“There’s no such thing as being bad with money. You just have bad habits.”  -- Helen Ngo  When I turned 18 and went off to college, I thought I was going to be a dentist. Despite growing up in a family of female entrepreneurs, and later realizing a career in medicine wasn’t for me, I never dreamed of starting my own company.  The “aha” moment didn’t come until a few years after college, early in my career in the finance industry. When I asked my boss for a raise, he told me I’d be better off marrying rich.  That was the last time I would ever be shamed for being an ambitious woman.  My fire was lit. So, I fired that 9-5 corporate life for good. Never will I let someone control how much money I make. On this episode of Live and Earn, I take a turn as the guest with my friend and client Ashley Williams, host of the Birds Mean Business podcast. Ashley and I discuss how my identity and upbringing influenced the drive I bring to my business every day. I also share the one thing I wish I had done before becoming an entrepreneur, and some of the top tips I share with my clients.  What we tackle in this episode:  Why I decided to become an entrepreneur — and help other women specifically  How becoming a business owner myself transformed my relationship with my mother and my respect for her own journey as an entrepreneur before me  Why there’s no such thing as ‘being bad with money’ How people who earn $6,000 and people who earn $60,000 can actually be making the same amount of money  The importance of spending with intention  Where your personal life should be before you start a business The types of people entrepreneurs should surround themselves with Why not everyone should be an entrepreneur  Resources and links mentioned in episode:  Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/MeetHelenNgo Instagram:  https://instagram.com/meethelenngo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenmngo/ Email: Hello@helenngo.com Ready to crush your income goals?  Grab your FREE 1-Page Business Revenue Planner to help you stay on top of your income goals and track your progress throughout the year. Get your copy by visiting  https://helenngo.com/revenueplanner/

Live and Earn

Ep 52: Helen Ngo: How I Live and Earn

“Corporate does a really good job of making you feel like what you’re doing isn’t important.” -- Taylor Epley For years, Taylor Epley helped friends, family, and pretty much anyone who asked with résumés and cover letters, until a peer challenged her to find her first client, charge for those same services she’d previously done for free, and get serious about starting her own business: The Career Curator.  Now, as a career coach, Taylor specializes in helping people figure out where they want to be, and how to get there. In her words, she helps people see themselves the way she sees them. In this episode, Taylor explains what career coaching is and gives some insights into the reasons why so many people stay in jobs that don’t satisfy them. Taylor also shares a creative strategy to overcome imposter syndrome around salary negotiations.  Here’s Taylor. What we tackle in this episode:  What it’s like to work with a career coach and when to hire one for yourself How to find the value in the work you do, even if it may not feel important  What to expect when you first meet with a career coach  How to become confident in your career development The variables to assess when identifying a job that will work best for you  The mindset shifts needed to confidently negotiate your salary What else to negotiate for besides your salary  How to quantify your accomplishments  Why people who are in an “OK” situation at work tend to be less happy Signs you need to pay attention to when it’s time to come up with an exit strategy  Why the current economy might present the best opportunity to leave your 9-5 and go after your dream job  SHOW NOTES: https://helenngo.com/ep-51-why-people-stay-in-jobs-they-hate --- Ready to crush your income goals?  Grab your FREE 1-Page Business Revenue Planner to help you stay on top of your income goals and track your progress throughout the year. Get your copy by visiting  https://helenngo.com/revenueplanner/

Ep 51: Why People Stay in Jobs They Hate with Taylor Epley

“You don’t always have to wait for the whole dream. You can break it down into parts that can happen now.” -- Johanna White  Whether you track your goals with a spreadsheet, write your intentions in a journal, or keep your dreams close to the chest, charting out a path to your future achievements shouldn’t be that complicated. And it certainly shouldn’t be scary, but for so many of us, it can be.  If you don’t set goals or speak your dreams into existence, then you’ll never fall short of them, right? Wrong.  As entrepreneur and former goal-phobic Johanna White explains on this episode of Live and Earn, striving for a target you set for yourself is the only way you’ll get closer to what you really want and deserve.  She once believed goals were pointless -- maybe even something that simply set her up for failure -- but over the years, she’s figured out that achieving becomes a lot more manageable when you establish a series of smaller goals that get you that much closer to big success.  Johanna also shares her “stretch” goal of the moment and why she only opens up about her goals to the people in her life who genuinely support her.  What we tackle in this episode:  Different styles for setting goals and achieving  The pressure to choose what you want to be when you grow up  How accomplishing goals without passion can lead to boredom and dissatisfaction  Goal setting for self-described dreamers  Mental exercises for identifying goals How achieving financial goals create opportunity for achieving personal goals Why you should think big and have big goals  SHOW NOTES: https://helenngo.com/ep-50-how-to-set-goals-to-achieve-success --- Ready to crush your income goals?  Grab your FREE 1-Page Business Revenue Planner to help you stay on top of your income goals and track your progress throughout the year. Get your copy by visiting  https://helenngo.com/revenueplanner/

