2022 was a pivotal year for me and my company, Hello Seven.
Our team is bigger than ever. We hit numerous milestones, including 100,000 in book sales. We took big risks. We played to win. And we committed to our mission even more fiercely.
Our mission: At Hello Seven, we show women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other historically excluded people how to make more money than ever before. We teach our clients how to build 7 figure businesses and create generational wealth. We’re here to close the gender and racial wealth gap—one entrepreneur at a time.
We made mistakes in 2022 (as every company inevitably does!) but we never wavered from our mission.
I’m so proud of what we accomplished this year.
We made a lot of money.
In January, we set an audacious goal: grow our annual revenue by 70%. By December, did we make it? Not at all. We ended up with approximately 30% growth of our annual revenue. Am I sad about it? Not at all.
The real gift of this challenging year was a lot of hard-won lessons. We hit 8-figures in revenue in 2021 but we became an 8-figure company in 2022. We improved our company culture, created new core values, and established solid leadership and executive teams. We rebuilt so many processes that we had outgrown. We made significant operational improvements to how we manage and serve our team and to The Club and The Hello Seven Mastermind. We did a lot of challenging behind-the-scenes work this year. I am so proud of where we are at as a company right now. Hello Seven is poised to have an even greater impact with less stress and greater efficiency in 2023.
Even though we didn’t reach our ultimate revenue goal, we brought in more money compared to any previous year. A new record! When you set an enormous goal and go for it with everything you’ve got, even if you fall short, you still win big. Considering that we generated $2 million back in 2019, we have achieved massive growth in just a few years.
We helped our clients make a lot of money, too.
This year, we served more than 2,500 clients in We Should All Be Millionaires: The Club, 100 clients in our Glow Up Bootcamp, 25 clients in The Hello Seven Mastermind, 5,000 Make Money Moves Challenge participants, and over 100,000 people in our community of readers, listeners, and viewers.
We coached clients to double their prices. We helped clients clear blocks (like perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and overwhelm) and achieve their financial goals faster. We taught clients how to thrive in any economic climate and make money on demand, even if there’s a pandemic or recession. We helped entrepreneurs make their first $10k, first $100k, and first million. We taught our clients how to build real, sustainable businesses.
Our clients reported so many victories. To name just a few…
- Nike took a $300 investment and turned it into $3,000 in less than a week.
- Coco had a money-breakthrough and generated $8,500 in a matter of days.
- Joanna made a commitment to herself: stop over-giving and charge more.
- Sylvia nudged clients who were late paying invoices and collected funds owed to her.
- Collectively, during our $10k in 10 Days Challenge, our Club members earned $3,519,262.66 as a community—in just 10 days.
- Many Hello Seven clients officially became millionaires this year! Shout-out to Holly, Caitlin, Sandra, Andrea, Trista and many others. Each of these entrepreneurs hit 7-figures in annual revenue. Their climb has only just begun.
We provided life-changing (and life-saving) funding.
Through our non-profit initiative, the Hello Seven Foundation, we provided $55,000 in financial support to 12 Black parents and newborns.
Families used this funding to hire doulas, night nurses, childcare, and other forms of critical aid. When you’re a low-income mom working multiple jobs to make ends meet, with an infant at home, this kind of support is absolutely life-altering.
I’m grateful to everyone who donated to the Foundation. Parents are breathing a sigh of relief, babies are sleeping safely, and families are equipped with services they need—because of you.
This summer we brought on our new Executive Director, Shaelina Holmes, who has worked hard to turn the Foundation into a real non-profit this year with systems, process and structures in place that will allow us to grow. We are now poised to make a big impact and serve a lot more families in 2023.
We rocked the publishing world.
I’ve repeatedly been told, “Books about business, finance, and wealth written by Black authors don’t sell.” A white editor from a top publisher said those words to my face.
Well, they lied. This year, my first book—We Should All Be Millionaires: A Woman's Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic Power—reached 100,000 copies sold. This book was selected as a Wall Street Journal Bestseller, USA Today Bestseller, and (back in 2021) one of Audible’s best books of the year.
What’s next? I’m writing a follow-up book to We Should All Be Millionaires which will be released by HarperCollins Leadership. I signed a 3-book deal with Audible to release a trio of new audiobooks. And, look for the We Should All Be Millionaires companion workbook in 2023. This workbook takes the main concepts from the book and breaks it down into fun, quick, actionable worksheets to help you reach your goals. I also signed a deal for a youth book called Future Millionaires. So many more books are coming, friends!
We upgraded…everything!
We re-launched The Hello Seven Podcast with a new format and interviewed major guests, including Sheryl Sandburg (COO of Facebook, now Meta), Corey Arvinger (CEO of Support Black Colleges), and progressive women running for office like Grace Van Cleave.
