Romain Faure had made it. By the age of 30, the French Immigrant was living the American dream–an Ivy League MBA, a dream job as a negotiator for Prime Video at Amazon, and all the trappings of a man on the up and up.
“The salary was amazing at 30 years old; it was nice,” Romain says. “But somehow, everything just felt empty. I had the wife, the dog, the house, the boat, the cars, and it just didn't feel right.”
Despite his success, Romain longed for what drives so many entrepreneurs–independence. Trapped in the machinery of a large corporation, he felt stifled and ready for the next thing. So Romain did what so many are terrified to do–he dared to sacrifice what many saw as success for a chance at personal fulfillment. After a period of self-assessment, he decided to channel his comfort in front of audiences with his passion for helping others–he quit the six-figure dream job and launched a media company, Romain Media LLC. With a podcast and YouTube channel, Finance Action, Romain is spreading the gospel of financial literacy to those who need it most.
A Platform for Financial Change
The channel focuses on helping those in dire financial straits–a quick scroll through his list of more than 100 long-form videos reveals stories of financial failure, emergencies without the benefit of an emergency fund, and actionable financial advice that most modern Americans need. He approaches every guest with empathy and understanding. Most episodes center around a single individual’s story, and Romain is proud that he can help most of the people that he interviews on the channel.
“We have a 92% success rate on people that come to the show,” Romain explains. “It's generally critical situations, and I try to understand their story and where they come from. Instead of just providing recommendations based on numbers, I give a recommendation based on the individual. And so this philosophy has led us to be pretty successful.”
With just over a year in business, Romain and Finance Action have already crossed the 5 million views threshold as the channel gains steam. His ardent fanbase is also vocal–his videos regularly net hundreds of comments, with nearly 98% of them positive. He says this instant feedback is a welcome change from the corporate world.
“When I was at Amazon, you would generally get an assessment of your performance every quarter or so,” Romain says. “With YouTube, every video is a chance to get feedback from people through the comments. Every week, I read hundreds of comments, and they give me the positive affirmation that I’m doing something right. I’m helping people save their finances.”
Diversifying and Building
Of course, YouTube is only part of Romain’s budding business empire. The voracious entrepreneur has several other ventures. Frenchy Collective, a line of handcrafted jewelry made in the south of France, features the iconic French franc. The bracelets and necklaces are available in boutique shops and online.
The jewelry line spawned yet another business, Desert Wood Panel. Romain and his wife, Shae, co-founder of the Frenchy Collective, opened a brick-and-mortar storefront for the jewelry business but found it unsustainable. While building out the retail area, Romain purchased 44 wood panels from a supplier in China, even though the project only called for 22.
After selling the excess on Facebook Marketplace at a profit, Romain ordered more panels, sparking a successful reselling business. Although the jewelry shop proved much more successful online, Desert Wood Panel was born. Since its inception, he has sold over 5,000 wood panels at 50% margins higher than 50%. He has also expanded to marble panels.
With a successful Airstream Airbnb in Arizona and a luxury car accessory product in the works, Romain may be juggling, but he’s finding the freedom he dreamed about.
A Solid Structure and Room to Grow
Romain may be willing to experiment with business ventures, but his business formation strategy is deliberate. When it was time to set up legal entities, he turned to LLC Attorney for help.
Since he has several different business entities, he knew he needed a business structure that allowed him to move money from one business to another. He started with a revocable living trust recorded through LLC Attorney. From there, he created a holding company registered in Wyoming, with operating companies registered in their respective states.
“The idea was for me to layer my business for asset protection, as well as a better organization of my finances,” says Romain. “All my operating financials flow through my holden and report directly against my trust. That makes it very easy for me to flow money effectively between businesses.”
Romain found LLC Attorney after listening to a financial podcast. He says LLC Attorney offered precisely what he was looking for: all of his essential documents in one place, with customer support available whenever needed.
“LLC Attorney helps me get all my documents registered the right way and at the right time, all in one place,” Romain says. “Communication was very fluid, and they were always ahead of the game. Their UI is very easy to use, and the pricing is fair.”
Since Romain plans to convert the media company to an S-corporation, he inquired about the possibility before signing up. The customer support was quick and qualified. All in all, establishing Romain’s complicated linear business structure took only four days.
A New Flavor of Success
Although he has taken a significant pay cut since leaving Amazon, Romain says he feels more accomplished than ever.
“It seems like a dream in some aspects, such a great amount of freedom. I don't count the days where I put in 10, 12, or 13 hours sometimes because it feels much more fulfilling than working for someone,” Romain muses. “Despite my responsibilities at Amazon, I still felt like a number.”
Romain is living his new American Dream and is not waking up.
Are you ready to make your dream a reality? Let’s discuss your business formation options on a free call.