Ep 50: How to Set Goals to Achieve Success with Johanna White

“Today might not be the best day, but there's something really, really great on the other end of this, and it just hasn't revealed itself yet. But it's totally there —  it's there for my taking and when I get to it, I'll get to it.” -- Jamie Shank  If anyone could survive the pandemic job market, you’d think it would be a public health expert.  And you’d be right — but you might be surprised by the survival guide Jamie Shank created for her own career. Jamie uprooted her life in Kansas to put down new roots in Atlanta, Georgia — without full-time employment or health insurance during the Covid-19 pandemic. When she moved to Atlanta in 2020, she had several interviews lined up. Then came the Covid-19 hiring freezes.  Instead of crawling back to what she knew —her old job, Kansas City, public health departments — Jamie chose to embrace the blank canvas in front of her and founded her own company, Organizational Empowerment (OE for short). As the President and CEO of her company, Jamie draws on her years of experience in public health and program management to empower clients working in social services and public health — two fields on the frontlines of Covid-19. On this episode of Live and Earn, Jamie explains why the first thing she did was invest her savings in marketing and branding. She also discusses how she established connections in the local entrepreneur community and shares how challenges in her personal life helped her cultivate the resilience any first-time business owner needs. What we tackle in this episode:  The challenges of establishing a new business and finding clients in a new state  Combining households and finances with a partner during a period of financial uncertainty Why it’s critical to your first year of success to be intentional about who you connect with The greatest challenge entrepreneurs face in the first year of business  Balancing personal and professional growth with meeting obligations to clients Identifying and establishing boundaries between work and life as a business owner  How building resilience enables you to take risks as a business owner  SHOW NOTES: https://helenngo.com/ep-49-your-backup-plan-might-be-better --- Ready to crush your income goals?  Grab your FREE 1-Page Business Revenue Planner to help you stay on top of your income goals and track your progress throughout the year. Get your copy by visiting  https://helenngo.com/revenueplanner/

Ep 49: Your Backup Plan Might Be Better with Jamie Shank

“Once you grow your business, it is a high like no other.” -- Joy Ugi Joy Ugi always had big dreams for herself. After so many years in marketing, she’d worked her way up the corporate ladder. Someday, she’d be CMO. Starting her own business never even crossed her mind, hesitating to start her own business as a single woman.  Finally, as so many of us have, Joy reached a point where she simply couldn’t abide the corporate world or the culture that came with it any longer. Because that was the only work environment she’d ever known, she couldn’t help but send some applications out to established companies, but Joy did something else, too.  She started reconnecting with old contacts, picked up some freelance work, and something just clicked. Her corporate days officially behind her, in 2017 Joy launched her own digital marketing agency: Hella Good Marketing.  On this episode of Live and Earn, Joy explains the circumstances that led to her leap of faith into the world of startups and freelancers. She also shares the different aspects of running a business that surprised and challenged her most, as well as what makes her company’s marketing services hella good.  What we tackle in this episode:  Transitioning from the employee mindset to the CEO mindset Why quitting without a safety net can drive more success than if you had a plan in place Fighting through discomfort to develop hidden or unexplored strengths in yourself Why it’s hard to return to the corporate world after running an independent business  How an entrepreneur’s communication style translates to her business’s bottom line Why working your ass off and taking on every client might make money, but won’t make your business successful long-term  What marketing is and isn’t, and why every new business needs a marketing expert SHOW NOTES: https://helenngo.com/ep-48-you-cant-be-ceo-with-an-employee-mindset/ --- Ready to crush your income goals?  Grab your FREE 1-Page Business Revenue Planner to help you stay on top of your income goals and track your progress throughout the year. Get your copy by visiting  https://helenngo.com/revenueplanner/  

