SoFi Blog

If you’re a doctor, dentist, or lawyer nearing the end of your training, give yourself a pat on the back. Getting to this point hasn’t been easy—financially or personally. But you’re eager and ready to put all you’ve learned to task! After spending years answering to your professors, mentors, partners or attending physicians, you might even be thinking of starting your own practice.

Yet, while becoming your own boss can be pretty appealing, it can also be terrifying. Medical, dental, and law students often graduate with heavy student debt loads, but little practical training on how to start a practice. But that doesn’t mean that building the private practice of your dreams is impossible.

For SoFi’s latest member spotlight, we sit down with JJ Owen, Director of Development for the Movember Foundation, to discuss mental health, finances and, of course, moustaches. We learn about JJ’s college days playing baseball, getting his MBA and how refinancing student loans became his first major financial decision, enabling him to take better control of the present to plan for his family’s future. 

Name: Elien Blue Becque

Age: 30

Location: New York, New York

Business: RoomZoom

Business Goal: To help young urbanites find roommates they’ll love sharing space with

Alma mater: Graduated in 2008 with a degree in International Relations with a minor in English from Tufts

Student loan debt: $85,000

SoFi Solution: Student loan refinancing

Entrepreneur member since: 2016

Elien Blue Becque is the founder of RoomZoom, a platform that does for co-living what OkCupid and Tinder do for dating. RoomZoom asks members questions about their lifestyle, personal habits, and general conduct, and grinds those answers through an algorithmic scoring system. The scores are then used to pair up compatible people who will make awesome roommates.

A company’s success is partially driven by how well it anticipates the future. But even a top HR manager clinging to a Magic 8 Ball can’t foresee the next hot job trend. One thing is clear, though: as a generation of baby boomers readies to retire in the next 10 to 15 years, companies must not wait to attract top candidates who will grow into tomorrow’s top leaders.

Unique talent acquisition techniques are key for recruiting today’s sharpest millennial minds. While we don’t know what will entice job seekers in 2025, we do know that today they’re greatly focused on benefits packages.

SnappyScreen is a touchless sunscreen application system. You select your protection level (SPF) and height, step into a booth, and SnappyScreen applies a head-to-toe protective coating in about 10 seconds. The sunscreen is oxybenzone-free, paraben-free, alcohol-free and does not damage your bathing suit. It’s a slick and sought after product—one that can now be found at 4- and 5-star hotels across the U.S., in locations such as Florida, Hawaii, and California, and in such exotic locales as Aruba. Before the final launch, entrepreneurial sisters Kristen McClellan (founder and CEO) and Katelyn McClellan (COO) built several prototypes to refine the product and make the experience smooth and easy.