Nancy Youssef is a finance broker, a mentor, an author, a philanthropist, a keynote speaker … and a powerhouse.

Nancy, the 134th person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, has achieved so much in her career.

She’s built two successful businesses, Classic Finance Group and Classic Mentoring & Coaching. She’s twice been named the broking industry’s Mentor of the Year. She’s written a book, Fear Money Purpose. She was part of a group that raised over US$750,000 to fund business education and microfinance projects in Malawi. 

Why has Nancy been so successful? Partly, because she’s intelligent; mostly, though, because she’s emotionally intelligent.

From the start of her career, Nancy recognised that relationships were the key to building a great business. She became adept at meeting the right people and winning their trust. Today’s networking would generate tomorrow’s sales.

Nancy also did something many entrepreneurs don’t do – while she was diligent in looking after clients before a transaction, she put even more effort into pleasing them after the sale and retaining them as long-term clients. That made clients realise she cared … which helped generate even more business.