We took The Club to a new level by adding Study Hall (coworking time to get things done), Social Hour (meet new clients and business besties), and in-person connection, like ROI: The Millionaire Summit in Puerto Rico.
We turned setbacks into wins.
We made huge investments in 2022. I personally invested more than $300,000 into my professional growth as a CEO. We invested almost $2,000,000 to produce ROI: The Millionaire Summit, because we want this event to be mind-blowing, life-changing, and unlike anything, folks have experienced before. We invested into our team and brought several new employees on board.
Some investments paid off immediately. Some did not work out as we’d hoped. We had to focus on asking: “How can we turn this setback into a win? What’s the next move?”
In business, there is always another move. To quote my bestie Robert Hartwell, “I am an entrepreneur. That means I am never out of options.”
On a personal level, I got uncomfortable and grew…a lot.
I preach to my clients, “If you want a new result, you can’t do the same actions you’ve done in the past. What got you to your current level of success won’t necessarily get you to the next.”
This year, I took my own advice (again). If I want to impact millions of lives and grow Hello Seven into a $100 million dollar company, I can’t behave the exact same way I’ve behaved in the past. Something’s gotta shift.
My personal growth edge, as CEO, has been empowering my company leaders to lead—instead of stepping in to provide the game-plan.
I no longer say to my leadership team, “Okay everybody, here’s what we’re going to do…” and assign tasks for folks to complete. Instead, I say, “Here’s the result that you’ve been hired to deliver. What do you think we should do? What’s your plan to get us there? Come up with a strategy and execute it.”
I am allowing leaders to generate ideas and solve problems on their own without interfering. This is not comfortable. I’m doing it anyway.
Rodgers family highlights of 2022.
Another thing I realized in 2022? There is more to life than running a business.
This year, I loved…Having a sit-down breakfast and dinner with my husband and kids almost every single day. Watching my kids grow up into curious, energetic, brilliant people who love horses, baking, books, comics, trucks, superheroes, and more. Seeing my daughter Riley start her own jewelry business—and get her first sales! Running and walking hundreds of miles whether outside in nature or on my Peloton Tread with my fave instructors. Throwing a hoe-down rodeo party at the Rodgers Ranch to celebrate my 40th birthday (think: cowboy boots, ponies, sequins, and a DJ!). Visiting Italy with my friends and family and sipping Prosecco on the shores of Lake Como. Purchasing art from Black creators and getting it framed. Putting up a zillion twinkly holiday lights at The Ranch. Snuggling on the couch with popcorn and Star Wars series.
This was not a perfect year. There were losses and disappointments, some of which I’m keeping private. But I am determined to thrive—financially and emotionally—in spite of countless challenges. I will keep climbing towards greater freedom, wealth, peace, power, and joy—and teach others how to do the same.
What to expect from Hello Seven in 2023.
What’s coming your way in the New Year?
- ROI: The Millionaire Summit. January 24, 25, and 26, 2023. San Juan, Puerto Rico. Three days of business education, networking, and action-inspiring speakers. The best way to kick off the New Year. You got your ticket, right?
- We Should All Be Millionaires: The Club. We aim to double our Club membership in 2023. If you run a business, or plan to start a business, and want to make more money than you currently do… join The Club.
- Powerful stories about…you. You’ll see inspirational stories about Hello Seven clients in our newsletter, podcast, and YouTube channel. Stories about people who are launching and expanding businesses, putting in the work, and collecting all the coins.
- A brand new opportunity for our community that will create a big impact on closing the wealth gap for years to come … stay tuned for that announcement.
Goodbye, 2022. Welcome, 2023!
You’re self-employed? Or plan to start your own business soon? Work with us.
If you currently make $0 – $35,000 per month, join The Club.
If you currently make $35,000 – $85,000 per month, apply to join The Mastermind.
If you currently make more than $85,000 per month—you have reached 7 figures in annual revenue and want to shoot for 8 figures—apply to work with me 1-on-1 as a private client.
Not sure which option is best for your situation? Schedule a strategy call with my team to discuss where you are now, where you want to be, and how Hello Seven can help you get there.
More than anything, here is what I want you to know…
You can have more.
More money, more impact, and more freedom. Don’t settle for crumbs. Reach for more.
However, here is your tough love reality check…
In order to create more, you need to make a move. You can’t procrastinate, hide in your comfort zone, or wait for opportunities to fall into your lap. You need to take action even when it is uncomfortable and inconvenient.
If you are not making as much money as you’d like to be making, do something about it. Hire that business coach. Take that class. Launch that website. Raise those prices. Get on that plane and attend that networking event. Follow up with that lead. Invest in yourself. Do the one thing that scares you the most. Boo, make a move!
Millionaires don’t dream. They plan. And they act.
Wishing you a New Year filled with courageous action, a downpour of cash, and evolution.
May your next chapter be the richest one yet.
xo,
Rachel
