The Power of the Ask

Dancing Your Way to Financial Freedom: Becoming the CEO and Unlocking The Power of the Pivot with Tricia M. Taitt

• Lisa Zeiderman, Savvy Ladies Board Chair, Managing Partner at Miller Zeiderman LLP, and Precious Williams, Savvy Ladies Board of Directors, CEO/Founder of Perfect Pitch Group • Season 2 • Episode 16

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Financial expert Tricia M. Taitt shares her journey from Wall Street and Broadway to writing the Amazon bestseller Dancing with Numbers and founding FinCore, a financial planning platform for women entrepreneurs. Discover the mindset shifts that define a CEO, why financial literacy is essential for women entrepreneurs, and the most overlooked opportunity for increasing your business profit. Tricia also reveals the two biggest asks that transformed her life, including deferring a six-figure job offer to pursue her passion for dance. 

You’ll hear Tricia discuss: 

  • The CEO Mindset Shift: Why she avoided the CEO title for years, and how she realized the role means building a team, not doing everything herself. 
  • From Layoff to Liberation: The pivotal moment in 2009 that led Tricia to combine her expertise (Wharton, Duke, Wall Street) with her passion for dance to create FinCore. 
  • Unlocking Profit: The single most overlooked profit opportunity Tricia sees across industries. 
  • Tough Love with Honey: How she balances compassion and accountability to help entrepreneurs face their money stories and understand the consequences of inaction. 
  • The Bold Ask: Tricia’s most uncomfortable asks, including the time she asked a major corporation to defer her employment to dance. 

Important Links:

Important Links for Tricia:

  • FinCore Website (https://fincorestrong.com/)
  • Dancing with Numbers (https://a.co/d/7WZIpem)

About Tricia Taitt:

Tricia M. Taitt is the CEO of FinCore and Author of the Amazon best-selling book, "Dancing with Numbers: Grow A Financially Healthy Business and Choreograph the Life You Want".   

She holds an M.B.A from The Fuqua School of Business of Duke University, and a BS in Economics with a Finance concentration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. For over 20 years, she’s been a finance professional. Half of the time was spent working on Wall Street while the other half was spent in the trenches side by side with small business owners.  

As a result of working with FinCore, clients have been able to take control of their numbers and feel more confident in their ability to make decisions, while increasing profits by 10% and building a cash stash to invest in growth. 

Lisa Zeiderman (00:05.931) 

 Hi everyone, welcome to the Power of the Ask podcast, which helps you get what you need financially and personally. We’re so glad you're here today. My name is Lisa Zeiderman. I am managing partner at Miller Zeiderman, and I'm one of the co-hosts with my dear friend, Precious Williams. 

Precious L. Williams (00:38.886) 

 Thank you, Queen Lisa! 

 As you heard, my name is Precious Williams — the Killer Pitch Master and proud founder and CEO of the Perfect Pitch Group. Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back! 

This week, we’re excited to introduce you to Tricia Tate. Before we let our guest jump in, here’s a little flavor about this queen: 

Tricia Tate is the CEO of Fincore and the author of the Amazon bestselling book Dancing with Numbers: Grow a Financially Healthy Business and Choreograph the Life You Want. 

She holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a BS in Economics with a finance concentration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. For over 20 years, she’s been a finance professional — half on Wall Street and half working closely with small business owners. 

As a result of working with Fincore, clients take control of their numbers, make more confident decisions, increase profits by 10%, and build a cash stash to invest in growth. 

Welcome, Tricia, to the Power of the Ask podcast! Before we dive in, tell our audience something they wouldn't know from your bio. 

Tricia M. Tate (02:24.15) 

 Hi everyone. Thank you for having me, Lisa and Precious. A fun fact about me is that I have a passion for dance — I’ve been a professional dancer and even have Broadway credits. That may come up a little later. 

 

ON BECOMING A CEO 

Lisa Zeiderman (02:42.954) 

 Tricia, your background is incredibly impressive — Wharton, Duke, Wall Street, entrepreneurship. What have been the biggest mindset shifts that allowed you to evolve into the CEO you are today? 

