MoneyTalk With Alessandra Sollberger, Founder & Investor

Hello Alessandra!

Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’ve been a founder and investor from an early age. I started re-selling books and toys as a kid, then investing in stocks as a teen. The other part is extreme sports: from kitesurfing to snowboarding, if I travel I always look for some action! Like many of us, I’m engaged with our global issues and I try to walk the talk – whether it’s being sustainable as a business or sharing my opinions for what they really are.

What inspired you to launch Evermore Health?

After moving from Switzerland to the UK, there wasn’t a brand in health & nutrition that I really trusted and resonated with. On top of that, the pace of my professional career made it important to care about wellness like I did before having that kind of work hours. This sector is moving into interesting times, as science and tech make products more precise and better inform producers.

What are you passionate about?

As mentioned above, I’m very active and love all sorts of sports. That goes from spinning class and yoga in the city to kitesurfing and treks on a trip. I read quite a bit - mainly geeky non-fiction or books that teach me something on a new subject. I also try to act and speak up on modern issues, because becoming cynical or apolitical is no longer sustainable.

What was the biggest lesson you learnt in your career?

Be brutally honest with yourself. That goes for understanding what you really align with, but also for fighting doubts or postponements that come up along the way. You have to look at things for what they truly are, then you can address them well.

What’s your relationship like with money and personal finance?

I used to consider it something that I shouldn’t necessarily prioritize, seeing myself driven by other factors instead. Since then, I learnt to embrace personal finance as a weapon to be more efficient in life, rather than feeling guilty for focusing on it.

What does financial independence mean to you?

Being able to truly do what you feel like your highest calling is, without worrying about external restraints.

What’s the one thing you indulge in?

Sports, quite frankly! Whether it’s trying new classes in the city or a crazy activity when I travel, I’m always game for that.

What is the best financial decision you have ever made? And what is the greatest long term investment?

You could say that getting into bitcoin very early was a great choice. My interest in it was always driven by the technology and by learning more about it though. That curiosity goes beyond the basic personal finance toolkit that I recommend to everyone – so I’d say that starting to think about how you balance your assets and making a monthly habit out of saving is essential.

Have you ever experienced a financial epiphany? A sort of wake-up call, where you suddenly think - “I must start doing things differently”?

Absolutely – see some of my answers above! If there’s something off with your relationship with personal finance, you have to snap yourself out of it. You have to recognize that being smart about it has nothing to do with the values you may or may not have. It’s purely about enabling yourself to live life in a way that removes constraints.

What is Vestpod for you?

What you are doing is fantastic. It’s so important to have open conversations about this topic. The education system in the UK and abroad has started giving personal finance classes, but this was certainly not the case when we finished high school and there’s a big knowledge gap to fill.

Own up. Have you made any major financial faux-pas?

Having started with stocks very early on, I didn’t always know what I was doing. Also, as an adult I’ve definitely spent money on stuff that turned out to be utterly useless!

What do you wish you have done earlier in terms of financial planning?

Being organized and methodical about it. It’s really important to commit to a routine, no matter how uncomfortable it might feel at first - it’s like basic hygiene; there’s no way around it.

What would you recommend to younger women?

Think about this and don’t tell yourself stories. Realise that being in charge of your finances is damn cool.

Favourite book & podcast?

These tend to be about tech and business for me, but an interesting book for what we’ve been talking about is Secrets of the Millionaire Mind.

Where can we find you?

I’m very active on Instagram at alessandra_evermore and you can always reach out to me there. I also write on Medium and Twitter with the handle @a_sollberger.

Thanks a lot!

-- Emilie & Christina