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If you have ever turned your passion — fitness, music, coaching, art — into income and then wondered, Wait, is this actually a business? you are not alone. This week Anastasia and Myiesha welcome their first guest, Matthew Diana of Mind to Money Capital, to talk through the moment a creative side gig becomes a real company that needs structure, books, and a plan. Matthew went from personal trainer and touring musician to life coach and entrepreneur running an S corp umbrella company. We dig…
Let’s Get Fiscal is the money podcast for creative entrepreneurs who want to keep more of what they earn and grow their business with confidence. Hosted by CPA and tax strategist Anastasia, each episode makes taxes, bookkeeping, and money management simple, practical, and even fun. We cover topics like tax deductions, small business finances, creative business strategies, and how to avoid costly mistakes—without boring jargon. Whether you’re a filmmaker, designer, artist, or small business owner, you’ll get actionable tips, real-world examples, and a few laughs along the way. If you want to stress less about money and focus more on doing what you love, this is the podcast for you.
[00:00] Anastasia Aiello: I can't work in a nine-to-five. I can't do it. You're living somebody else's dream as a W-2, and that's just, it's black and white. You know, it might piss people off me- me saying that, but that's what it is.
[00:09] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[00:10] Anastasia Aiello: And I was like,"I'm not living somebody else's dream anymore. I'm living mine."
[00:13] Matt Diana: Let's get fiscal. [upbeat music] Mm-mm. Let's get fiscal. Make it make sense. Money moves smarter. When the numbers click.
[00:28] Myiesha Fisher: Hey, guys. Welcome back. We have our first guest on the pod.
[00:33] Anastasia Aiello: Hey.
[00:33] Myiesha Fisher: We have Matthew Diana here from Mind to Money Capital. How are you today?
[00:37] Anastasia Aiello: I'm doing good. How about yourself?
[00:39] Myiesha Fisher: I am fabulous. I got a compliment today, so you know-
[00:42] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[00:42] Myiesha Fisher: ... I'm running on that high.
[00:43] Anastasia Aiello: Oh, yeah.
[00:43] Myiesha Fisher: Um, so I figured for, like, how our conversation will go and stuff today is kind of like how we do, like, our new client intro calls, and I do always like to preface that, um, it's a little bit like therapy-
[00:54] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm
[00:54] Myiesha Fisher: ... because you do have to get kind of personal and whatnot, but I usually start off with, like, you tell us about yourself and, like, kind of where you're going and about your business or businesses in your case, and yeah, what you all do there.
[01:05] Anastasia Aiello: Okay. Yeah. So, uh, I guess I started with, uh, a nutrition and fitness company.
[01:11] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[01:11] Anastasia Aiello: Um, so I'm a personal trainer, a nutritionist. I got my certifications probably eight, nine years ago now.
[01:18] Myiesha Fisher: Okay.
[01:19] Anastasia Aiello: Um, and I've always just been, like, a really fit, um, person that's just, like, kind of been into the nutrition side of things,'cause when I was younger I realized what the food was doing to me.
[01:29] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[01:29] Anastasia Aiello: Um,'cause I'd eat, like... well, they're, they're better now, but, like, not to hate on them, but Panda Express, I would, like, eat Panda and be like,"Oh, this is amazing"
[01:36] Myiesha Fisher: [laughs]
[01:37] Anastasia Aiello: ... but then I'd be asleep for, like, the next two hours.
[01:39] Myiesha Fisher: [laughs]
[01:40] Anastasia Aiello: Where, like, you know, the food I eat now, it's like I'm energetic, I stay productive and efficient and I'm able to continue to work on my things. Um, but through the years I saw that mindset was lacking in a lot of people, including myself, so I kinda hit a point in my late 20s where I was like,"I need to figure myself out"-
[01:59] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm
[02:00] Anastasia Aiello: ..."and help that with other people." And a- along with, you know, finances and amongst other things, but, uh, you know, as we all g- go through our 20s, we're discovering most of the time. So, um, that kind of developed where I'm at now with, uh, the Mind to Money Capital business, which is kind of like the name, more of like an umbrella of, like, all the things that I do-
[02:21] Myiesha Fisher: Okay
[02:21] Anastasia Aiello: ... which I call the five Ms'cause I'm Matthew. So I have, like, a little creative side of me-
[02:26] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm
[02:26] Anastasia Aiello: ... being a musician and an artist. Um, I just like creating things and being creative with those things-
[02:32] Myiesha Fisher: [laughs]
[02:32] Anastasia Aiello: ... you know, not be so bland.
[02:33] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah. Mm-hmm.
[02:34] Anastasia Aiello: So, um, now it's, you know, mindset, money, uh, meals, muscle and music. But-
[02:40] Myiesha Fisher: I love that. That's awesome
[02:42] Anastasia Aiello: ... ideally music isn't just for everybody. It's more of, like, that's my passion.
[02:46] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
[02:47] Anastasia Aiello: So how can I help you discover yours and make it something that you can do 100% of the time so that you feel like you're living the life that you should be living?
[02:56] Myiesha Fisher: Okay. I mean, Matthew, now I'm like, well, let me start my therapy session-
[03:00] Anastasia Aiello: All right
[03:00] Myiesha Fisher: ...'cause I wanna find my passion [laughs]
[03:01] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah. Should we switch this around?
[03:03] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah [laughs]
[03:05] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs] But yeah, all in all, it's, you know... I- I- I never really considered it, but most people say I guess I'm a life coach now.
[03:11] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
[03:12] Anastasia Aiello: Um, but it's just a lot of things that I like to do in life, and it keeps... it's, I'm just very passionate about it, so it gives me purpose, and I believe, you know, when people lack purpose, they lack happiness. So if you have a purpose in life, you have a direction, and if you have direction, you- you- you'll find happiness for sure.
[03:29] Myiesha Fisher: Gotcha. Okay.
[03:29] Anastasia Aiello: 'Cause you're striving towards something.
[03:31] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah. No.
[03:31] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[03:32] Myiesha Fisher: 1000%.
[03:32] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[03:33] Myiesha Fisher: So with your business, like, where kind of, like, are you with this umbrella business? So I guess, like, what have you done with it? Does it exist with the state? Like, is it completely separate of you? Like, what, what have you done on the financial and tax side of your business?
[03:46] Anastasia Aiello: Uh, so it's a, it's an S corp.
[03:48] Myiesha Fisher: Okay. Okay.
