Hayley Knight, AFA National Chair Pulse for Paraplanners and Managing Director Contract Paraplanning Services shares how she has used COVID-19 to fast track her business plus a touching moment that warmed her heart.
1.Why financial advice?
In my early days I started off with a Traineeship as a Bank Teller where I was able to ‘look behind the curtain’ and see every customers bank balance and the reality of this broke down stereotypes of what I thought a rich person looked like. I knew that I wanted to live life on my own terms and money was the tool for me to achieve that. After being a teller for a few months, one thing I noticed was that the wealthiest customers shared a commonality of understanding their money better than most which lead me into extending my education and skills through financial planning. Fifteen year later, I find myself in all things Paraplanning.
2.Your favourite quote?
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards” Steve Jobs – Stanford Commencement Speech 2005. I highly recommend you Google this one if your seeking inspiration.
3.What advice would you give to your younger self?
Stop worrying about what other people think because any thought of you will be fleeting.
4.One thing you’ve changed in your business during COVID-19?
We’re using COVID-19 as an opportunity to fast track planned business improvements to prepare us for the massive coming months.
5.Your most recent ‘high-five’ moment?
After reviewing the business, one huge, stand out high-five moment was the realisation of how strong and resilient CPS is. Even though our workflow has dropped, we know that this is only temporary and during a time of so much uncertainty, we are still consistently seeing new business leads coming in. This is testament to our amazing team and the work they do.
6.What can we find you doing most weekends?
I have two young kids so you’ll find us at playgrounds, the beach, really anything outdoors. Being a massive coffee fiend one of my favourite things to do is to pop down to our local markets and pick up some freshly ground beans, a bunch of flowers for the house and a croissant from Frenchie’s Bakery on a Saturday morning.
7.Have you seen anything lately that made you smile?
I was at a supermarket recently and the fire alarms went off. People started to panic and as I was leaving, I saw this elderly lady who dropped her bag. A big rough looking man ran over to her, picked up her bag and gently walked her out of the store. It really warmed my heart to see such kindness.
