Alyssa Furtado is one of our 30 Inspirational Women in Canadian FinTech and Finance!
Alyssa (@AlyssaJRichard) is the co-founder of Ratehub Inc. and CEO of Ratehub.ca, a website that compares prices on financial products like mortgages, credit cards and GICs. This January, Ratehub announced that they raised $12 million Series A investment. Here, she shares her best financial advice, speaks about her impressive career, and honours the women who inspired her along the way.
What are you most proud of accomplishing in your career?
AF: We’ve been running Ratehub Inc. for about eight years now, and I’m extremely proud of how I’ve persevered during our journey. There were times when working on the business became really tough, and it would have been easier to give up. But I stuck with it and today I’m so proud of our growth and how far we’ve come as a company.
The other thing I’m proud of is that I’ve started to embrace conflict. Navigating through conflict is like a muscle – you need to exercise it to get more comfortable with it, and it’s been a crucial skill for me in getting the best possible outcomes for our business. My personality doesn’t naturally love conflict but it’s an essential part of business. In the past there have been times when I could have avoided a conflict and taken the easy way out. But the easy way out is rarely the right way.
Who were the women that served as role models to inspire you in your life?
AF: I’ll give two examples – a famous one and a less famous but equally important one. The first one is Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook. She’s an incredible leader who leads with both strength and vulnerability, and who isn’t afraid to show some emotion. Her leadership style has a human component, and I really connect with that.
The other one is my mom. She’s brave, intense, and fearless, and she has an attitude that says, ‘I can do anything.’ She’s in her sixties and still jumps off the side of the boat at the cottage and Slalom water skis. I look at her and I think, that’s where I get it from.
What was the best financial advice that you’ve ever received?
AF: The best advice I’ve ever received is that if you continue to inflate your lifestyle to match your means, you will never be free. If you get a raise or a promotion at work, or your business starts to take off, don’t start spending by getting a bigger house or buying a new car. Instead, put away that money for a rainy day, or for some other dream you want to achieve – financial freedom is one of the best gifts you could ever give yourself.
Thanks for sharing your story, Alyssa! To learn about more finfluencers, check out our 30 Inspirational Women in Canadian FinTech and Finance.