One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to lose weight. People who have overindulged during the holidays are eager to shed those pounds and discover their best selves. However, a set of three numbers that is crucial to your future is, in fact, your credit score. Shawn Sharma has made an impressive living, focusing on that barometer to achieve the American dream. From humble beginnings, Sharma’s work ethic and eagerness to learn would take him to the Ivy League and then on to seven-figure entrepreneurship. He helps clients learn the importance of their credit score and how to maximize credit cards and travel rewards to create wealth.
Sharma grew up the son of highly educated immigrant parents, who could not convert their education into comparable jobs in the US through a series of challenging circumstances and obligations. As a result, Sharma became doggedly determined to attract success, wealth, and the freedom that accompany those dreams. Beginning with a scholarship to an elite boarding school, Sharma went on to Cornell University, and eventually, medical school. While in college, he discovered the highly profitable benefits of credit arbitrage from which he was quickly earning $2,000-$3,000 per day. Founding Credit 101, Sharma created a plan to help empower others to leverage their own credit and have the same opportunities for wealth and success as him.
Credit 101 helps thousands of people to legally take advantage of credit cards and travel offers, such as bonuses, rewards, cash-back, and more. Sharma instructs clients on the ways in which they can improve their credit scores and access lines of credit to fund businesses, explaining that the best part of his success comes from creating equal opportunities for everyone interested in meeting their financial goals. “I started Credit 101 with the idea of wanting to empower others to be able to leverage their own credit and have a chance to live the American dream.”
It began with maximizing frequent flyer miles and transformed into over a dozen successful businesses, earning Sharma a seven-figure income. However, Sharma has a heart for others and spreads wealth and opportunity often. “I get my biggest fulfillment educating others to do what I’ve done, and make monitoring their credit part of their daily life,” Sharma explains. The response has been staggering. People prove they thirst for this information, as he has amassed an Instagram following of over 1 million.
Through educating yourself, Sharma’s journey proves that anything is possible. He credits his past failings for strengthening his resolve to overcome any obstacle. Regardless of skin color, socioeconomic background, or other unfavorable circumstances, everyone starts with the same baseline credit, which is what Sharma’s entire business is built upon. He says, “If I had not first understood the ins and outs of credit, I’d have never been able to get an elite education through leveraging student loans, start credit card arbitrage, or start a number of the over twenty business I founded with no out-of-pocket money. Sharma wants to share the opportunities with his friends and clients to achieve the freedoms that he’s found during his journey.
Many people are intimidated by the thought of managing their credit, learning the fine details of how to utilize the perks available to consumers, and controlling their money in general. One trick of the trade that Sharma teaches clients is the benefits of paying credit cards before their statement closes. By doing so, you can avoid paying interest while still accruing miles, cash-back, and points. The rewards can translate to considerable returns in the form of rewards or cash-back to the average consumer, easily $2000-$10,000 annually to a middle-class family. Even more powerful, has been leveraging zero percent interest credit cards to finance business ventures that yield higher returns. Sharma has developed a proprietary strategy to cycle zero percent credit cards for multiple years thus creating cash flow at zero interest rates.
Just as important as managing your business (and finances) is the ability to craft a personal brand to spread the word on your skill. Sharma trains managers but gives that person 100% responsibility to hire, recruit, train, and build the team below him. By doing so, he maintains more of his own free time, allowing himself the ability to act on great opportunities. What other benefits come from delegating? The chance to focus on networking, building successful partnerships, and allowing good managers to generate more company revenue, resulting in higher compensation for themselves.
Sharma sees the competition as only himself against his former wins. While some influencers get caught up in social media drama, Sharma keeps a razor focus on his own achievements and goals. He says he plans to see Credit 101 reach a nine-figure or higher valuation but is most excited that this translates to millions of people helped by these services. “I want to improve financial literacy in lower socioeconomic groups and minorities and teach people that knowledge is power,” he says proudly.
The game-changers in the industry (including just about any field) are those who possess a heart for others. Sharma continues to take care of his disabled mother, give back to society through various charities, and inspire people who start off as underdogs in life. Sharma is proof that anyone can achieve even massive success if they have enough gumption.