At the center of the greatest success stories in American business and life are stories of mentorship, inspiration, and a singular figure who changed everything. Tiffany Aliche’s story starts at a preschool in Newark, New Jersey and hits a rough patch in the aftermath of the 2008 recession. A chance encounter helps her rebuild from the ground up.
In 2009, Tiffany Aliche seemed to have her finances — and her life — together. She had purchased her first (used car) in cash at the age of 22, and she saved $40,000 in a bank account over the course of 2.5 years. Aliche had used that money to purchase her own home at the age of 25, and she had a retirement account that was growing at lightning speed. By the age of 31, she had a $200,000 balance left on her mortgage, $50,000 in student loan debt, and soul-crushing credit card debt she couldn’t pay off because she still didn’t have a job.
Aliche says her friends were also struggling through the recession and started noticing her progress. Before long she was coaching them, she said, followed by friends of friends and other people she connected with along the way. Over time, she started charging $50, then $75, then $100 per coaching session. But it wasn’t until she met Lynette that she realized her story of financial hardship might be the key to unlocking new clients. This is the story of how their friendship changed Tiffany’s career.
The One Who Changed Everything is a Forbes original series hosted by Maggie McGrath. Sometimes, all it takes is one person to change the trajectory of a career: one investor, one customer, one mentor, even one assistant. Catch new episodes every Sunday in April at 7pm ET.
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