[03:48] Anastasia Aiello: Yes. Um, I luckily did run into a really, uh, good CPA.
[03:53] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[03:54] Anastasia Aiello: And so he's been helping me for about eight years as well, kind of when I was, like, in this whole transition of my life.
[03:59] Myiesha Fisher: Nice.
[04:00] Anastasia Aiello: And so he's guided me c- correctly from what I can tell so far. So yeah, it's, it's a, it's an S corp. Um, then the business that it was originally called, Live Till Death, is also an S corp-
[04:10] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm
[04:10] Anastasia Aiello: ... but I don't really use that. That's just kind of there.
[04:12] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
[04:12] Anastasia Aiello: And I probably, probably won't reinstate it.
[04:15] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[04:15] Anastasia Aiello: But, like, I just reinstated Mind to Money Capital'cause I'm like,"Okay, this is the, this is the everything."
[04:20] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah.
[04:20] Anastasia Aiello: That goes... you know, everything else goes under it, so.
[04:23] Myiesha Fisher: Nice. Okay.
[04:23] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[04:24] Myiesha Fisher: And then how do you typically, um, track your finances? Does your CPA do it? Or, like, what software and stuff are you using?
[04:30] Anastasia Aiello: He, he does it, um, but ideally for the daily I've set up a Google Sheets-
[04:36] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm
[04:36] Anastasia Aiello: ... where it is kind of, like, I would say ghetto and, like, old school.
[04:39] Myiesha Fisher: [laughs]
[04:40] Anastasia Aiello: But, um, it's what I got. I've... But I just kind of watched a YouTube video a long time ago-
[04:45] Myiesha Fisher: Uh-huh
[04:45] Anastasia Aiello: ... and it's just, like, a Google Sheets where I have every single thing that goes in and out. You know, it's f- you know, fixed expenses, um, adjustable, uh, expenses or, you know, whatever, what have you.
[04:58] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[04:59] Anastasia Aiello: I'm not looking at it right now. I, I, I actually don't even look at... I just kind of put it in now at this point.
[05:03] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
[05:03] Anastasia Aiello: Um, and then, like, a safety fund and then, like, it, it, it'll, like, shoot out, like, your total amount of, like, what, what are you making at the end of the month once everything's put in, you know, what are you, uh, what's coming out of your account and then the net from that as well.
[05:17] Myiesha Fisher: That sounds great. Yeah.
[05:18] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[05:18] Myiesha Fisher: Like, super organized.
[05:20] Anastasia Aiello: I t- I try to be, you know?
[05:21] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah. No.
[05:21] Anastasia Aiello: It makes life easier. [laughs]
[05:23] Myiesha Fisher: [laughs] I'm sure your CPA appreciates it as well.
[05:25] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[05:25] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah. He's like,"Okay, instead of, um"-
[05:26] Anastasia Aiello: It makes him a lot cheaper
[05:28] Myiesha Fisher: ... uh, our podcast guy has a drawer behind me that's just full of receipts.
[05:31] Anastasia Aiello: Oh my goodness.
[05:32] Myiesha Fisher: So [laughs] yeah.
[05:32] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[05:32] Myiesha Fisher: No. So you're doing great.
[05:34] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah, yeah.
[05:35] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah. [laughs]
[05:35] Anastasia Aiello: Well, and it's, it's nice too,'cause when you have all your, you know, your bank accounts, like, that's kinda how I do it, is I just every morning if I've spent something I go onto my bank accounts and just add it to that sheet.
[05:45] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[05:45] Anastasia Aiello: And then I'll export, you know, 12 months of the sheets.
[05:49] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[05:49] Anastasia Aiello: And then he also has the, um, all my bank accounts attached to his QuickBooks.
[05:55] Myiesha Fisher: Okay.
[05:55] Anastasia Aiello: So he's kind of like the guy that looks over it, like, in a blimp above a, a stadium essentially.
[05:59] Myiesha Fisher: That makes sense. Yeah.
[06:00] Anastasia Aiello: So that he already has everything-
[06:01] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm
[06:01] Anastasia Aiello: ... if it doesn't add up.
[06:02] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[06:02] Anastasia Aiello: And he'll be like,"Well, what's this? What's that? You know, what's deductible?" Blah, blah, blah.
[06:05] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[06:06] Anastasia Aiello: All that stuff.
[06:07] Myiesha Fisher: And then does he check yours? Like, does, do you check in with him every month, quarterly? How often do you actually talk to each other?
[06:13] Anastasia Aiello: Um, I would probably say, like, once a month.
[06:15] Myiesha Fisher: Once a month.
[06:15] Anastasia Aiello: Maybe more.
[06:16] Myiesha Fisher: Okay.
[06:16] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah,'cause- I just, I refer him so many people,'cause it- that's, you know, one thing that we could prob- you guys could probably even talk about, um- Mm-hmm... is that I talk to so many people that are doing their own taxes, and I was that person, and I'm like,"You are leaving so much money on the table," and there's two things that are guaranteed in life. That's death and taxes. [laughs] So you might as well get in control of the one that you can, and that's taxes. That sounds a lot like you. [laughs] So find a good CPA. [laughs] It sounds like, I am rock and roll. [laughs] You know? [laughs]
[06:47] Anastasia Aiello: I feel like I've heard that exact sentence from you, yeah. [laughs]
[06:50] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah. Right. So- Yep... um, so yeah, it's just mind-blowing like that. I picked up a book that kind of like changed everything for me as far as finances called, uh, Tax-Free Wealth by Tom Wheelwright- Mm-hmm... who y- you guys might know is- Mm-hmm... um, Robert Kiyosaki's, um, tax advisor. Mm-hmm. And that book, it's... I mean, for m- like, regular people like myself, I wasn't reading at that point, but that started me reading a, a bunch of books now. I was like,"This is, this is so boring and so heavy." And then as I got to learn it more, I was like,"This is actually freaking fantastic and f- like, fascinating- Mm-hmm...'cause now I understand how taxes are working. But- Mm-hmm... obviously, being a regular Joe, like, you're not gonna, like, become a m- a CPA because you read a tax book. Like, you still... I- ideally, I like to know how it kind of works so that when my CPA is talking to me, I'm not just like-
[07:42] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah. [laughs]
[07:43] Anastasia Aiello: "Okay." [laughs]"Just do it, man."
