Ann Wilson

Ann Wilson

The Wealth Chef is the book I wished I had found when I started my financial freedom journey. It is a combination of inspiration “this is possible for anyone” and practical “how to do it” delivered in a clear jargon-free way.

As I discovered, being great with money and creating wealth is a learnt skill, just like cooking.  When we want to cook something new we get a recipe and discover what ingredients are needed, the order they get added, the specific techniques we have to use and the tools we need.  We then give the recipe a go, improving it and getting more skilled as we go along. 

The process to break free from consumer debt, manage money successfully, invest and create wealth generating assets, protect ourselves and our wealth all follow a series of steps and processes just like a recipes and require an understanding of how money works. By learning these recipes and apply them consistently in our lives, we get better and better at creating wealth heaven rather than money hell.

I discovered there are just five core recipes for wealth and if you learn these and consistently apply them in your life, financially freedom is on its way. To start you must first know what financial freedom is for you and where you currently are financially. Having defined that you then put your plan into action by implementing the recipes for wealth.

Can you tell us a little bit about the five core recipes for wealth?

The five core Recipes For Wealth are as follows:

Wealth Pie - Be the master of your money and become great at managing your money and carve it up in a way that lets you live a great life now and ensures your financial wellbeing.

Expand Your Dough - Get money working for you by learning how to convert your income into wealth generating assets.

Blitz That Debt - Break free from consumer debt, reduce your liabilities and stop the drain on your finances cause by compounding working against you.

Protection pate - Put in place the wealth documents and appropriate insurances you need to protect you, your loved ones and your assets, while you’re creating your financial freedom.

Mastery - Learning how to get the most from the greatest asset we have - ourselves and how to use our unlimited potential and creativity to create wealth and live a juicy feast of a life.

Why did you decide to make a change of career?

Having freed myself from debt I was determined never to feel so vulnerable and anxious about money again and whilst working in my engineering career I started studying the world of investing and getting savvy with my money.

As I became better and better at managing and growing my own money, friends and family would ask me to help them too and I found myself talking more and more about this stuff and really enjoying being able to share and help. I then started introducing this work to my teams at work and realized just how big a need there was for financial education and how many people, no matter what they earned desperately needed help. Not because they are stupid but because we just aren’t taught this stuff.

Being financially empowered and helping others achieve the same became more and more of a passion. When I achieved my own financial freedom, I chose to continue in my engineering career for a few more years but more and more my true desire was to help others in this area of their wealth and so The Wealth Chef was born.

I knew I had a burning passion to help people achieve their own financial freedom, I had the skills to help and there is a massive demand and need for this - so it was more a case of I couldn’t not start it. The only question was the best way to do it, and that is when I decided to go the writing and online training route so I could reach more people and make products and programmes that they could also access easily and supported their lifestyle. 

Why is The Small Enterprise Foundation so close to your heart?

The SEF’s mission – to give people the means to build their way out of poverty—resonates with me because it touches on a simple truth: Each of us has the power to change the world, and each of us has a responsibility to try.

The work of the SEF uses this incredible seed called money together with financial literacy education to help women change their world. This is my mission too - to help people learn how to use the seeds they have to create a meaningful abundant life.

The SEF makes tiny loans to the poorest women in the country, giving them the opportunity to start or grow their own businesses without resorting to predatory loan sharks. They also provide basic money management and financial literacy education and require their borrowers to save, ensuring that the business is sustainable and that the relationship with money is healthy.  Women make up 100% percent of the SEF’s borrowers and, despite 95% of the borrowers being illiterate and innumerate, have proven to have a unique ability to lead their families out of poverty.

Please tell us about your biggest highs and lows from going from broke to being a millionaire.

Wow - that’s a big question. The biggest low was about 4 years into my Financial Freedom Journey after my divorce. It was feeling like the journey was taking forever and despite “doing” the work, taking action and seeing my wealth pots grow I was feeling disconnected from me and “Is this really what my life is about?” thoughts was swirling around my head. It was at this time that I first stumbled into the world of personal development and the “radical” concept that we can define our own reality by mastering our minds. This was like a lightening bolt for me and I plunged into a new parallel journey - a journey within and one of discovering me. This then became my biggest high and where Wealth Recipe #5 emerged – self-mastery because as I learnt more about mastering me, my mind, my beliefs, my values and how to reclaim back my personal power and be fully authentic to who I am - my wealth journey accelerated exponentially - almost by magic. 

Why is one of the biggest hurdles your relationship with money?

Resisting what society, advertising and the media tells us wealth is and what we all need to be successful, to be happy, to be loved. This has required (and still does) a strong internal sense of who I am and what is important to me. But, discovering that has also been the most rewarding.

The second aspect or hurdle is always remembering that I am in the driving seat and that whatever is happening in my money world is a reflection of my personal leadership and management. Money can only do what we direct it to do and if we don’t give it clear direction if wonders off to someone who will.

Why is there fear around making money?

Fear is always an extension of some belief we hold about something, and the fear of having or earning lots of money is often connected to a fear of being rejected by others.

We all collect baggage and a mountain of beliefs around money as we grow up and more often than not these beliefs hold us back. One of the beliefs that I see a lot is that:- “If I have a lot of money I will be judged or rejected by those I love, I’ll be seen as mean or greedy, or people will want things from me and acing money will be a burden, it will be complicated and stressful…. the list goes no.

When we can get to neutral with money,that is where the magic happens. The truth is all of the emotions we project onto money are just our stuff. Money in and of itself has no meaning, we give it meaning and the more money you have the more it will magnify whatever is inside of you. Positive or negative.

What is next for you?

2015 is all about streamlining and systematising my business so I can help more people and deliver more value through my online training programmes, speaking and The Wealth Chef book. I’ve also got some very juicy trips planned through the year, including taking clients on a fabulous retreat into the heart of the African bush to discover what wealth is for them, and doing lots of creative things I love to make sure my own tank is topped up enabling me to do and contribute even more. Beyond that I’m working on the next book to be released in 2016.


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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