A couple of months ago I joined a Toastmasters club! Not any club, but the renowned Mercury Toastmasters in Berlin. Lucio Buffalmano was at the time the club president.
And let me tell you – I immediately knew I needed to stick around this guy!
Lucio captivated me not only with his stage presence but also with all the thought-provoking content on his popular e-learning platform ThePowerMoves.com and ThePowerMoves Youtube channel.
More precisely, Lucio focuses on a fascinating and unexplored aspect of social skills: Power Dynamics. Soon after, I started seeing power dynamics everywhere – from the workplace to the friends’ circle and even at Mercury!
Lucio opened my eyes to a whole new facet of social interactions, one of which I was oblivious before. I soon realized we had a lot in common, including a passion for entrepreneurship, freedom and, you guessed it… Financial Independence (FI).
Without further ado, Lucio Buffalmano… The floor is yours.
Can you introduce yourself?
Lucio here, social scientist, solopreneur, digital nomad, and writer.
What does financial independence mean to you?
It means the world to me. Not the “financial” part, but the “independence” part.
Financial independence (FI) is true freedom.
You cannot be really free until you are financially independent.
As a social scientist who focuses on power dynamics, FI is also one of the building blocks of personal power.
Financial freedom is power.
It’s the power of doing whatever you want to do, whenever you want, without having to appease anyone or being liked by anyone.
True freedom of speech also requires FI.
Until you are dependent on someone to keep you financially afloat, you are also dependent on that person on what you can do or say.
What would you like to dedicate yourself to when you reach financial independence?
The exact same things I’m doing now.
ThePowerMoves.com is what I call a “values-based business” (VBB).
A values-based business is an extension of who you are. Your business is your values, your “WHY”, your passions and your personal drives.
Being financially independent also allows you to take breaks from what you love doing that produces an income.
You can also do what you love doing that doesn’t produce an income (ie.: travels, adventures, experiences etc.)
What is your financial goal?
I don’t care much about money per se.
And I don’t care much about the things money buys.
But I do love money for the freedom it gives you.
Money to me is the power to do and say as I please.
Money is freedom.
That’s why I don’t throw money around: I take good care of such a crucial source of power.
Money is insurance on freedom: the more money you have saved up, the more it ensures your freedom.
But beyond a certain point, more money will not buy you more freedom.
Above a certain threshold, freedom and personal power are all about mental attitudes.
So since I don’t care much about material things, my “financial goal” is quite easy to reach. In the past I defined it as such:
Work on whatever I want and whenever I want.
Travel whenever I want, experience whatever I like, eat and drink whatever I fancy.
That’s easy to accomplish in terms of money because I’m not attracted to luxury accommodation, expensive restaurants or “owning” stuff (except maybe for nice clothes… My little guilty pleasure :D).
What is your strategy?
Being the best at what I do.
People who get their information on ThePowerMoves.com must be getting the best information available.
That’s my simple strategy.
What motivates you to follow the strategy day in day out? How do you stay on course?
It’s easy: for me it’s not about providing the best information to anyone.
For me, it’s about getting the best information for myself.
I love making sense of people and of the world.
The rest is just sharing it.
Secondly, I don’t even see what else I could do.
What are the obstacles you are struggling with?
The technical side of running an e-learning website was all new stuff for me.
SEO was easier, but Google is terribly finicky.
It’s not just about doing what you like, but also about presenting it in a way that Google will like and rank.
There is not a direct correlation between “quality”, “what ranks” and “what sells”. But the correlation is still strong enough that you can allow yourself to focus mostly on quality – or that’s what I’ve done so far.
What is one thing that I can apply today that will have a positive impact on my finances?
Well, the formula Kate shared is so simple yet so effective:
Spend less than you earn and invest the difference. – Kate App
Before buying or swiping always ask yourself:
Do I really need it?
Where can we find you online and learn more?
**************
Freedom seeker, you liked Lucio Buffalmano’s interview? Go check out all the other interviews from the FI Community series.
**************
Photo credit: Pooja Ghosh and Lucio Buffalmano’s private archive, header made with Canva