[07:44] Anastasia Aiello: Sure, yeah. [laughs]
[07:44] Anastasia Aiello: Like, I, I wanna know how it works, like-
[07:46] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah
[07:46] Anastasia Aiello: ... and I'll ask him to explain it to me, too. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. So,'cause I, I mean, I'm, I'm just someone that loves learning now, where before I, I didn't. Mm-hmm. So I'm glad that changed.
[07:53] Anastasia Aiello: No, it's good when you ask the questions.
[07:54] Anastasia Aiello: Exactly. [laughs]
[07:56] Anastasia Aiello: Like, me and her, we talk to each other, and then we do a lot of the same words and phrases and stuff, so then we know what we're talking about, but it is different when you're talking to someone that this is not their, like, you know, day-to-day or-
[08:05] Anastasia Aiello: Absolutely
[08:05] Anastasia Aiello: ... whatever, and then you're just like,"Oh, I need to figure out, how do I explain this in another way?"
[08:09] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[08:09] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah, yeah.
[08:10] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[08:10] Anastasia Aiello: So no, that's good. Like, asking the questions is always great. D- um, did you have, like, specific questions that, like, of, with r- regards to your business or different things that you've been working on or doing or anything like that?
[08:21] Anastasia Aiello: I mean, I think this, for me and I think other people that are in the music industry, per se-
[08:28] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm
[08:28] Anastasia Aiello: ... um, I would have to ask, like, what do you think would be the best way to, like, set up the whole business as far as taxes as, as, as a band?'Cause, uh, one thing I will say is I don't think a lot of musicians even think about a band being a business.
[08:41] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[08:41] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm. But it is a small business, and once it gets a whole lot bigger, you should probably already have had that business set up.
[08:48] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[08:48] Anastasia Aiello: 'Cause from what I've heard and being in the music scene myself, a lot of people will take from you. Almost all of them.
[08:54] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[08:55] Anastasia Aiello: So...
[08:56] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah, yeah. Well, and especially, like, you have to remember that there's gonna be IP that the band owns because everything that-
[09:04] Anastasia Aiello: Of course
[09:04] Anastasia Aiello: ... it creates is this intellectual property that needs to be owned by someone or something, so if you have all of it registered with the state, that's its formation documents that spells out how everything goes, and it's all from the very beginning, then you don't have to worry about there being miscommunications or misconceptions later on that kind of break up and, and affect all of the interrelationships that make the band great, you know?
[09:32] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[09:32] Anastasia Aiello: Um, so I think that's some of it, too, is I tell people all the time, it's not necessarily about creating boundaries to stop you from doing things. It's about creating the boundaries so that you are communicating properly and you have the opportunities to move forward with other things. Because if everything is all set up and very, very clear from the beginning, then you don't have situations where, like, one person feels like they're giving more than what they're actually receiving and, you know, all kinds of stuff like that. So, and especially even with finances, a lot of times when you say,"Okay, am I going to do this next big thing?" You say,"Can I afford it?"
[10:09] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[10:09] Anastasia Aiello: That's, like, most of everybody's, like, first thought is how do I, how do I actually afford that? And so financials and having a budget and being aware and looking at things every single day, now you have that answer of, yes, I can move forward, versus like, I don't really know. I mean, I hope that I have enough money [laughs] tomorrow or something.
[10:30] Anastasia Aiello: Right. I'll buy this drum set, but who knows?
[10:32] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah, yeah. Who, yeah, yeah, where does it come from? And I think, too, I like, I like a lot of what you said as well of, you know, kind of taking it from that lo- life coach perspective of, you know, what is your passion? What are you actually doing? And where are you actually going?
[10:47] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[10:47] Anastasia Aiello: And that's kind of where we come into play with taxes because we can say,"Okay, you know, do you wanna beef up your retirement? Do you wanna have a portfolio? Do you wanna have... You know, what does your business look like in 10 years? Does your business look like it has a whole bunch of employees? Does it look like you've sold it somewhere? Or is it still you just kind of like living your best life and doing what you think is-"
[11:10] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah. [laughs]
[11:10] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs] You know? Um, but all of those are questions where people, you know, like, they get stuck in that daily grind, and they're, like, constantly working hard, working hard, and they're, like, in that survival mode.
[11:21] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[11:22] Anastasia Aiello: But they never actually stop and say, like,"Okay, well, wait a second. What do, where do I actually wanna go, and what do I wanna do with this, and what does life look like after I get out of that survival mode?" You know? And taxes will really kind of help you plan what a lot of those next steps look like because otherwise, I mean, you've probably seen, if you don't convert over to an S corporation when you need to, then you're paying all of it back to-
[11:47] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah
[11:47] Anastasia Aiello: ... Uncle Sam, and then now y- all of that business growth just went to the government.
[11:53] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[11:53] Anastasia Aiello: You know? Or you're actually saying,"Okay, this is intentional. This is where I wanna go, where I wanna be," and you're ahead of the game, and you're actually able to say, like,"Okay, and s- I'm gonna choose where my money is going and how I'm going to invest it," and making sure that that's also in alignment with your own personal goals and things like that. So it's always what's interesting. So I guess, like, even with that, what do you see for your business in the next, like, five to 10 years? How have you kind of structured a lot of that planning?
[12:24] Anastasia Aiello: Um, I mean, right now I would say like I've, uh, honestly, I've been building it still. Um, and that was the thing, it was like I didn't know where it was gonna go at first. I was just like, oh, I'm just gonna do nutrition and fitness'cause I love it, you know?
[12:39] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
[12:40] Anastasia Aiello: And then finding that deeper layer of, okay, the reason why these people are dropping off their programs and not following them is because they have, uh, the, the mindset's not there. So then I started to filter people in where I was like,"Okay, you know, can you actually do this? Can you commit? Are you ready mentally to actually do the work that needs to be done?"
[13:01] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
[13:02] Anastasia Aiello: Um, because a lot of personal trainers, and I think this goes for, like, a, a lot of businesses, is that when you start bringing on clients and they start dropping off, it does not look good. It destroys your business, and it's not even you because you're like,"Well, I'm doing everything." But it's like you're ch- it's like, uh, choosing the wrong person to date, you know?
[13:19] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[13:19] Anastasia Aiello: Even if you've done the self-work and you try to make it work, it could still be that person, and it takes two to tango, right? So you wanna bring in clients that are gonna make sense for you as well because they're gonna work with you, and it's gonna look good for your business because they're actually following it. But there's also the whole, your, you know, I say your body is your billboard.
