How Can I Help Women Overcome Financial Struggle Through Cryptocurrencies?

Susan Banhegyi

Susan Banhegyi

Founder
Crypto Women Global

Team Size

6 – 9

Revenue

Not disclosed

Location

Sydney, Australia

STart Date

Sept 2018

My female entrepreneur today is Susan Banhegyi, the founder of Crypto Women Global. Susan is an author, speaker, women’s empowerment visionary, ethical design advocate, and so much more.

She has owned successful companies in different fields over many years, including investing, property development, design, fashion, food, health, personal development, and real estate.

Susan runs projects around the globe to lift women and their communities out of poverty hence making a positive impact on addressing gender gaps.

This interview deserves all your attention. Enjoy!

INTRODUCTION

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND THE BUSINESS YOU STARTED?

Hi, my name is Susan and I’m the Founder of Crypto Women Global, with a mission to help 1M women to take control of their financial future & security, by learning how to participate in the most innovative wealth creation opportunities of the crypto space.

However, this vision started with an understanding of how our financial system is broken, and how we, as women, and men who value women, must work together to help lift all women out of poverty, and therefore, exploitation, servitude and slavery….because if you lift women, they will lift their communities. So reverse engineering the problem, the next step is to continue to grow the movement, a community of socially conscious people who understand that together, we can do anything.

Our mission to educate 1 million women to invest and participate in crypto space, to be able to fund projects around the globe to lift other women, and their communities, out of poverty, and to make a positive impact on addressing gender gaps, in all its forms.

Previously, I had been a serial entrepreneur and worked as a sought-after sustainable design consultant to global brands in China, wanting to minimise their environmental impact.

My ventures have afforded me to create a life where I have been free to explore, in meaningful ways, cultures from around the world, which have had a major influence on my outlook on many social issues and have taught me to evaluate how the truly important areas of the Human Experience compose the textures of life itself.

This road has led me to be highly motivated to involve myself in Social Impact projects where I can contribute to make the world a better place.

I am currently completing my Master of Digital Currencies from the University of Nicosia, building upon a Masters of Sustainable Design from RMIT, a Masters of International Commerce, as well as a Bachelor of Fashion Design from Paris, and a BSc of Economics from Loyola University in Montreal Canada.

THE JOURNEY SO FAR

PLEASE DESCRIBE THE PROCESS OF LAUNCHING YOUR BUSINESS.

I had started and run my own businesses since my twenties, which has allowed me to work and live all over the world, from Canada to China, Spain & UK, to name a few. Just before Crypto Women Global, I had been, and still am, in Property Development in Australia as well as Europe.

I was first introduced to cryptocurrencies in March 2017. The rebel and ‘early adopter’ in me was immediately triggered by the potential crypto space offered to reach out and help so many people, especially women, to raise their level of self-autonomy and take better control of their financial situation. Although back then, the crypto space was much less ‘user-friendly’, and I had quite a steep learning curve to get a handle on the tech side of the things.

I spent the first year getting familiar with the terminology and methodology in this very male-dominated playground. I often wondered, going to crypto conferences with 880 attendees, and being one of perhaps 10 women there, why there were so few women participating in quite literally, the most significant wealth creation opportunity of our time. I then realized that there were two main barriers to this. Being so male-dominated, albeit this is changing, it was a bit intimidating for women to even enter the space and then there were the tech complexities, which were, and can still be, quite frustrating!

So I decided that I could assist so many women make a significant change in their lives by teaching them what I had painstakingly learned, and how to make the best use of that knowledge.

The business name “Crypto Women Global” came to me during a meditation session and seemed to be the most expressive of the intention: to help lift women all over the world out of poverty.

Even as a child, I would constantly bring home stray kittens, puppies, turtles, homeless people… I feel the injustices of the world very deeply, and am most moved by humanity’s capability, even yearning, for connection and resilience, in the face of unfathomable odds.

The concept of women helping lift other women is very dear to me and colours everything that I choose to do. I started by myself, with the aid of a few select professionals, such as branding, marketing, etc… but it is still very much a work in progress, and will be for some time.

Everywhere I go, while talking to women about this concept, there is very strong positive feedback. I’ve never heard anyone say they are not interested in learning more about this project! Consequently, I am getting more and more offers to speak at events, so that I can connect with a growing number of people.

 

WHAT DOES YOUR TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE AND HOW DO YOU STAY PRODUCTIVE?

I don’t really have a ‘typical’ day, as I’m putting the final touches on an E-Book covering the 6 first steps to get into crypto. I am still making progress on an online course due to be released in February 2020 and gathering information and guidance on starting a podcast, perhaps in March, while still servicing my private clients.

I find it not too difficult to stay productive because I love the potential of this space, and to stay up to date, at least 40% of my time is spent doing research on what’s happening on the ‘cutting edge’ of this fascinating space, which is so fast-paced and exciting to me.

 

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT AND YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE ALONG THE WAY?