Ep 48: You Can’t Be CEO with An Employee Mindset with Joy Ugi

“It's always better to have data backing up what your intuition is saying, and not just making decisions on intuition.” -- Jordan Gill   What’s your zone of genius and how do you use it to your advantage? Operations consultant Jordan Gill has a system to help entrepreneurs figure that out. In fact, she has a system for everything, really. As founder of Systems Saved Me, Jordan identified her own zone of genius early on in her career. In just five years, she’s turned her company into a million-dollar business that has the systems in place to survive almost anything, including every small business owner’s nightmare: turnover.  On this episode of Live & Earn, Jordan shares how she scaled up from making $110,000 in her first year to her first million only five years later. She also emphasizes the importance of balancing instinct with data and shares her best advice for fellow entrepreneurs who are new to building systems for their business.   What we tackle in this episode:  Launching a business and lining up $12,000 in recurring revenue right out of the gate   Becoming a million-dollar business in five years How to avoid micromanaging people in your business Why systems are essential to scaling a business, maintaining stability amid team turnover, and more  The first system to implement as a new business owner Knocking down perfectionism to get ahead What it means to cultivate a culture of ownership in your business Why being a solopreneur is unsustainable  Why it’s critical to incorporate both data and intuition into business decisions How offering a smaller range of services can yield a larger client base SHOW NOTES:  https://helenngo.com/ep-47-systematize-your-way-to-success Ready to crush your income goals?  Grab your FREE 1-Page Business Revenue Planner to help you stay on top of your income goals and track your progress throughout the year. Get your copy by visiting  https://helenngo.com/revenueplanner/

Ep 47: Systematize Your Way to Success with Jordan Gill

“I think overnight success takes like 10 years for everybody. And we don’t get to see the 10 years; we only see the lead-up … because we just found out about them.”   -- Porsha Thomas In her words, brand strategist Porsha Thomas has been dancing in and out of the corporate world for years. She knew from a young age that she wanted to create and lead but didn’t know how to make that her full-time job — so she went to work for other people and began freelancing on the side. Porsha has since founded her own creative agency, GOWRKGRLS, a dream 10 years in the making.  On this episode of Live & Earn, Porsha walks us through the pivots she made along the way to becoming an entrepreneur, building her business and brand into something bigger each time. Porsha also tells us the best advice she’s received and shares her own wisdom on everything from branding to meditating.  What we tackle in this episode:  Perfecting the pivot and transforming side hustles into full-time jobs  Translating a bright idea into a sound business model  The unexpected aspects of rebranding What it looks like to be a solopreneur  The temptation of trying to be ‘affordable’ to everyone — and why raising your rates shouldn’t be scary How to start meditating to ground yourself as a business owner How to spend money and not feel guilty about it SHOW NOTES https://helenngo.com/ep-46-what-it-takes-to-be-an-overnight-success --- Ready to crush your income goals?  Grab your FREE 1-Page Business Revenue Planner to help you stay on top of your income goals and track your progress throughout the year. Get your copy by visiting  https://helenngo.com/revenueplanner/