[13:36] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[13:37] Anastasia Aiello: So if people follow to a T what I'm teaching them, they're not gonna look exactly like me, but they will be fit, and they will be healthy, and it's all about longevity for me. Um, but, you know, as it, as I've gotten to the future with this business, I, it's, it's like, I mean, I see it being something where... [sighs] I don't know, I guess just, like, a li- a li- a life coach business.
[14:01] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm. [laughs]
[14:01] Anastasia Aiello: And me just, probably just me running it, yeah, until, you know, I can't.
[14:06] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[14:06] Anastasia Aiello: 'Cause I just, one of the main things that I, I love doing is giving back to people and helping them.
[14:10] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[14:11] Anastasia Aiello: So as far as that, I, do I want it to, to grow into a really big, you know, level where it's like th- I got tons of clients and stuff like that where I might need employees? And maybe, you know. But, I mean, I'll be honest, like right now I'm just kinda like building it and seeing what's coming from that, you know, reaching out to people that, uh, need help in the areas that I, you know, coach in. And, um, so far it's just been a really cool ride, you know? So-
[14:38] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[14:38] Anastasia Aiello: I don't know if that answers the question.
[14:39] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah, yeah. [laughs]
[14:39] Myiesha Fisher: No, it does. Yeah, I really like what you said about, like, the re- it being a relationship'cause me and her have had these same kind of conversations-
[14:46] Anastasia Aiello: Okay
[14:46] Myiesha Fisher: ... of like what kind of clients that we're looking for.
[14:49] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[14:49] Myiesha Fisher: Like, what do, what excites us as well to then-
[14:51] Anastasia Aiello: Exactly
[14:51] Myiesha Fisher: ... make us want to, like, move forward, so making sure that, like, what is the different ways to, like, prove that the client, the new potential client is, like, willing to, like, show up and, like, give us the information for us to then move forward-
[15:02] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah
[15:02] Myiesha Fisher: ... or different things like that. So I think that's really cool. How do you typically, how do you in your business choose the client? Like, how do you know if they're in that right mindset? Like, how does that usually go for you?
[15:12] Anastasia Aiello: Um, usually, like, I'll get on, like, a con- consultation call.
[15:15] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah.
[15:15] Anastasia Aiello: Um, but I also created a, a, another kinda ghetto thing but a Google Forms kinda sheet.
[15:21] Myiesha Fisher: That is not.
[15:21] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[15:21] Myiesha Fisher: No, because if they fill it out, it does mean they're serious.
[15:24] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah. Yeah.
[15:24] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[15:24] Anastasia Aiello: It helps a little bit.
[15:25] Myiesha Fisher: No, that's fair.
[15:26] Anastasia Aiello: It's a little filtration system-
[15:27] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah. Yeah
[15:27] Anastasia Aiello: ... I guess, uh, lead generation. But, um, I'm able to see, like, yeah, where they're at, how serious they are, stuff like that. And then itself, them filling it out is good. But usually when I get on the phone, um, I can tell by the end of the phone call if this person is actually gonna follow through-
[15:44] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm
[15:44] Anastasia Aiello: ... with what they say. Not saying I'm, like, a mind reader or anything, I just, there's, after doing it so long, you pick up on things.
[15:50] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[15:51] Anastasia Aiello: And when I know someone's, like, open-minded and, like, really backs, like, what they say with their actions, you kinda just have that gut feeling.
[15:59] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[16:00] Anastasia Aiello: And, uh, and it's intuitive, and I think you can build it over, uh, you know, many years, and I think I'm there where it's like, you know, I'm, I'm not perfect. And that's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying I've gotten good enough to where I can pick on. I'm like,"Okay, yeah, like, I'll work with you."
[16:12] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[16:12] Anastasia Aiello: You know? It's like talk- it's like your closest friends. Like, I would hope that you would be close, you know, f- these people that you're close with are kinda the same vibe, are on kinda the same level, and that's why you mesh together.
[16:22] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[16:23] Anastasia Aiello: You know?
[16:23] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[16:23] Anastasia Aiello: And again, going off of, like, choosing the right client, you'll know they're the right client'cause the synergy is just exploding between both of you.
[16:30] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah.
[16:30] Anastasia Aiello: It's easy to... Again, back to relationships, it's easy to talk to each other.
[16:33] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
[16:33] Anastasia Aiello: So it's like, why work with someone that's difficult?
[16:36] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah.
[16:36] Anastasia Aiello: You know? Just do the right thing and say,"Hey, I got somebody that I think it would actually fit better for you."
[16:40] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
[16:41] Anastasia Aiello: Which also dives into, you know, having a network of people that do the same thing of you and, you know, because you would rather wanna, I always say, collaborate over competition.
[16:51] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
[16:52] Anastasia Aiello: Now, healthy competition's great, you know, if that's the mindset-
[16:56] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah
[16:56] Anastasia Aiello: ... because you're able to push each other further.
[16:58] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[16:58] Anastasia Aiello: But it's almost like the same thing as collaboration.
[17:00] Myiesha Fisher: Mm.
[17:00] Anastasia Aiello: I'm like, you're working together, so why don't you just collaborate, you know?
[17:04] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah.
[17:04] Anastasia Aiello: And there's enough pieces to the pie. As long as you have the ingredients sitting around, you can make another pie.
[17:10] Myiesha Fisher: [laughs]
[17:11] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[17:11] Anastasia Aiello: Oh my God.
[17:12] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah. [laughs]
[17:13] Anastasia Aiello: So it's just, yeah. But that's just kinda my take on it.
[17:16] Myiesha Fisher: No, no, that makes sense. I mean, you say the same thing too, where it's just like, yeah, like, when we're talking, we get to know you really well just, just through, like, the amount of stuff that we, like, go through with the financials and stuff. We kind of know it all, and then us also having to ask you, like,"Where do you wanna be?" can get really personal.
[17:34] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[17:34] Myiesha Fisher: Just like, hey,'cause sometimes it's family planning, and, like, sometimes it's marriage, and, like, purchasing a home-
[17:39] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm
[17:39] Myiesha Fisher: ... and different things like that.
