Influential Woman · Accounting
Mariela Rosario
Managing Member, MRF Accounting Services LLC
Kissimme, FL 34746
Her Story
About Mariela
I've been working in accounting for over 11 years, and I started my own firm, Mariela Rosario Accounting Services, about 3 years ago. Throughout my career, I've worked with various CPA firms here in Florida, gaining experience with diverse types of clients across different industries like restaurants, retail stores, lawyers, doctors, and a lot of construction industry too. I've had the opportunity to work with different clients and different scenarios and industries. I started as a staff accountant, then became a senior staff accountant, and then I decided to do something by myself. My main areas of expertise are taxes and financial statements preparation, along with bookkeeping, which are my two favorite things and what I'm very passionate about when I work with my clients. Every day, I answer calls and emails from my clients, provide consultation services for companies that are starting up and need guidance on how to set up their business properly and what the best tax strategy is. I'm literally in tax season all year because I have a lot of clients that I prefer extensions on. I'm very passionate about helping people understand the tax law and guiding them properly. As a Latina woman business owner, it's definitely been a challenge, but I believe in myself and I've done a good job. I'm very ethical, and I like to promote other women to be successful too.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Mariela
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to God first, family second, and definitely my firm, which is like my little baby that I want to grow and help a lot of people and business owners with. Hard work and dedication have been essential. The important thing is believing in yourself, no matter what. Getting to where I'm at has been challenging, but I think I've done a good job, and I could represent women. I am a hard worker, and I am very ethical, and I like to promote other women to be successful too.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My grandfather, rest in peace, was always a strong figure in my life professionally. He was a professor in the university and also a lawyer. I learned a lot from him about how to make good interactions with other people professionally to grow. He always said, 'To be successful, you need to make good relations every day. Every day, good relations with good people, with key people, will make you be successful.' I always appreciated that advice from him.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Honestly, to be prepared. A lot of continued education would be a plus. And a lot of being persistent. In this field, you have to love it and be persistent to be successful.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest opportunity right now is that statistically, there's not enough CPAs in the United States to manage the amount of businesses that need help. So that's my biggest advantage - there's a lot of need for CPAs. The disadvantages include advertising, which has been tough for me because I work from home and I don't have that exposure. All the clients I've gained have been through word-of-mouth referrals, which is a slow process compared to when you have a huge firm and invest in a huge portfolio. Another current disadvantage is the economy - people are very scared with all this stuff that's happening, and the inflation does affect every business in terms of how much I will charge, because clients are trying to hold to every penny when we're in inflation.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Ethics is very important to me. I'm very ethical, and my field needs us to be ethical. Right knowledge and right advice are crucial. Doing the right thing always, I guess, brings you good things. Bad actions bring you bad results, but good actions bring you good things.
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