Tricia M. Tate (03:05.849) 

 There are a few. First, although everyone assumed that with my background I’d naturally become an entrepreneur, that wasn’t the case. When I was in school, the focus was preparing us for corporate life, not entrepreneurship. 

I built my business on deep financial expertise — corporate finance, valuation, spreadsheet analysis. I believe every CEO should combine expertise with passion, and I’m passionate about financial literacy, especially for women entrepreneurs. 

The biggest shift came when I finally allowed myself to call myself a CEO. For years, I avoided the title because it felt “too big,” like you needed a huge company to claim it. Eventually, I realized that being a CEO meant I needed a team working on my behalf — not doing everything myself. That shift changed everything. 

 

ON PIVOTAL MOMENTS 

Precious L. Williams (06:27.021) 

 On our podcast we love when guests share their pivotal moments — the ones that transform life and business. You spent 20 years between Wall Street and working with small businesses. What was the moment that made you leave corporate finance and found Fincore? And what is Fincore? 

Tricia M. Tate (06:52.066) 

 My pivotal moment? I got laid off. 

In 2009, during the financial recession, many of us in banks and brokerages lost our jobs. Honestly, it was a blessing. For two years, I felt spiritually empty — like I was stuck on a hamster wheel with no way out. 

Two years before that, after grad school, I deferred a year of employment to dance full-time in North Carolina with a master teacher, Baba Chuck Davis. That reawakened my passion for dance and creativity. 

After the layoff, I began teaching financial education courses, and one moment stands out: an older woman — old enough to be my mother — didn’t know how to manage her credit card debt. That shocked me. Something I assumed was basic wasn’t basic at all. It made me realize the need for accessible financial education. 

Then an opportunity came to consult with the Martha Graham Dance Company — combining my finance background with dance. That led directly to Fincore. 

Fincore stands for “financial core,” based on the idea that business owners need to strengthen their financial foundation just like dancers strengthen their core. 

 

ON DANCING WITH NUMBERS 

Lisa Zeiderman (09:51.883) 

 Your book Dancing with Numbers blends finance with choreography. How did your personal experiences shape that approach? And why was the dance metaphor so important? 

Tricia M. Tate (10:27.754) 

 I’ll take this back a step. As a finance person, I wasn’t always good at communicating with my target audience. During the pandemic, I realized I didn’t love my business because it wasn’t expressing everything I wanted to bring into the world. 

I wanted to transform tens of thousands of business owners through financial education and access to capital. Speaking and teaching were natural ways to do that, so I wanted to codify what I teach — hence the book. 

During a deep branding exercise, I defined my brand personality — someone like Debbie Allen or Issa Rae: colorful, energetic, creative. That process inspired the book’s title and tone. 

I want people to have fun with their numbers. I want them to feel the same joy and energy they feel when their favorite song plays. So I used metaphors from dance and pop culture. I even created “The 10 Cash Flow Commandments” as an homage to Biggie Smalls — I’m from Brooklyn! 

Dance mirrors business: 

  • It starts awkward. 
  • You repeat and practice. 
  • It becomes muscle memory. 
  • Then you perform at peak. 

That’s what I want for business owners — confidence, rhythm, and mastery. 

ON PROFIT & MISSED OPPORTUNITIES 

Precious L. Williams (14:07.885) 

 You help clients increase profits by 10% and build cash reserves. What’s the most overlooked profit opportunity you see across industries? 

Tricia M. Tate (14:45.122) 

 Most business owners focus on top-line revenue, but that’s not enough. Big profits come from incremental improvements. 

If you’re in events or entertainment, each project needs to be profitable. If you're in e-commerce, each SKU needs to be profitable. 

Most people only look at the bottom line and start cutting payroll or rent — things they actually need to operate. The real place to focus is direct costs. Every product or service needs to generate profit on its own. 

