At the age of 15 years old, Candy Nelson had already gotten the entrepreneur bug. And it was all spurred by a 3 a.m. infomercial for some tapes (which she purchased) by Tony Robbins. Upon listening to the tapes, the longing in her soul was answered and she vowed to set goals and complete them.

As the child of teenage parents, Candy’s excitement wasn’t readily reciprocated, but she persisted nonetheless. With the help of her father and a small business loan, by the age of 19, she started her first business. And while it took a few years to see the rewards of it, it is now a raging success. So much so that she was able to hand over the operations and focus on the creation and operation of the nonprofit organization Animal Friends Sanctuary.

Through this organization, Candy is able to donate her time as the CEO and focus on causes that are near and dear to her heart – animal and at-risk kids. Her story (there is so much more to it) is so inspiring as it shows such a shining example of how wealth can do amazing things and make a massive impact on this world.

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Question Highlights:

• What was it intrinsically inside of you that made you so different as a 15-year-old that you got an idea and followed through on it?

• How did Tony Robbin’s tapes turn you into a budding business woman?

• How scary was it to start a first-of-its-kind business in your area?

• Did your first business take off right away?

• What is one of your biggest growing pains and how did you navigate through it?

• When did you decide to walk away from the operations side of your first business?

• How did the 15-year-old you view money and how do you view it now?

Candy’s Thoughts…

“We are not the product of our circumstances.”

“It was a vision – it was something I could see, feel and walk into and that was it. And I reverse-engineered from there.”

“When you do what’s right, things seem to work out.”

“Some people are so fearful looking 10 years ahead that they never start.”

“You’ve got to start and redirect as you go.”

“You never know if you can accomplish or contribute unless you start.”

“Does this decision take me closer to or further away from my mission and life’s purpose?”

“Money is going to just amplify who you already are.”

“The pursuit of money isn’t evil if you have good intentions.”

“Sometimes we have to go through the struggle to realized what our gifts are.”

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At just 19, Candy started her first business just out of high school. A serial entrepreneur for nearly two decades, she has built a successful service-based business, developed a nationwide product-based company and invested in real estate investing since the age of 25.
She started a non-profit organization at the age of 26. Candy has donated over 25,000 hours to that charity as a Volunteer CEO and has raised over three million dollars in the last 10 years. She is actively engaged in saving thousands of animals’ lives and bringing hope and healing to abused children.
She is passionate about encouraging others to stand up and speak out against abuse and cruelty and is committed to inspiring others to live a kinder, most compassionate life.