Biggest Achievement: In this current project, I would say that ‘bootstrapping’ for this past year, and bringing the project to this current state has been quite the achievement. The first year was really just wrapping my head around these new concepts and methodologies. Then learning a little about trading, which I’m continuing to do. Keeping up with research on the latest news and tech even now seems to take up at least 40% of my time.

In fact, the gap between keeping up with the cutting edge of this space, and what needs to be learned by the new investor is growing daily! Hence the need for an Online Course, which will cover the basics of what’s required to get into this space, then can be followed up by various forms of mentoring/consulting, etc… we will be looking at innovative ways to convey the continued learning experience, via immersive weekend getaways, and /or retreats, where clients can relax and completely focus on getting ahead in their investment journey.

Biggest Challenge: There have been many challenges along the way! I would have to say that learning how to spot a ‘scam’ has been the greatest, and the most valuable lesson learned! I’ve become a pro at spotting or sniffing out anything dodgy, be it an offer, or a person…. And it is, without a doubt, the most valuable lesson that I can pass on!

Finances are such an emotional issue, they trigger very strong responses, and we are here to learn how to increase our wealth and security, in innovative and fun ways, not to succumb to charlatans, of which there are many! Staying safe is our top priority.

 

WHAT STRATEGY DID YOU USE TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS? AND HOW?

I have had many businesses, and all very different, from running a textile printing business to an organic farm, they all required very different strategies to help them grow.

Setting goals, marketing, brand building, expansion, hiring, product development, customer care, innovation…. these were all required in various degrees in each business, but all had very different flavours of execution, depending on the industry.

In the crypto space, the most effective strategy is to learn and stay on top of, the ever-changing tech. It’s a fascinating space, at least for me. The exciting projects that are being built right now are inspiring to watch, and definitely keeps me on my toes!!

 

WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS?

The vision for Crypto Women Global is very overarching: to help lift as many women out of poverty around the world as possible.

To try to achieve this, we reverse engineered process, to first build a community, expand that community, help women take control of their financial future, create passive income streams, and then help distribute or target women’s projects from some of the proceeds, via a foundation or perhaps a ‘she coin’ on the blockchain. As the tech is so fast-paced, this format will become clearer as we approach some milestones. There are a growing number of possibilities to address this aspect of the project. It will be a rewarding aspect of the growth of this project, and one that I look forward to.

RECOMMENDATIONS & FINAL THOUGHTS

PLEASE RECOMMEND ANY RESOURCES AND TOOLS THAT YOU USE TO RUN YOUR BUSINESS.

Social Media is important for us to connect with the community. Our most valuable tools are exchanges where we teach women where and how to translate their funds into crypto, then how to get and use crypto wallets, and, most importantly, how to protect themselves and their assets and stay safe.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE BUSINESS BOOKS, PODCASTS OR BLOGS?

Books:

Podcasts:

Blogs:

  • Medium
  • Steemit

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER WOMEN WHO WANT TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS?

Build your resilience, as nothing is more certain than change. Train yourself not to be afraid of change. This might be the most valuable asset anyone can cultivate.

Many people have a fear of change because they are afraid to be pushed out of their comfort zone. Fear of change suggests that you are convinced that any change is bad for you. Perhaps the most common fear associated with change is the fear of failure.

However, the only way to avoid failure is never to do anything at all but to live as a spectator on the sidelines, which leads to being left behind and unfulfilled.

Failing is the best mechanism for us to learn valuable lessons and is part of the learning curve. When we make mistakes, we inevitably learn from them, making adjustments, and improving ourselves along the way.

I founded Crypto Women Global because I see how women everywhere are drawing the short straw in so many areas of our society, be it in the form of gender pay gaps, discrimination, or harassment at work, to outright exploitation & enslavement.

Women are usually the ones who take more time, sometimes years, out of their careers to raise children, and are often left severely under-financed following a divorce or arriving at retirement age.

At the most horrifying extreme, the fastest growing sector of homelessness is women over 55! These are women who have raised children, supported husbands, had homes and careers or jobs. How can this happen on our watch?

In part, because we don’t teach or learn enough about personal finances, we are sometimes deliberately kept in the dark about how money works, how the banking system really works, how Central Banks influence our political systems the world over.

WHAT BUSINESS IDEA YOU HAVE THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO SHARE WITH OTHERS?

If I were 20 again, I would not miss the opportunities in learning how to code! This area of DeFi and FinTech will continue to explode in the coming years.

Other than that, I am currently doing research on how to ‘gamify’ investing. This is a much-neglected aspect of our education system, as we are simply not taught how to think in terms of our finances. If there was a way to make saving & investing ‘fun’, then it would go a long way to bridge the gap of where we are, and where we could find ourselves, on a much more solid grounding.

Violeta Semenova

Violeta Semenova
Founder
theBizLadies

Welcome to the Biz Ladies interview series!

If you’re new to these series, I interview women entrepreneurs on how they started their business, what was the idea behind it, how they got where they are, the struggles, the reality and more.

By sharing their stories, we want to inspire other women to get started.

If you are interested to share your own story on the Biz Ladies LET ME KNOW!