[17:40] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[17:40] Myiesha Fisher: So, like, you definitely wanna make sure that, like, it's, it's good, like-
[17:45] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah
[17:45] Myiesha Fisher: ... it's gonna be a-
[17:46] Anastasia Aiello: Oh, absolutely
[17:46] Myiesha Fisher: ... good situation-
[17:47] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah
[17:47] Myiesha Fisher: ... between the two. You're just like,"Okay, yeah, no, you have to be comfortable with us, otherwise, like, it's not probably gonna work because yeah."
[17:52] Anastasia Aiello: Of course.
[17:53] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah.
[17:53] Anastasia Aiello: Right.
[17:53] Myiesha Fisher: We won't have any idea.
[17:54] Anastasia Aiello: Um, and a lot-
[17:55] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah
[17:55] Anastasia Aiello: ... of the things, e- especially with the way that taxes work, is it's all super gray.
[18:01] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[18:01] Anastasia Aiello: You know? They say, like,"Okay, you need to run a business, and your expenses need to be ordinary and necessary."
[18:06] Anastasia Aiello: Mm.
[18:07] Anastasia Aiello: And you're like,"Okay, well, what does that even mean?" [laughs]
[18:09] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah.
[18:09] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah. Right.
[18:10] Anastasia Aiello: And so it's us, like, really understanding where are you going, how are you trying to monetize this, and, like, what is the purpose of some of that? Because, you know, for one person It'll look completely different, you know
[18:24] Anastasia Aiello: Absolutely
[18:24] Anastasia Aiello: And I always say, like, you know, like, you have, like, a 7-Eleven, that's nice and easy for them to do, but, like, life coaching, that's, that's gonna look different.
[18:32] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[18:32] Anastasia Aiello: You know? I mean, maybe you're doing, like, some yoga sessions and all of these other things to help support all of your clients, but it all kind of meshes together, and having somebody that can actually be there on the ground with you that really understands what your intentions are with these different items can, can really help. I always say it's, like, we're working as a translator.
[18:55] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[18:55] Anastasia Aiello: So we're taking kind of, like, your, your thoughts and your goals and translating them into, like, this very structured, kind of black [laughs] and white-
[19:06] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah. [laughs]
[19:06] Anastasia Aiello: ... way for the IRS-
[19:07] Anastasia Aiello: Absolutely
[19:07] Anastasia Aiello: ... to understand. And so, and, like, even talking to somebody the other day, they were, you know, there's always that phrase of, like, it takes a village-
[19:14] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah
[19:14] Anastasia Aiello: ... in order to do everything. But you don't have to, like, you don't have to be born into that village, and you don't, like, there is nothing wrong with paying someone to be part of your village.
[19:23] Anastasia Aiello: Oh, absolutely.
[19:24] Anastasia Aiello: And, you know, so it, that village can be made up of so many different things. And, you know, really making sure that you are taking opportunities to bring people into your village to really grow and develop all of these different items because, like you said, you can do all of this on your own.
[19:42] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[19:43] Anastasia Aiello: But, you know, like, the pyramids weren't built by one person. [laughs]
[19:47] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[19:47] Anastasia Aiello: You know what I mean? Like-
[19:48] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah
[19:48] Anastasia Aiello: ... if you wanna build a big dream, and you wanna go out, and you wanna do these things, and even if that dream is, like,"I just wanna have a two-bedroom farm," like, [laughs] it, like-
[19:57] Anastasia Aiello: Right. Hell, no, I wanna-
[19:57] Anastasia Aiello: ... it doesn't have to be, like, this, like, Jeff Bezos-
[20:00] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah. [laughs]
[20:00] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[20:00] Anastasia Aiello: ... kind of thing, you know? But it can take more than one person, and, you know, really making sure that you're leaning on the expertise of other people because, you know, um, like, everybody makes mistakes, but if you can have somebody that can say, like,"Hey, you can skip over these five steps" [laughs]
[20:17] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm
[20:17] Anastasia Aiello: ... you know, like, really rocket yourself, you know, a lot further, or even, like you said, just having somebody that you can be in your corner.
[20:27] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[20:27] Anastasia Aiello: And you can bounce off ideas and, and really know, like, okay, I am getting the best advice that's available to me at this point in time, and so that's gonna help me make these, like, really strong, educated decisions that, you know, you don't have to sit there and turn your wheels constantly.
[20:44] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[20:44] Anastasia Aiello: Um, and that it's okay to reach out for that help.
[20:48] Anastasia Aiello: Absolutely.
[20:48] Anastasia Aiello: That everybody wants to do that. And, I mean, like you said, you know, like, you have the life coaching, and, you know, even CPAs, like, we're kind of a little bit therapists [laughs] in that way.
[21:00] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah. Right. Mm-hmm.
[21:00] Anastasia Aiello: Because, yeah, I mean, like, a lot of people come to us, especially on that financial side, and it's very vulnerable actually opening up to someone and really saying, like,"Okay, what does it take?" And sometimes I, I say, like,"I'm in a position where I'm not telling someone yes or no. I'm saying this is what it takes to get to where you wanna be, and then you get to si- to decide, like, what that effort looks like."
[21:24] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[21:24] Anastasia Aiello: If you want to put in that effort, and you want to go to that space, or you can decide, you know, like, maybe, maybe that's not [laughs] really-
[21:31] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah. [laughs]
[21:31] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[21:31] Anastasia Aiello: ... the direction that I wanna go. But at least now you know what it's actually going to take, and you're not, again, like, just, you know, five steps ahead but-
[21:41] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm
[21:41] Anastasia Aiello: ... you know, taking 10 steps backwards because something else got mixed up. You know, like, you didn't, you know, you created a band, you did all these, like, amazing things, but, like, nobody, there's no true owner of the IP-
[21:53] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah
[21:53] Anastasia Aiello: ... so then an ar- uh, like, a manager can come in and take everything because, you know, you, like, weren't thinking that foundational piece-
[22:02] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah. No protection
[22:02] Anastasia Aiello: ... wasn't there. Yeah, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
[22:04] Anastasia Aiello: So are you part of a band, or are you a solo artist with being a musician? Like, what, do you do both?
[22:09] Anastasia Aiello: Uh, yeah. So I, I tend to do both. Um, I have a solo project that's just under my name.
[22:13] Anastasia Aiello: Okay.
[22:13] Anastasia Aiello: And then I've been doing that for a while, and then through the years, I've been, you know, in and out of many bands.