 

ON FINANCIAL FEAR & SHAME 

Lisa Zeiderman (16:29.802) 

 Many entrepreneurs feel intimidated or ashamed about their perceived lack of financial literacy. How do you help them move from fear to empowerment? 

Tricia M. Tate (16:59.33) 

 First, read the first three chapters of the book! 

But seriously — numbers are emotional. I’ve strengthened my emotional intelligence because people often feel that “bad numbers” mean they are bad. 

I once asked a woman during a workshop, “When was the first time in your life you saw money ebb and flow?” She traced it back to childhood instability. She realized she had carried that fear into her business without knowing it. 

Our money stories are often formed by age seven. Awareness is transformational. When you understand where your beliefs come from, you gain power. 

 

ON COMPASSION & TOUGH LOVE 

Precious L. Williams (24:01.327) 

 How do you balance tough love with compassion, especially when entrepreneurs’ identities are so tied to their businesses? 

Tricia M. Tate (24:33.754) 

 I grew up with strong Caribbean women — tough love with honey! 

Most clients have been in business 5–15 years without a CFO, so sometimes I push them. My job isn’t to say no — it’s to make sure they’re not charging up a hill without knowing there’s a cannon at the top. 

Some clients need to feel consequences before they change. And I’m there for them — without “I told you so.” 

 

BIGGEST, BOLDEST ASK 

Lisa Zeiderman (26:33.47) 

 This show is Power of the Ask. Tricia, what’s the biggest, boldest, or most uncomfortable ask you’ve ever made? 

Tricia M. Tate (26:53.538) 

 Two big ones — both tied to dance. 

First: In 2006, after business school, I already had a six-figure offer at Citigroup. But my spirit wasn’t happy. I needed to dance again. I auditioned — secretly — got the job, cut off my perm, went natural, and asked Citigroup to defer my employment for a year. That year changed everything. 

Second: I gave myself five years to make Broadway or work with Beyoncé. I auditioned nonstop and finally booked the musical Fela! in 2012, earned my Actors Equity card, and toured. 

Third — today’s ask: 

 Oprah, if you’re listening, I need to be on your next tour to talk about financial management! 

 

RAPID FIRE 

Lisa: Finance myth you wish would disappear? 

 Tricia: Not disappear — but elevate. People say “cash is king,” but cash is actually the whole royal flush. 

Precious: Best money advice you ever received? 

 Tricia: My grandmother: “For every dollar you make, save 60 cents and use 40.” 

Lisa: European vacation or Caribbean? 

 Tricia: A mix! I’m Caribbean, but I love exploring new foods and places. 

Precious: Song that instantly gets you dancing? 

 Tricia: Wanna Be Startin' Somethin’ — “Mama-say mama-sah ma-ma-coo-sah!” 

Lisa: Dinner with any figure? 

 Tricia: Maya Angelou and Oprah Winfrey. 

 

WHY THE POWER OF THE ASK MATTERS 

Precious: Why is the Power of the Ask so crucial for women, especially financially? 

Tricia M. Tate: 

 We are often the source of wealth generation and legacy building in our families. Yet less than 2% of women-owned businesses reach $1 million in revenue. One major reason: financial literacy and empowerment gaps. 

Any platform that equips women to ask boldly, understand their money, build confidence, and grow wealth is essential. I’m committed to that mission — and I’m honored to be part of this conversation. 

 

Precious L. Williams (34:58.465) 

 Didn't I tell you the guests on the Power of the Ask podcast just keep getting better? Tricia, you sparked powerful money conversations today. Families, friends, business circles — we hope you're talking about this! 

If you enjoyed this episode, watch, subscribe, comment, and tell a friend to tell a friend about the Savvy Ladies Power of the Ask podcast. 

Queen Lisa, as always, an honor. And Queen Tricia — thank you for showing us how to dance with numbers and dance our way to the top. 

Lisa Zeiderman (36:00.662) 

 Thank you, Tricia. Thank you, Precious. Bye, everyone. 

Tricia M. Tate (36:01.036) 

 Thank you! Jazz hands.