More than 53% of working Americans say that flexible work is the most important to them, compared to 25 percent who stated that career progression is the most important.
Now more than ever, Americans across the country are prioritizing flexibility over pay. If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that time is precious. It’s a commodity.
The working class is catching up: they want freedom, they want autonomy, they want to be their own boss.
But when we talk about freedom, we can’t leave out equity.
The question is, what does this “freedom” mean for women across the world?
With more than 11.6 million women-owned firms generating $1.8 trillion in sales, now more than ever, more and more women are seeking financial independence.
Here at Flippa, we strongly believe that women have purchasing power, which is why we’re aiming to make the space of buying and selling digital assets accessible for women across the globe.
We know that buying businesses eliminates the initial hurdles of building a business from the ground up, which is why we’re proponents of acquisition entrepreneurship and believe that women everywhere can take control of their financial future through this viable career path.
This begins with education, resources, and the tools to succeed. It also means telling the stories of those who were brave enough to take risks and pivot in their professional journeys.
Meet Stacy Caprio
Our team caught up with Stacy Caprio, native of Chicago, now living in Austin, Texas.
Stacy has previously shared her story about buying sites on Flippa and the lessons she’s learned.
At some point in our lives, we may have experienced this feeling in our 9-5 jobs in one form or the other: it doesn’t matter how much value we provide, or how much work we do, the feeling of being limited to an office space can be taxing to the body and mind.
Stacy knows this feeling all too well.
Going on long walks during her lunch break provided that break in routine, but even then, the thought of having to go back to work for someone else loomed at the back of her mind.
“You’re kind of trapped even if you do an amazing job until you increase revenue,” says Caprio. “Your salary doesn’t really double. The effort you put into it isn’t correlated with what you get out of it. I was so unhappy with my lack of freedom. It just culminated to the point that I was so unhappy that I was looking everywhere for how I can do something that is not this.”
That all changed when Stacy started reading more income-report blogs on how others made money online. With plenty of trial and error, this led her to start buying content sites on Flippa and ultimately running a portfolio of digital assets.
A life of financial freedom and flexibility
Today, she lives not too far from downtown Austin, her condo in the West End neighborhood overlooking the blissful skyline of the Texas capital.
In the mornings, she has the decision to work wherever: her condo, a space with natural light and calm, or just a few feet away outside her door, where she walks to the common area with a cup of coffee, the skyline backdrop brimming just a few miles away.
It’s a life of comfort, flexibility, and hustle, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I love having control over my time each day and how I make money,” says Caprio. “Flippa enabled me to have control over my time, which to me, is the biggest benefit over money.”
“Flippa enabled me to have control over my time, which is the biggest benefit over money.”
She recalls a time when the highlight of her day was looking forward to stepping away from her cubicle for a walk. Now, she decides when or where she can go for a run between work and has full agency over the strategy of her investment portfolios.
For Stacy, these simple life joys make all the difference.
“I really like seeing my effort produce results that I get to benefit from,” she says. “For me, money is actually a big motivator. But it’s more my financial freedom.”
Investing in Digital Real Estate for Real Estate
Now, Stacy is a certified realtor and is diversifying her income portfolio by investing in real estate. She’s recently purchased a few expired domains and real estate websites, and just went under contract for a second duplex outside of Austin.
“I’m using all my profits from my Flippa sites to buy two duplexes,” she says. “My biggest income is my Flippa sites, which has enabled me to work for myself for the past 7 years.”
“My biggest income is my Flippa sites, which has enabled me to work for myself for the past 7 years.”
In conjunction with her Flippa profits, she’s also pursuing standard revenue financing to invest in physical real estate.
Although Caprio does see the importance of investing in digital real estate, she strongly believes that women should diversify their income portfolio if they’re looking to make consistent revenue streams. After all, this is a lesson she’s learned when it comes to dabbling in online assets.
“Websites can be a little more volatile even though they have high returns,” says Caprio. “I think it’s good to have online assets but also physical assets. You don’t want your money eaten away by inflation.”
And she’s right. This year alone, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an increase in consumer prices up 9.1 percent, the largest increase in 40 years.
Gaining confidence in a male-dominated industry
Attaining financial flexibility can be intimidating, especially in a male-dominated industry where a culture of financial inequality persists.
Although the gender gap in pay has remained relatively stable in the U.S. over the past 15 years or so due to measurable factors like educational attainment, occupational segregation, work experience, and an increase in higher-paying jobs traditionally possessed by men, women as a whole still continue to be overrepresented in lower-paying occupations relative to their share of the workforce.
According to research by My Confidence Matters, 70% of people admit to regularly lacking confidence in themselves when it comes to their careers and speaking up at work. However, there was a notable disparity between men and women’s confidence levels, with more women than men experiencing a lack of confidence in the workplace (79% of women vs 62% of men).
When Forbes looked into what specifically at work left women feeling skeptical, over 75% respondents said they aren’t confident in their work relationships, and lack of supportive environments, growth and development opportunity and professional networks.
It’s crucial to note that this onus should not be put on women entirely. Rather, women are likely equally confident. It’s the responsibility of the workplace to make institutional changes to ensure equity.
It’s the responsibility of the workplace to make institutional changes to ensure equity.
“When I worked in online marketing, a lot of the women even though they could do something just as well as the men, they wouldn’t have the confidence in it, especially if it was their own idea or direction,” says Caprio. “I think you have to believe that you can even do it to purchase a business. You have to have the confidence to take the first step.”
For Stacy, the confidence to become her own boss started with reading case studies of women who were pursuing the same path she was interested in.
“Really I was inspired by other people,” Caprio says. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it if I didn’t see other people succeeding doing the same thing.”
Caprio has always known that she wanted to work for herself in some capacity. It also helps that she comes from a family of entrepreneurs. At a young age, she would run lemonade stands and started her own swimming lesson business. Her father and sister work in sales and her mother has her own business in exercise consulting, artwork, and lettering.
Advice for women
“Decide what your end goal is and be clear on that and make sure to write it out,” says Caprio. “You have to really know what your goal is in order to get there. Once you have that, start making a plan with actionable steps, and work backwards. Use case studies of successful people so you know what you need to do each day. Without action, you won’t get there. Write it down and make sure you’re taking action every single day.”
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You can keep up with Stacy Caprio at her.ceo where she discusses all things making money online, and listen to the her.ceo entrepreneur podcast and learn from those who have already achieved their dreams so you can learn how to start working toward yours.
If you haven’t already, be inspired and step into your power at Her Future 2022. Snag your FREE ticket at https://flippa.com/events/her-future.