[22:18] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[22:18] Anastasia Aiello: Um, I was in a band that I started. It was kind of like that situation, too, where it was like,"Who's the owner of the band?" Yeah, I'm the singer, you know?
[22:26] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[22:27] Anastasia Aiello: But, okay, you know?
[22:28] Anastasia Aiello: You were.
[22:28] Anastasia Aiello: And so-
[22:29] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah
[22:29] Anastasia Aiello: ... I would say probably me and the bassist'cause he was the backup vocalist, and we were the most involved.
[22:34] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[22:35] Anastasia Aiello: Um, but yeah, and that, and that ran for about 10 years, and we got signed to a record label and then toured and stuff. And luckily, no one really took advantage of us'cause we were smart enough. Um, and I did have a family CPA at the time that wasn't the worst, but-
[22:48] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[22:49] Anastasia Aiello: ... as I got older, I was like,"You're kind of bad, but you did-
[22:51] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[22:51] Anastasia Aiello: ... you did good enough."
[22:52] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[22:53] Anastasia Aiello: He, he did good, lad. [laughs] But yeah, so.
[22:55] Anastasia Aiello: How many lives have you lived? Because you just said you were in a tour [laughs] band.
[22:59] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[22:59] Anastasia Aiello: And it's like, I'm just like, the little snippets-
[23:01] Anastasia Aiello: A lot, yeah
[23:01] Anastasia Aiello: ... that you're giving here, yeah, yeah.
[23:03] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah. I like to drop breadcrumbs. [laughs]
[23:05] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs] She does the same thing to me.
[23:07] Anastasia Aiello: I love that.
[23:07] Anastasia Aiello: Just drops random lore-
[23:09] Anastasia Aiello: Right?
[23:09] Anastasia Aiello: And I'm just like-
[23:09] Anastasia Aiello: Huh?
[23:09] Anastasia Aiello: ..."I've known you now for almost 10 years."
[23:11] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[23:11] Anastasia Aiello: Like, what do you mean?
[23:12] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[23:12] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah, yeah.
[23:13] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[23:13] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah, I, I, you know, it's like I feel like, um, you probably understand, like, I, I, I like to do a lot of things.
[23:19] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[23:19] Anastasia Aiello: Um, I'm someone that, you know, uses my years and just packs them, you know-
[23:24] Anastasia Aiello: Mm
[23:24] Anastasia Aiello: ...'cause I, I meet people that are in their 50s and 60s and don't know this and that, and I'm like, how do you... And, but, you know, you have to have empathy, and you're like, okay, like, you're just not, I don't know, I guess driven as, as I am to do certain things. But I've just always been someone that's like, I wanna do, do it all. Like, we have one life, and, uh, maybe it's because I've had a lot of loss in my life with close-
[23:47] Anastasia Aiello: Mm
[23:47] Anastasia Aiello: ... close people that I, i- in an early age, I was like, if I die tomorrow, I wanna be like,"Oh, hell yeah, cool. I'm all right," you know?
[23:55] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[23:55] Anastasia Aiello: So I'm just, like, pushing, pushing as hard as I can, and, uh, that's why I'm so into health as well, too, is'cause I was like, I wanna live as long as I possibly can, you know? At least on, on, like, my part, you know, I wanna do my part. [laughs]
[24:08] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[24:08] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[24:08] Anastasia Aiello: 'Cause if a meteor comes down and just knocks me in the head, I'm done. I'm like, all right, well, I, I tried.
[24:13] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[24:13] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[24:13] Anastasia Aiello: You know, I did it until I couldn't. [laughs]
[24:16] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah. Yeah.
[24:17] Anastasia Aiello: So.
[24:18] Anastasia Aiello: Well, I mean, I think it's good, like, always knowing that that's who you are at its core, because then you can kind of anticipate with that. So, like, having an umbrella company-
[24:28] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm
[24:28] Anastasia Aiello: ... that gives you the maneuverability to, you know, like, create something randomly over a weekend and kind of, like, see how it goes.
[24:35] Anastasia Aiello: Absolutely.
[24:35] Anastasia Aiello: You know?
[24:36] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[24:36] Anastasia Aiello: Um, but it's also, like, we have to tell our clients, you have to be honest with yourself about what it is that you actually want, [laughs] you know?
[24:45] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah, yeah.
[24:45] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm.
[24:45] Anastasia Aiello: I was just talking... Uh, I was in a meeting earlier with a loan officer, and she was telling me that she had a client where she just keeps setting up these new businesses, like LLCs and stuff.
[24:55] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[24:55] Anastasia Aiello: And then just, like, continuously files losses-
[25:00] Anastasia Aiello: Mm
[25:00] Anastasia Aiello: ... year after year-
[25:01] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm
[25:01] Anastasia Aiello: ... new business after new business. HELOC is completely cashed out. Her house is upside down, and it's just like she's, like, completely entrepreneurial, obviously.
[25:11] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[25:11] Anastasia Aiello: But it's like, if you're not, this is what happens when you don't actually do the important part of being an entrepreneur. Like, yeah, I get it. You wanna create this business and all the fun stuff, but then it's like if you don't do the back end, which is the foundation, it, it collapses every single time.
[25:26] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
[25:27] Anastasia Aiello: So-
[25:27] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm
[25:28] Anastasia Aiello: ... it's, it c- it can be very scary, and it could, it could lead you to, like, kill yourself, honestly. Like, it's-
[25:33] Anastasia Aiello: Right
[25:34] Anastasia Aiello: ... you gotta-
[25:35] Anastasia Aiello: Right, right, yeah.
[25:35] Anastasia Aiello: You gotta protect yourself with this kind of stuff, so-
[25:38] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm
[25:39] Anastasia Aiello: ... through a lot of mistake, I, I've learned that [laughs]
[25:41] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs] Yeah.
[25:42] Anastasia Aiello: As most of us do, you know?
[25:43] Anastasia Aiello: Yep, yep. Well, and I think, too, like, I, like, I have certain business owners, and they're just kind of like,"I'm not necessarily only responsible for myself-
[25:53] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm
[25:53] Anastasia Aiello: ... and for the employee, but also their family."
[25:56] Anastasia Aiello: Absolutely.
[25:56] Anastasia Aiello: And, you know, like, how am I affecting all of these families around me and, like, really taking that responsibility seriously.
[26:04] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[26:05] Anastasia Aiello: Because, again, I mean, you know, if you get, like, a crazy six-figure bill from the IRS, like, that could kill everything.