Ep 46: What It Takes to Be an Overnight Success with Porsha Thomas

“Money gives you the opportunity to be who you really are … so it boils down to: Who am I choosing to be? And whether I'm rich, whether I'm poor … whoever I am is my choice every day. And does the money let me be more of that? Who I wish to be and how I want to operate in the world? Or does it get in the way?” -- Liz O’Brien Everyone loves a rags-to-riches story.  Whether we’re watching ‘Cinderella’ or ‘Pretty Woman’ on the big screen or singing along when the radio throws it back to ‘Jenny from the Block,’ cheering on the underdog just feels right.  Right?  But when you’re the one who grew up pinching pennies, finally earning your way into a higher income bracket can come with baggage — and I’m not just talking about that Louis Vuitton purse or luxury vacation you can afford at last.  Our relationship with money doesn’t automatically change simply because we have more of it.  Like it or not, the money lessons we grow up with become the foundation for the beliefs that guide us as adults. The caution and frugality our parents taught us can protect us, but those same values can hold us back.  As Liz O’Brien explains on this episode of Live & Earn, it is possible to be responsible and reward yourself. And actually do GOOD with money.  As a belief architect and mindset mentor, Liz dives into the etiology of the thoughts that limit us. She also shares stories of clients who, through consistent reflection and effort, were able to do one of the most difficult things out there — change their own minds.  What we tackle in this episode:  How to identify subconscious limiting beliefs and discover how they hold you back The nuanced relationship between one’s wealth and one’s moral character How early in life our attitudes toward money begin to develop The constant reflection and effort it takes to change our beliefs What it means to be genuinely true to yourself  Signs it’s time to make a career change The prerequisites for a meaningful life: self care and self love Finding the middle ground between following your passion and making sure your basic needs are met How to overcome the fear of failing The case for being an amateur: why our hobbies and passions don’t need to become our professions SHOW NOTES https://helenngo.com/ep-45-how-money-amplifies-who-you-really-are --- Ready to crush your income goals?  Grab your FREE 1-Page Business Revenue Planner to help you stay on top of your income goals and track your progress throughout the year. Get your copy by visiting  https://helenngo.com/revenueplanner/  

Ep 45: How Money Amplifies Who You Really Are with Liz O’Brien

“Life is to be lived, and if you're … spending all your days doing something that you aren't enjoying and is making you not very well, then you should do something about it.”  -- Dr. Juliet McGrattan   After 22 years practicing medicine, Dr. Juliet McGrattan hung up her white coat to pursue two of her passions full-time. Striking out on her own, Juliet faced a steep learning curve. When she became a running coach, she had to go out and find her own clients — unlike having patients come to her.  Newly self-employed, Juliet had to learn how to manage inconsistent income rather than being able to rely upon her regular paycheck from the United Kingdom’s National Health Service.  Since starting her entrepreneurial journey, Juliet has published two books — Sorted: The Active Woman’s Guide to Health (2017) and Run Well: Essential Health Questions and Answers for Runners (2021).  In this episode of Live & Earn, Juliet explains what she loved about being a doctor and why, after more than two decades in the profession, she took the leap from medicine to a more creative career.  Juliet also shares how she applies the skills she learned as a physician in her work today as a full-time writer and coach.  What we tackle in this episode:  How to make the leap from your 9-5 job to full-time business owner.  How to turn a hobby and side hustle into a full-time business  What it really means to ‘follow your passion’ How to overcome fear of failure and and reap the rewards of taking risks Why pursue a non-linear career path The importance of building a financial safety net before a major career or life change Why you don’t need to stick with just one career in your life --- Ready to crush your income goals?  Grab your FREE 1-Page Business Revenue Planner to help you stay on top of your income goals and track your progress throughout the year. Get your copy by visiting  https://helenngo.com/revenueplanner/

Ep 44: Why You Don’t Need to Stick With Just One Career Your Whole Life with Dr. Juliet McGrattan

“We're not bothering anybody by asking for more money. We're not bothering anybody by asking, ‘where's my late payment?’ We need to be assertive and direct.” -- Lola Méndez Six years ago, Uruguayan-American journalist Lola Méndez packed up her New York apartment to travel around the world full-time. From Hong Kong and Chiang Mai to Mexico and Morocco, Lola has written about sustainability, social justice, identity and more for publications including CNN, ELLE, and Architectural Digest.  Unable to travel from her homebase of Montevideo, Uruguay, during the pandemic, Lola diversified her portfolio as a writer and even had her best earnings yet, making $10,000 in one month. Rather than keep the wisdom she’s acquired about negotiating and pitching to herself, Lola advocates for financial transparency in the journalism industry and for freelancers as a whole.  On this episode of Live & Earn, Lola takes us behind the scenes of what it’s like to travel for a living. She also shares some of the secrets to her success as freelance journalist.    What we tackle in this episode:  How to make a living as a traveling journalist Why there should be more advocacy for pay transparency How it’s possible to make $10,000 in one month as a freelance writer Why having pitches rejected by editors can be a blessing  How to negotiate with confidence and ask for what you want Common negotiating and career mistakes first-time freelancers make  Advice for solo travelers   Resources and links mentioned in episode:  https://lolaannmendez.com/ https://lolaannmendez.com/consultation/ https://www.missfilatelista.com/ https://www.instagram.com/lolaannamendez/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lolaannmendez https://twitter.com/lolaannamendez https://www.facebook.com/missfilatelista   --- Ready to crush your income goals?    Grab your FREE 1-Page Business Revenue Planner to help you stay on top of your income goals and track your progress throughout the year.   Get your copy by visiting  https://helenngo.com/revenueplanner/  

