Valorey Salter

I had planned to leave him and had even set a date, but it would be a few months away. I had been secretly managing social media business accounts to make money on the side, so I would have something. On one dark day in January, he grabbed my 13 year old son and threw him to the ground. I had let him hurt me for years, but the minute he laid his hands on my son, I finally found my strength. 

Mama Bear and all of her ferociousness came out. In just a few minutes, he was arrested and we were out the door. 

My 3 children and I escaped and lived with family for just a couple of weeks. During that time, I got a job and a small, two bedroom apartment. The job and apartment shitty, but it was enough. One day, I took real good look at my credit reports and scores. There those numbers stared me right in the face. 

485. 

I wanted to be a homeowner so badly. I was 37 years old and had been renting all of my adult life. That score told me that I was unworthy and I felt like owning a home was NEVER going to happen. 

I shook off all those feelings and thoughts of self-doubt and made a decision that I would be relentless and determined in my efforts to become a homeowner BEFORE I turned 40 years old! 

All of those collections. 

All of those delinquent accounts. 

What happened? 

I didn’t let the noisy neighbors distract me from figuring things out. I put my head down and went to work on my credit.

I got to know Google real well and started searching: 

How to Clean Up Credit

How to Increase My Credit Score

How to Dispute Incorrect Information on Credit Report

How to Consolidate Student Loans 

How to Build Credit 

How to Establish Credit

How to Create a Budget

I found a lot of great resources, but many of those were designed for families of two parent households or people that made more than six figures and had a lot of investments. 

I literally had 1 income, then rent, utilities, gas, phone, and groceries. That’s it and that took up 95% of my income! That crappy little job that barely paid the bills that I was so grateful for, need to step up or step out. 

I needed a side hustle, or start my own business. I started reaching out to more business owners about social media management. After all, being a social media manager helped me to escape that situation, it could possibly help me with my current situation. 

By adding just 1-2 more clients to my roster kept me homebound outside of work, which was fine and I actually began to like staying home. I wasn’t spending money, plus it allowed me to pay off debts and save. It wasn’t a lot of money, but every penny counts when you have goals.

I made a list and created a plan. I designed a budget that allowed me to save money, pay my current bills, and put some towards these debts. 

In less than 15 months, I had raised my credit score by over 200 points, I had lost 100 pounds, and I closed on my house. 

I did all of this making less than $25,000 per year – a single mom with three kids did this all by herself! 

A post on social media and a text from a family member really got under my skin. Apparently, when some people get jealous, they make remarks about things they know nothing about. I be damned if I was going to allow my hard work, my blood, my sweat, and my tears be patronized. 

The fact that I did this alone, without borrowing money from family, or having a co-signer, really shocked a lot of people. In fact, many people came to me asking if I would teach them and I did so, with love. 

I’ve helped several people become financially healthy by teaching them how to clean up their credit, how to save money, and how to make a budget and stick with it. I found a passion in helping people, especially women who have been abused, to learn about their financial health and how to take control over it just as you would your physical, mental, and emotional health. 

Today, I am here to serve YOU and help you be financially healthy so you can create the life you want to live.