[26:11] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[26:12] Anastasia Aiello: You know? And then what do you do when you have all of these people that are... You know, even if you just say, like, my clients, you know, that are relying on you and, and all of your support. And how do you really take that responsibility seriously and make sure that, um, it stays on? And I think that that's kind of... I always harp on the difference between a business and a job.
[26:32] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[26:32] Anastasia Aiello: You know, because a job is something that you work just every single day, and you just-
[26:35] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah
[26:36] Anastasia Aiello: ... clock in, and you clock out. But a business is like a living entity that can survive past where you are even.
[26:43] Anastasia Aiello: Right.
[26:44] Anastasia Aiello: You know? And really treating things in that mode of, you know, like I say, like an S corporation is like a little child, you know? [laughs]
[26:51] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah, I was gonna say it's your baby.
[26:53] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[26:53] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[26:53] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah, you have to, like, do all of the things. You have to file its own tax return-
[26:57] Anastasia Aiello: Right
[26:57] Anastasia Aiello: ... and do your payroll and, you know, checking on their finances and all of that fun stuff. So yeah, just being really just kind of mindful of that and, you know, I don't know.
[27:07] Myiesha Fisher: I like it a lot.
[27:08] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
[27:09] Myiesha Fisher: It's scary. [laughs]
[27:10] Anastasia Aiello: Oh, yeah.
[27:11] Myiesha Fisher: I don't know how you have that weight on your shoulders sometimes. I'm like,"Hmm, don't know if that could be me." [laughs]
[27:17] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[27:17] Myiesha Fisher: It's a lot. [laughs]
[27:19] Anastasia Aiello: I don't know. I mean, I think, you know, kind of there's, there's always a price to, like, building something great.
[27:24] Myiesha Fisher: Mm-hmm.
[27:24] Anastasia Aiello: Of course.
[27:24] Anastasia Aiello: You know? And really finding your passion and being able to live your passion and, you know, so-
[27:30] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah
[27:31] Anastasia Aiello: ... sometimes you just gotta put up with the cost and kind of move forward. But yeah. Yep.
[27:36] Myiesha Fisher: I mean, I get to work with my best friend out of it, so-
[27:38] Anastasia Aiello: Oh, I know
[27:38] Myiesha Fisher: ... it's, uh, pretty nice. [laughs]
[27:40] Anastasia Aiello: You're not so bad. [laughs]
[27:43] Anastasia Aiello: You're not bad at all. No, no.
[27:44] Myiesha Fisher: And I said that on camera. [laughs]
[27:46] Anastasia Aiello: Oh.
[27:46] Myiesha Fisher: You're my best friend, yeah. [laughs]
[27:48] Anastasia Aiello: Now it's legit.
[27:50] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[27:50] Myiesha Fisher: Now it's legit.
[27:52] Anastasia Aiello: We'll have, like, an asterisk, she is also Anna's favorite. [laughs]
[27:57] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[27:57] Myiesha Fisher: [laughs]
[27:57] Anastasia Aiello: One of those disclaimers at the bottom.
[27:59] Myiesha Fisher: Yeah. [laughs]
[28:00] Anastasia Aiello: Um, yeah, so I guess, um, when you're kind of thinking about your business and where you're going, and even if you're thinking about mentoring other people in your space, what would you say is the first thing if people are like... You know, and, and, and because I think a lot of it happens kind of organically. Like you said-
[28:21] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm
[28:21] Anastasia Aiello: ... you found this thing that you were really passionate about that you also saw was a problem in other people.
[28:27] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[28:27] Anastasia Aiello: And you were like,"You know what? I think I figured it out for myself. Maybe I can share it with other people." And then this is what you can really spend your life doing. But then you kind of suddenly wake up, and you're like,"Oh, shoot," like,"Is this actually a business?" [laughs]
[28:40] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[28:40] Anastasia Aiello: "Is this, like, how I can actually, you know, like, live my life and survive?" So I guess for other people that are kind of in that initial phase, what would you say was, like, the biggest thing for you to really kind of push you into that successful side of things versus, like, creating an LLC that has losses and all of that fun stuff?
[28:59] Anastasia Aiello: So you, you kind of, like, saying, like, when it actually became, like, reality, like once-
[29:02] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm
[29:02] Anastasia Aiello: ... it was all set up-
[29:03] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm
[29:03] Anastasia Aiello: ... it was like,"Okay, I really actually have to do this."
[29:05] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
[29:06] Anastasia Aiello: Um, I think it was just essentially the fact that I, I couldn't... One, I mean, there's a lot of reasons, but one of them would be, like, I, I can't work in a 9:00 to 5:00. I can't do it. I've tried it over and over and over again. And, you know, even being a bartender, where it's a whole different thing, you're not in an office, you're moving around, you're dancing and, you know, talking to people and shaking it and-
[29:28] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah. [laughs]
[29:28] Anastasia Aiello: ... even that's fun, you know? Um, but that gets, uh, uh, too much as well because if you become where, uh, uh, aware enough and conscious enough, you're living somebody else's dream as a W-2, and that's just, it's black and white, you know? It might piss people off me, me saying that, but that's what it is.
[29:44] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[29:45] Anastasia Aiello: And I was like,"I'm not living somebody else's dream anymore. I'm living mine."
[29:48] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[29:48] Anastasia Aiello: And that is what ma- that was the main reason of why I kept moving forward. I was like,"This is it, man. This is, this is my life. This is my baby. I'm gonna protect it. I'm gonna grow it, and, um, and that's what I'm gonna do with my life."
[30:00] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[30:01] Anastasia Aiello: And, uh, obviously it got a little deformed and, you know, probably grew a couple extra li- arms and legs I didn't expect.
[30:07] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[30:08] Anastasia Aiello: But here we are, and we're dealing with it. [laughs] But, um, a- another thing I would say too is that there's something I wish I knew before all of it that is so important for people to know about, and, uh, it's one of the parts of the business that I do, which is the money side, the finances. And, um, have, have you guys heard of the, the infinite banking concept?
[30:29] Anastasia Aiello: Mm. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
[30:30] Matt Diana: Mm-hmm.
[30:30] Anastasia Aiello: So the IBC stuff.
