Striking a balance between family and finances is a dilemma faced in many households around the world. For full time entrepreneur and mother of two, Cassandra Dos Santos, the need to work to pay the bills should never overshadow the opportunities to watch her kids grow up. Today, she has built her business catered towards empowering men and women to take control back over their time and finances - giving us the freedom to spend that extra hour playing with the kids or doing what we love, and utilizing our time as we see fit. Here’s how Cassandra quit exchanging her time for money at her 9-5, and started making her own rules where having money AND time is more than possible.

Born and raised in Toronto, Cassandra went through various employments in her adolescence. Upon marking her sixth year working at a Canadian bank, and witnessing the evolution and growth of new entrepreneurial ventures via social media, Cassandra knew it was time to find her niche in this growing market. After doing her due diligence, Cassandra decided to become the one stop shop for everything on trend in the beauty world: laser hair removal, teeth whitening, micro-needling facials, and more. Piggybacking off her previous experience as a professional hair artist, Cassandra did further courses to master these new trades, marking the beginning of her first business called The Beauty Spot Corp.

While building her beauty business Cassandra continued to balance her time between her family and her job at the bank. In February of 2020, the beginning of the global pandemic was also the beginning of a new entrepreneurial venture for Cassandra.

“When the pandemic started, I was pulled into my manager's office and told that my job was eliminated. They gave me a month to decide if I wanted to take a downgraded position, but I decided to leave and pursue my beauty business full force because I was never able to experience that while working full time. Around that time one of my friends also introduced me to a movement in network marketing that allows men and women all over the world to take ownership of their life and career while working from home. So I took that opportunity and made the best of it,” says Cassandra. 

To date, Cassandra has built a thriving business through WFABB (Work From Anywhere Boss Builders) focused on helping others to secure themselves financially, creating an additional source of income that can be earned from home. Cassandra says this opportunity is extremely valuable during a time where job insecurity is on the rise and digital entrepreneurship and new channels of income generation continue to emerge and flourish. 

When discussing the objective behind her businesses and the brand she has created for herself, Cassandra says:

‘I'm all about self-love. While I was working at the bank, I had benefits but never made use of them - we’re so busy that we don't actually stop to take care of ourselves and our mental health and mindset. It's even harder to make that time when you have a 9-5 job and a family that you want to spend your time with. Through my business, we’ve been able to help individuals gain that time freedom to really begin placing more focus on ourselves in a positive way, instead of our jobs.”

Becoming a single mom at the age of 19, Cassandra is all too familiar with the difficulties of balancing time between watching your kids grow up and paying the bills. Her desire to be a role model to her daughters and create a bright future for her family was a big part of her motivation behind making the change from corporate climbing to entrepreneurship. In her business, Cassandra prioritizes helping other families gain financial stability to comfortably allocate more time to the things that matter. 

“We’re helping people create another source of income while still enjoying life. So you can cuddle an extra hour with your children because you don't need to rush out of the house. I remember my kids wanting me to go on a school trip and me saying mommy has to go to work. That was always my thing, saying mommy has to go to work and I hated that because we have to pay our bills but we still want to be able to be there for every milestone of our children’s lives. This definitely is a way for mothers and fathers to be able to give their children their full attention while still making an income,” says Cassandra. 

Coming close to losing a loved one in 2017 is what really made Cassandra realize the fragility of life and the importance of cherishing the time we have by utilizing it in ways that will make us feel the most fulfilled. Anyone can reach out directly to Cassandra on her instagram page @cassandraasantoss to know about her and her businesses.

When discussing the turning point that pushed her towards her newfound lifestyle of abundance, Cassandra says:

“My life did a 360 when one of my parents was almost taken from me. It was that day that I saw things very differently and understood that you're here on earth now, but within seconds you can be gone. Now, I'm the type of person that doesn’t want to live paycheck to paycheck. I don’t want to be stressed about bills without enough time to spend with the people that I love because I’m too busy working. I’m so grateful for the fact that I can do work while sitting on the couch with my family. Today, if I want to go for coffee with a friend, I'm going to do that, or do anything that I want to do, because life is so precious and we take it for granted.”

As Cassandra’s businesses continue to flourish, her best advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to keep your mindset on your goal and remind yourself that not everyone will see your vision - only you can make it a reality. Cassandra continues to remain focused on bringing to the world the opportunity to design their own lifestyle while never having to make the choice between family and finances because they now have the freedom to enjoy both.