johnlittle
John Little is a personal finance expert who has helped many people get out of debt or start making the transition to take control of their financial destiny … hence the title of his first book, Control Your Financial Destiny. It’s a great and educational read!I’ve had him on my radio show and had him speak to my networking group. He’s impressed us every time with straight-forward advice that lets you know there is light at the end of that tunnel, even though it might be piled high with bills. Take a look at why John loves what he does!

What’s the name of your business?
I have two businesses. My individual business is Glenwood Productions. My partnership is The Empowerment Consortium.

What does your business do?

For my individual business, I am a credit and personal finance author, speaker, and personal coach. In addition to that, I do contract training and facilitating. My partners and I formed The Empowerment Consortium, a consulting company that provides homeownership and financial literacy counseling for individuals, multi-cultural and diversity training, seminars, and consulting for the private sector.


Are there any interesting facts that you can share about your industry?
As we all know, the personal credit and finance industries are undergoing massive changes right now. The upheaval in the mortgage and housing industries affect us all daily. As the market continues to evolve, individuals and companies will face more challenges than ever, regarding assessing risk for those looking to borrow money. Being able to position yourself now for the future with a solid knowledge base and understanding of your personal financial goals and how to achieve them will set you far apart from the crowd.

What’s the most popular problem you help people solve?
Understanding how credit works and how to manage it. I help them realize the positive impact of setting and adhering to a budget with short and long term financial goals.

What year did you kiss Corporate America goodbye and why do you hope to never go back?
I held on to Corporate America for far too long, until this spring. I hope to never go back because I’ve seen too many times that Corporate America will use you and your talents to best serve their needs, but once they have squeezed the sponge dry, they don’t have use for you anymore. Even when you try to leverage your assets and talents to help them, unless it fits their immediate need, it’s not of interest to them.

How do you stay motivated?
The promise of a comfortable life is what motivates and drives me. I am truly a ‘work to live’ person. I enjoy working and when opportunities exist, I enjoy what I do. Happiness is paramount to me, so being able to enjoy the simpler things in life and not stressing about what my boss is thinking or what the person two cubicles over has to say about me is invaluable.

What’s a bold move you took that turned your business around?
My business isn’t where I want it to be yet, but taking the leap to focusing on myself and my business is going to make all of the difference in the world. I have great, dynamic partners who are equally as driven to impact individuals and companies with our message.


What’s your favorite area on the Own Your Power Community? I enjoy reading the message boards to see the exchange of comments and ideas.

What’s a unique talent that you have that might surprise us?
I am a (self-proclaimed) kitchen legend. I love to cook and can usually adapt a recipe after making it once or twice, give it my own twist and make a slamming meal! Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert — doesn’t matter, it’s all good!

If you could do it all over again, what is the biggest mistake you’d avoid next time around?
How much time do you have? First of all, I would have gone to graduate school and law school immediately from undergrad. I realize now the advantages that would have provided me, not only from a flexibility standpoint, but also from the standpoint of expanding my circles of influence and contacts. While I love the college I attended (Winston Salem State University) it was a relatively small HBCU. The reach and influence of alumni contacts doesn’t extend very far beyond the state of NC. Understanding the value of networking and maintaining constant contact with your network can be the most valuable business tool you have.

What was the most exciting moment that you got your time to shine?
After publishing my book in 2007, I was a guest on numerous radio shows, including ‘The Own Your Power Radio Show’ (shameless plug). These were great opportunities to share my message with a broader audience. I feel that I have not yet had my ‘moment’, but that it is coming!

If you’d like to get in contact with John, add him as a friend in our community or visit his website.