Ep 43: How to Make Serious Money as a Freelancer with Lola Méndez

“We’ll go as fast as we can, but as slow as we have to.” -- AJ Vaden Personal life and work don’t always mix — but that was the first rule AJ and Rory Vaden broke when they set out to create their own recipe for success. Since meeting by chance as business partners in a startup, AJ and Rory have gotten married, started a family, and founded a series of multimillion-dollar companies.  Their latest venture is Brand Builders Group, a personal brand strategy firm for influencers, thought leaders and entrepreneurs.  In this episode of Live & Earn, AJ shares her secrets for ensuring her marriage and her family thrive just like her businesses. We also discuss the challenges entrepreneurs who are women and mothers might encounter as they look for community in the startup world.  What we tackle in this episode:  How to go into business with your spouse Applying certain business principles to managing a family Treating business meetings and date nights with equal importance The key to a happy family The value of time versus money  Narrowing one’s client base and accelerating business growth as a result  How to scale a business quickly Finding community in unexpected places Living beneath your means short term to have guarantee comfort throughout your life Building a business that will grow with future generations  Resources and links mentioned in episode:  https://www.freebrandcall.com/ https://brandbuildersgroup.com/ --- Ready to crush your income goals?  Grab your FREE 1-Page Business Revenue Planner to help you stay on top of your income goals and track your progress throughout the year. Get your copy by visiting  https://helenngo.com/revenueplanner/

Ep 42: What It Takes to Build Multi-Million Dollar Businesses with AJ Vaden

“The sky's the limit when you have your own company.” Alessandra Pollina   Three months into her first job out of college, Alessandra Pollina had an epiphany: She didn’t need to spend her 20s paying her dues in a traditional 9-5. Living in Boston on just $20,000 a year, Alessandra didn’t have much to lose — but had everything to gain — when she walked away from her desk job to make a name for herself in PR. At just 23 years old, Alessandra launched her own company, Pollina PR and Marketing.  Since then, Alessandra’s business has grown into Quotable Media Company, she’s started a family, and she’s diversified her income through investment properties, giving herself the flexibility to enjoy quality time with her son and husband.  In this episode of Live & Earn, Alessandra tells us how she had the discipline to become a successful, young entrepreneur and the courage to become a mom at the same time. We also learn about how she found community with other women and millennial founders.  What we tackle in this episode:  Starting a business right out of college Building a client base from nothing  Becoming an entrepreneur and a parent in the same timeframe Feeling lonely as a young, female entrepreneur  Hustling in your 20s and 30s to achieve financial freedom in your 40s and 50s The role of patience in sustaining an entrepreneurial endeavor  The importance of periodically reflecting on your priorities as a business owner and preferences as an individual  Resources and links mentioned in episode:  https://quotablemediaco.com/ https://www.instagram.com/quotablemediaco/ https://quotablemediaco.com/podcast/ https://quotablemediaco.com/quotable-magazine/

Ep 41: Millennial Entrepreneurship and Motherhood with Alessandra Pollina

“The sweet spot is … just finding goals that are actually meaningful to you, or just finding joy in things that you do and not looking for these magical quick fixes, because there’ll always be a new magical, quick fix.” – Linsey Levy   Linsey Levy is a Certified Health Coach with a no-nonsense approach. Linsey believes in the power of small changes to create healthy habits that last a lifetime. Her science-backed philosophy is a stark contrast with the fad diets magazines and celebrities have pushed on us for decades, and more recently, Instagram influencers who promote obscure supplements to their vast audiences of impressionable women and girls. Linsey herself spent years searching for the “perfect” diet, until she realized it simply doesn’t exist. In this episode of Live & Earn, Linsey explains how she teaches clients to think about health holistically. She also describes the challenges of starting a business and becoming a mom during the Covid-19 pandemic.  What we tackle in this episode:  Becoming a mom and changing careers at the same time Common misconceptions about health coaching How to find accurate information about health and wellness  The financial pitfalls of falling into a multi-level marketing scheme (MLM) Starting a business during the Covid-19 pandemic  Finding a unique voice in the online health space  How to develop healthy habits — and stick to them  Resources and links mentioned in episode:  http://www.linseylevy.com/ https://www.instagram.com/linseylevy/ --- Ready to crush your income goals?  Grab your FREE 1-Page Business Revenue Planner to help you stay on top of your income goals and track your progress throughout the year. Get your copy by visiting  https://helenngo.com/revenueplanner/

