Bambi Mischelle Samares

One key to my success has been open communications with my clients. They trust me implicitly, almost more than they should. Many of my clients use me as their number one resource. When they have business questions, they don't hesitate to call, text or email. If I don't know the answer, I'll find it for them. Just having that level of trust and communication with those clients has been the most beneficial and made my company the most successful.

Another key to my success, and the most important, has been my own faith. I dedicated this business to God when I first started, and He has not failed me. Each client I have had has added to my expertise in one way or another. When I first started on this journey, I was a nobody in this given field. My resume is powerful, but powerful in education not accounting. I believe with all my heart that putting my business in His capable hands gave me strength to continue. So my success is due to God.

Just keep trying, keep putting your name out there, and don't give up, because if you give up, obviously you're not going anywhere. Every time, you have the opportunity to talk to somebody about what you do, be excited about it. Definitely don't get discouraged and stay that way. Discouragement is going to come, but find your "Why" and find your inner strength, then keep going.

Another important piece of advice would be to find some time to be good to yourself. If you don't have that time set aside for yourself to rejuvenate, then life can become overwhelming. Sometimes women tend to overwork themselves between the job and the family. Someone once told me that if you don't take care of yourself, how can you take care of others. This seems to be very true.

Balancing home and family life is definitely a challenge. Women carry a large part of the home responsibilities. Being a women starting a business in a new field is also challenging. Due to the nature of my family life - having a profoundly autistic son - I do not have the leisure of attending in-person advertising opportunities. This is not meant as a complaint, it's just the nature of my life. Most entrepreneurs don't have a large start-up budget for advertising, and that is definitely my situation. I have had to rely on word of mouth or people I come in contact with to get my name out there.

Honesty and transparency are the most important values to me. Numbers tell a story about the business. Every expense transaction, every bill, every sales receipt and invoice, every capital purchase all have something to say about the business. If you can read the story accurately, then you can make better business decisions.

The same is true for my personal life. It is so important to be honest and transparent with yourself and with those around you., especially the ones you love. Sometimes that is difficult. We like to hide our weaknesses because in a way we allow those weaknesses to define us. What weaknesses should do is tell you a story about yourself so that you can make better decisions. Decisions that can turn that weakness into a strength. Let your strengths define you, not your weaknesses.