with cool people, to look at the agenda. The best part of the conference is the connections and being able to meet all these internet people in person, so get the techie stuff out of the way before Fincon.
  
  
• Schedule in downtime (yes, naps count). In Atlanta, I am SO glad I booked an airbnb next door to Fincon so that I could decompress and cook my healthy meals. Investing in lodging in or near the host hotel will help you preserve your precious energy for networking. I have chronic health issues so instead of eating fries for three days, I cooked my healthy kale and couscous meals at my Airbnb while still going out for southern food and meating amazing people at night.

Why the FinCon App is a Lifesaver for Your First FinCon

Download the Fincon Application and use the sh*t out of it.

It is a great way to connect with Sponsors, Panel Speakers, other first timers, etc.

I posted questions on the feed, and I also booked a podcast session and the video booth session.

Book these slots ASAP because they fill out!

There was also a free professional headshot booth that I took advantage of but I looked tired AF in, so get your headshot on day one if you can while you are bright eyed and bushy tailed!

Make Your Fincon Application Bio to make you searcheable

I added links to my socials like my @travelercharly instagram, my audience size, and I used keywords like “LGBT” and “BIPOC” because THAT is my target audience and exactly who I want to connect with at Fincon.

I made it easy for Sponsors/attendees to search for me and friend request me so that we could collaborate in person. I searched for people like me by using keywords like “trans”, “nonbinary”, “autism” and “latinx” so I have already found people I can connect with so I don’t feel like the only trans latinx person who is going, and I found amazing friends who shared my identities there.

One representative even reached out from Zillow because of how on top of marketing myself I was!

Use bonus intro offers from credit cards to make your investment back

I used bonus intro offers from business credit cards to make money for spending $2,000+. The costs for these conferences add up, especially if you don’t live in the host cities.

Just the flights, Airbnb, and ticket easily amounted to $1,500.

I spent money to uber to the grocery store and to and from the meetups, so I wanted to make my investment back.

I took out the Capital One Spark for 0% annual APR and the Amex Blue Business cards. I am so glad I did. At the time of publishing this blog post, I have about $11,700 in Credit Card debt that I haven’t paid a dime in interest for for almost a year, but as soon as it kicks in on September 25th, I will start to pay it off. Learn more about how I leverage debt to retire early here.

Listen to my Unicorn Millionaire Podcast episode 100 to learn in detail about how I used business credit cards to pay for Fincon.

How First-Timer Events Make Your First FinCon Easier.

I’m so glad I went to the first timers zoom call Q&A that Fincon organizers gave. I was the first person to ask a question so that people could recognize me and say hi. I also introduced myself on the Fincon Application feed and posted about how I got an SD card for the podcast recording room at Fincon as a first timer, and another first timer added me to her Whatsapp first timer group chat!

I also volunteered to welcome people to the conference and I got to meet other folks that way to break the ice.

My mindset is that if you are going to be paying thousands of dollars to meet people in person at this conference, make your investment back! Zach Whelchel’s blog post about how to take advantage of your first time at Fincon really helped inspire me to volunteer!

I’m so excited to attend my first Fincon as a queer latinx money coach! I hope this blog post has inspired you to either attend AND make the most of your first time at Fincon!

Want to learn how to make stocks sexy and invest your first million? Join my Roth Freak Fridays email series here!

Collaborate with other finfluencers!

I saw one of my personal finance heroes, Bernadette Joy, at Fincon, and I thought “I’m going to shoot my shot and invite her onto my podcast!” and she said YES!

She came onto my Unicorn Millionaire podcast to talk about how she went from having $300k in debt to becoming a millionaire, and how she backed Kamala’s campaign in a swing state, North Carolina.

Then, she asked me to be on HER show!

Other shows I was on thanks to Fincon:

1. I was also asked to be on the Sugar Daddy Podcast episode 92 to talk about going from being undocumented to financially free and self funding my semester abroad in Europe-watch the interview here.
   
   
2. Anthony from About that Wallet had me on episode 275 to talk about how important it is to make money your b*tch, especially when you are a trans person estranged from biological family and lack their support.

Have Fun At Your First Fincon!

Your first FinCon doesn’t have to be overwhelming, it can be a blast!

With intentional planning, you’ll leave with new friends, collabs, and the confidence to come back every year. Ask any questions in the comments and let me know how it goes for you!

Last, be sure to join my Crush Debt, Retire Early Emails for juicy money gems!