Ann Marie Erie
Business Services Broker
Growing up in a small business family, I saw how much time, effort, and coordination is needed to keep a company afloat. When a long-time and trusted employee stole the accounts receivables, I saw my father work tirelessly to keep the company from going under. There was no one knowledgeable that could offer guidance and resources to help or to even have prevented such theft, and my family business isn’t the only entity to experience this.
About Me
Why I Do What I Do
When I left the banking world and started focusing on business accounting, it was no surprise that one-third of the businesses I spoke with had endured this very same hardship. Also, many businesses were paying too much for other services such as their merchant services, payroll, website and other “back-office” necessities.
Profitability is critical to business success and finding my clients resources that were reliable, affordable, appropriate, and critical to their success became my mission. As I see it, the more profitable and successful I can make my clients then it would naturally follow that they would see my services as a valuable and integral part of their growth. Plus, it makes me feel good to help people achieve their dreams.
What Got Me Started
Many responsibilities pull at a business owner’s limited time: sales, payroll, marketing, employee management, employee benefits management and legalities, bookkeeping, financial planning, tax strategies, risk management, sales tax reporting, payment processes and point of sale systems, invoicing, and more which varies depending on the industry. This is why the majority of business owners feel like they are working to “put out one fire after another”; there just isn’t enough time in the day or week for one person, or even two, to properly do it all.
My mission is to work with business owners to free up their valuable time from hours spent on “back-office” tasks which are necessary but not profitable. By meeting their back-office need with affordable and legitimate services I can provide peace of mind and free up the owner’s time to pursue the tasks that are directly related to making money.
As a business services broker, I can help a business where their needs are the greatest. When I worked in business accounting, it was difficult to only focus on bookkeeping when it was clear that there were other matters that needed to be addressed, such as astronomical merchant services fees or marketing/advertising that generated no return on investment. I couldn’t walk away and do nothing about the financial drain of misplaced funds that couldn’t be recuperated.
My Hopes
My wish is to be such a valuable resource to businesses. I want clients to come to me from raving fans’ word of mouth and for the phone rings at least 3-5 times a day with requests for assistance. Personally, I want to get even deeper into the products I offer so that I speak with equal authority on all of them. I want enough residual income so that I do not have any personal or professional needs that aren’t met and so that I can afford to take on adventures/endeavors and not feel financial strain. I want to work because I love it, unlike now which is I work because I love it and I have to. I want to be known for my wisdom and ability to increase profitability. I want to do good on this Earth.