“Sure, you can set goals and have all the intention in the world of making them come to fruition—but if you don’t have a plan for your goals, it won’t matter one bit how much you want them. It’s not enough just to write down a goal; we need to create a step-by-step plan in order to make it happen. Got it? Great! Next up, directly underneath that, write: ‘It won’t get better unless I do something about it.’”– Tori Dunlap

This week we are celebrating entrepreneur and finance guru Tori Dunlap! You may know her from her podcast and book, or be one of her 2.4 million TikTok followers, but Tori has become one of the leading female finance experts.  Tori grew up in Tacoma, Washington, and started her first business at nine years old! She owned fifteen quarter candy vending machines and used the money she earned from them for her college fund. Eleven years later, she sold her business to a ten-year-old, who also happened to be named Tori. In 2016, Tori graduated from the University of Portland. Despite what you may think, she did not study finance or business. Instead, she earned dual degrees: a Bachelor of Science in organizational communication and a Bachelor of Arts in theatre. After she graduated, Tori worked as a digital marketing manager for a company in Seattle. 

While working for that company, Tori worked for many men who did not respect her or treat her as the capable and intelligent woman she is. She realized that money and financial stability would allow her to leave any situation she did not enjoy. So, Tori made it her goal to save $100K by the time she was 25 years old, and created a blog that followed her along in this journey. And when she was 25 years old and 3 months, she hit her $100K. 

Soon after, Good Morning America reached out to do an interview with Tori. After the interview, Tori quit her job and decided to make her financial education company, Her First $100K, her life’s work. In 2020, her TikTok videos went viral and Her First $100K gained a massive following. In 2021, she launched her podcast Financial Feminist. Within 2 days, it was the number one business podcast in the world, and now is the most popular show about money for women. In 2022, she launched Stock Market School, an investing education platform, and published her instant New York Times bestseller Financial Feminist. 

In less than 5 years, Tori turned her first $100K into multi-millions. Providing herself the freedom she desired to live life on her own terms: a feeling she is working towards every woman having.