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Ten years ago, Kelan<\/a> and Brittany Kline<\/a> faced a problem. The then-newlyweds were working jobs that left them with little time together and juggling about $40,000 in student loan debt<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Their situation was hardly unusual: Americans ages 25 to 34 carry an average student loan balance of about $33,271, according to Federal Reserve data cited by CNBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Klines met in high school<\/a> in Rochester, New York, and began dating in ninth grade. Since those early days, they found jobs that yielded reliable paychecks: Kelan worked as a jail deputy and Brittany as an elementary school teacher. However, neither of them felt that they had much control over their money or their schedules.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe were working opposite shifts,\u201d Kelan recently told Business Insider<\/a>. \u201cWe never got to see each other.\u201d<\/p>\n One evening, the couple decided to confront the pressure head-on over dinner. \u201cWe sat down and said, \u2018This is not working,\u2019\u201d Kelan told Business Insider. \u201cWe kind of just had this brainstorm of, \u2018What\u2019s working? What\u2019s not working? Where are our finances at?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n That conversation became a turning point. The Klines started a personal finance blog, The Savvy Couple<\/a>, in 2016. It later grew into a seven-figure online business<\/a> and eventually gave both of them the option to leave their jobs.<\/p>\n The couple told Business Insider that their household net worth, including the estimated value of their businesses, investments and primary home, topped $1 million<\/a> in 2020.\u00a0<\/p>\n For the Klines, financial independence<\/a> did not start with investing more or cutting every expense. It started with defining what they wanted their lives to look like<\/a> and creating a plan to make it happen.<\/p>\n If we could wave a magic wand, what would our ideal lifestyle look like? <\/em>Kelan asked at the time. When they tried to articulate their \u201cideal lifestyle,\u201d they found that they both wanted more time together and flexibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI was after time freedom,\u201d Kelan said. \u201cI was so sick and tired of someone else telling me when to come to work, forced overtime and denying my vacation.\u201d<\/p>\n Brittany added that \u201cgetting on the same page is what made us successful.\u201d<\/p>\n The couple brainstormed<\/a> how to get more time freedom. They settled on a website. \u201cWith an online business, it\u2019s unlimited scalability because you\u2019re reaching the entire world,\u201d Kelan said.<\/p>\n The couple ultimately chose to start a personal finance blog<\/a>, drawing on their existing interests and experience. Brittany had long been focused on budgeting<\/a> and saving<\/a>, while Kelan had tried side hustles<\/a>, including buying and reselling products on eBay.<\/p>\n The business did not take off immediately. It took nearly a year<\/a> for the blog to generate any revenue at all, and even then, earnings for the first year totaled just $50.<\/p>\n Since then, their revenue hit $1.3 million in 2023 and $1.1 million in 2024, per Business Insider.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kelan\u2019s advice for future entrepreneurs<\/a> is that they should start their businesses before they feel ready. \u201cThe action-takers are money-makers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Ten years ago, Kelan<\/a> and Brittany Kline<\/a> faced a problem. The then-newlyweds were working jobs that left them with little time together and juggling about $40,000 in student loan debt<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Their situation was hardly unusual: Americans ages 25 to 34 carry an average student loan balance of about $33,271, according to Federal Reserve data cited by CNBC<\/a>.<\/p>\nHow they did it<\/h2>\n
Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n
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