Career transitioning isn’t always easy

But a few weeks ago I had a chat with Naziah Riaz, full time day trader, investor, CEO of e-Comm platform, Pips and Shares and Co-founder of The Collective Woman. In following her journey I’ve learned that career transitioning is essentially the same process for an entrepreneur as it is with any other working professional. 

However, full time entrepreneurship wasn’t initially a part of her plan

Fortunately, her ability to pivot and learn new skills quickly led her to new opportunities in the fintech industry and more. If you’re unfamiliar with what fintech is, it’s short for financial technology. Computer programs or systems used to conduct financial transactions and services. 

I wanted to dive deeper into her world to share a different perspective for someone who may be seeking a similar transition. 

Naziah attended the University of Central Florida and graduated with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies; during this time she was also pursuing a nursing career. After failing nursing school she knew that something had to change. She didn’t want to give up her dream of helping others so she decided to start her own home health care agency. With a license from the state she was able to have a staff of caregivers looking after elderly clients who needed non-medical assistance. For a few years she was able to build her business and learn the ins and outs of being self employed. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows though.

She quickly realized that overhead costs paired with low billing hours were eating up her profits. In addition to low profits, she worked as the administrator, marketer and caregiver. Naziah felt like she was a worker in her business without the time or ability to work on her business.  Eventually, she made the difficult decision to close up shop. 

The next steps for Naziah were crucial

Having to think quickly and carefully on what the next steps were, she explained that the transition itself wasn’t hard… The challenge was starting over in a new industry after building a business from scratch and having to shut it down. I could totally relate, starting over in a new industry is scary. Not knowing what to expect and if you’ll actually be successful. On top of that, the emotional stress from feeling like a failure. Nonetheless, this sentiment did not stop her from moving forward. Naziah took a leap of faith and studied the financial market, learned how to invest and became a beast at it. She took her time back, learned a new skill and is in a better position to still help others in a different way then way that she had planned. 

Black woman in red dress

I asked Naziah if she had any advice for someone who was looking to transition in their career. She recommends anyone looking to invest in the financial market take a full 2 years to learn how the markets change over time. She explained how easy it is to have a winning season, and how quickly the market could change. 

It was interesting to know her opinion that investing and trading is mostly psychologically driven. So she suggest that anyone planning to go full time, have 1 full year of life expenses paid. Stressing over how you will pay your next bill will have adverse effects in decision making skills. Patience and low stress are necessary to be successful.  

Additionally, starting an investing and day trading career is totally possible to do while pursuing your current career. It’s not necessary to quit your 9-5 or whatever professional endeavors you’re involved in.   

For work, Naziah is likely to find the coolest coffee shop somewhere across the country or from the comfort of her home. She recently transformed her dining area and pool deck into 2 cozy workspaces. Her mornings start with reviewing the charts and her investments, from there she’s managing her e-commerce businesses. Tuesday, 8/31/21, she’ll be partnering with NYC gym owner Brittany Ellis on “Embracing Failure if you Want to Grow”. Naziah is the perfect example of how to get back up after taking a loss and redesigning the future. 

Of course I asked her if she was dating and her answer was, “I am dating I think. Haha”. She explained that the pandemic made it more difficult to meet new people organically. 

“Some days I’m in a rush, but most days, I believe in timing.”

Work life balance for Naziah is very important. She has a built in rewards system where she treats herself whenever she hits a goal or crosses off  a big task. It was so nice to connect with this beauty; I look forward to watching the continued growth!

 

 

Connect with Naziah ↓↓

 

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