Ep 40: How to Ditch Wellness Trends and Create a No-BS Lifestyle with Certified Health Coach Linsey Levy

“Winning a divorce is not about what you financially gain from it. It's about how each of you become financially independent and thrive mentally, and being a healthier human being.” -- Renee Bauer  Divorce attorney, Renée Bauer, isn’t ashamed to admit she’s been divorced twice, but that hasn’t always been the case.  Renée’s second marriage came to an end while she was counseling clients through the very same thing — yet, she felt too embarrassed to tell anyone how well she could relate to the shame and sadness they felt about getting divorced. When Renée finally opened up about her second divorce, her law firm and digital platform became busier than ever before. Renée realized that discussing her personal story in a professional setting wasn’t inappropriate; instead, it has helped her make even more authentic connections with her clients at a time when they need it most.  On this episode of Live & Earn, Renée challenges the myth that divorce is something to be ashamed of. She also stresses the importance of financial independence and the one conversation you can’t afford not to have before getting married.  What we tackle in this episode:  Why you must talk about money with your partner before marriage  The #1 source of conflict in marriages  Why you should discuss a prenup – but don’t necessarily have to have one  How bad finances prolong bad marriages The importance of financial freedom  Overcoming the shame and embarrassment of divorce Resources and links mentioned in episode:  https://www.instagram.com/msreneebauer/ https://renee4c30b8.clickfunnels.com/auto-webinar-registrationtmosnv7p https://course.thedcourse.com/optinmdu2lxlm https://msreneebauer.com/  --- Ready to crush your income goals?  Grab your FREE 1-Page Business Revenue Planner to help you stay on top of your income goals and track your progress throughout the year.   Get your copy by visiting  https://helenngo.com/revenueplanner/

Ep 39: Thriving Personally and Professionally After Divorce with Attorney Renée Bauer

“What you believe matters, but what you do about what you believe matters even more.” Johanna White For most of her life, Johanna White was be paralyzed by fear. Fear of being late. Fear of change. Fear of uncertainty.  Then, when she was 25, Johanna faced a battle most anyone would fear: a brain tumor, and along with it, actual paralysis. She couldn’t move the left side of her body. She couldn’t talk. She couldn’t swallow. The anxiety Johanna had always struggled to suppress only made her symptoms worse, so at that point, she made a decision to be done with fear. In this episode, we hear about how healing her mindset helped resolve Johanna’s symptoms. Johanna also explains how she founded three companies while battling her brain tumor and has continued to scale up her design business, Design by Jo.  What we tackle in this episode:  What it means to live a “full” life  Overcoming extreme anxiety and decision paralysis  Getting a new lease on life at age 25, when doctors discovered a brain tumor Growing from a commodity graphic designer to specializing in brand identity design and custom websites  Misconceptions about graphic design services  Helping clients build a brand that grows their business  Knowing your value, showing your value, and setting your rate to reflect the value you bring your clients --- Ready to crush your income goals?  Grab your FREE 1-Page Business Revenue Planner to help you stay on top of your income goals and track your progress throughout the year. Get your copy by visiting  https://helenngo.com/revenueplanner/

Ep 38: Surviving a Brain Tumor and Thriving as a Business Owner with Johanna White

MONEY. It’s super personal. We’ve all got to have it. But most people would rather do anything than talk about it. Rejecting the prevailing notion that money is a measure of success, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Helen Ngo gets to the heart of women’s financial walks of life by interviewing entrepreneurs, single moms, divorced women, widows, multi-millionaires, and more in this podcast. Listen to their bold stories, learn how they live and earn, and start redefining what it means to make it in life. Made® is modern money guidance for life, and we’re here to promote the economic empowerment of women through education, community, and sheer audacity.

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Live and Earn

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