[30:32] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
[30:32] Anastasia Aiello: I've, I've been deep in that for probably the last two or three years now, and I just, like, hit myself in the ass because if I knew about it, you know, when I started these businesses, uh, it's, the amount of money that I spent would still be compounding in my policy right now, and I would be-
[30:49] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah
[30:49] Anastasia Aiello: ... even more well off to-
[30:50] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm
[30:50] Anastasia Aiello: ... essentially be more helpful to more people,'cause I would be having more resources, and more and more means, you know, you can give more.
[30:56] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[30:56] Anastasia Aiello: So-
[30:57] Anastasia Aiello: Right, yep
[30:57] Anastasia Aiello: ... that's something I would tell people to, and it's not a sales pitch or anything, I'm just like, I, I wish I knew when I was 18, I wish my parents knew when I was a kid, you know?
[31:07] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[31:08] Anastasia Aiello: Um, because it can essentially, you know, fund your life for, for life.
[31:12] Anastasia Aiello: Yep.
[31:12] Anastasia Aiello: So.
[31:13] Anastasia Aiello: Well, and I think it brings up, there's a lot of these, like, tips and tricks that people think are only for the 1%.
[31:19] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[31:20] Anastasia Aiello: And for these, like, top income earners, but really it only seems like that because they're the ones with the, that already have the information.
[31:27] Anastasia Aiello: Yes.
[31:28] Anastasia Aiello: You know? So it's about knowing these things, asking the questions, because even in taxes, it's available to everyone.
[31:36] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[31:36] Anastasia Aiello: You can do it at any level that you're at, as a kid, as a n- you know, young adult, as, you know, um, you know, as you have your own family, you can do these things, and it is available to you, and it's a lot more accessible.
[31:50] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[31:50] Anastasia Aiello: You just have to surround yourself with the village that can, like, actually support all of those things that you're doing.
[31:54] Anastasia Aiello: No, absolutely.
[31:55] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
[31:56] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah. Yeah, there's a saying, I'm spacing on his name, I sh- [laughs] I should know this, but it's, you know, the, the, one of the biggest problems in America isn't what, um, people don't know, it's what they think they know that just ain't so.
[32:07] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[32:07] Anastasia Aiello: And, uh, that hit me really hard when I learned that, and I was like,"Holy crap." And, you know, the clients that we get sometimes with, with the infinite banking concept, it's like, the, the, the ones that are actually financially literate act like they know.
[32:21] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[32:21] Anastasia Aiello: And it's like-
[32:23] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm
[32:23] Anastasia Aiello: ..."Oh, I'm doing fine," but we work with millionaires, we work with billionaires, and the ones that are open-minded are like,"Oh my gosh, this is, this is insane. I c- I can make even more money?" But essentially it's not about that, it's about, you know, protecting their family, w- uh, creating generational wealth and helping others with that, you know, foundations, charities, stuff like that. So it's just, the reason I got into it was, again, I wanted to be free. I didn't wanna, you know, I don't want a W-2, I don't wanna live someone's dream, I don't wanna be strapped down by financial, you know, chains.
[32:56] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[32:56] Anastasia Aiello: I wanna just be able to s- wake up one day and say,"I'm gonna go on a pirate ship"
[33:01] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[33:03] Matt Diana: [laughs]
[33:04] Anastasia Aiello: You know? [laughs]
[33:04] Anastasia Aiello: I will let you know how that works out.
[33:05] Anastasia Aiello: And that day's coming-
[33:06] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[33:06] Matt Diana: [laughs]
[33:06] Anastasia Aiello: ... now that you've told me about it. You know? I wanna be Jack Sparrow, just drinking some rum and-
[33:12] Anastasia Aiello: Just sailing on the water
[33:13] Anastasia Aiello: ... yeah.
[33:13] Matt Diana: Like it exists, yeah.
[33:14] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[33:14] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[33:14] Anastasia Aiello: So, um, but it's, it's just, it's another tool, you know, and it, and it can, it can... I tell people, you know,"A hammer can build a house, but it can also shatter a mirror."
[33:24] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm.
[33:24] Anastasia Aiello: So you gotta know how to use it, and that's what we do. You know, 95% of the time we're just educating, and 5% is implementation.
[33:30] Anastasia Aiello: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
[33:31] Anastasia Aiello: But I, I just want people to, to be free. I just, that's, that's, you know-
[33:36] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[33:37] Anastasia Aiello: So.
[33:37] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[33:37] Matt Diana: Yep.
[33:38] Anastasia Aiello: I love that.
[33:39] Matt Diana: Really good.
[33:39] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah.
[33:40] Anastasia Aiello: Yep. We agree. So yeah, I mean, thanks for coming.
[33:45] Anastasia Aiello: Of course.
[33:45] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah, we could talk forever, so [laughs]
[33:47] Matt Diana: I know, I was like, we didn't really talk about how to close this out, so-
[33:50] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah. [laughs]
[33:51] Matt Diana: Like-
[33:51] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah
[33:51] Matt Diana: ... this could be a conversation that hangs out for a bit.
[33:53] Anastasia Aiello: Good job, team.
[33:54] Matt Diana: Yeah. [laughs]
[33:54] Anastasia Aiello: High five. [laughs]
[33:58] Matt Diana: [laughs]
[33:58] Anastasia Aiello: Oh, geez.
[33:58] Matt Diana: [laughs]
[33:58] Anastasia Aiello: I know, and it sounds like we all like to talk a lot.
[34:02] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[34:02] Matt Diana: [laughs]
[34:02] Anastasia Aiello: [laughs]
[34:03] Anastasia Aiello: Yep, yep, yep. So, um, I hope you got a little bit more insight. Um, and, you know, obviously a few conversations were had that now you can have questions and get more information, so feel free, put a comment below or reach out, and we are more than happy to speak with you. Thanks for coming.
[34:20] Matt Diana: Bye, guys. Thank you.
[34:22] Anastasia Aiello: Yeah, of course. Thank you, guys.
[34:23] Anastasia Aiello: [upbeat music] That's it for this episode of Let's Get Fiscal.
[34:26] Matt Diana: If this helped you see your business differently, follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so the next episode is already waiting for you.
[34:33] Anastasia Aiello: And if a specific money question came up while you were listening, send it through the link in the show notes. Real listener questions help shape future episodes.
[34:41] Matt Diana: You can also follow Let's Get Fiscal on social media for more tax tips, business finance breakdowns, and clips from the show.
[34:47] Anastasia Aiello: Until next time, keep building the business behind the work.