Meet the Team
Hi, I'm Silvia Guardado (She/Her)
I’m a bookkeeper and coach who works with passionate and resilient women and POC professional service providers who feel overwhelmed by their business or personal finances. I help them gain confidence in their financial decision-making and reach their goals by getting their books in order and creating a path toward building wealth.
It's really nice to meet you.
You might be struggling with your business or you have received a letter from the IRS. You have not paid yourself a decent salary in a long time and now you are behind in your taxes. You know your business has a potential for growth, but you have no idea what the next step is. You have worked with an accountant in the past, but they did not even respond to your calls and or messages. You need guidance, but you don’t know who to turn to.
I understand what you’re going through because I’ve been there too.
My husband and I opened a manufacturing business several years ago. During that venture, we often only paid ourselves if we had leftover funds. We sometimes had to choose between meeting our payroll commitment or paying our mortgage. We finally gave up because we ran out of cash.
We felt like failures, feeling as though we made money, but were never sure where the money went.
A few years later, in my early 40s, having raised 5 children, I realized that I wanted to enter the workforce again and that all my skills were related to being a homemaker and raising a family. While the manufacturing business provided me with significant experience, I didn’t feel I was prepared to go into business for myself again.
At that time, a friend of mine told me that the CPA firm where she worked was hiring a part-time receptionist. I was so eager that I immediately applied for the position and was hired for the job. I liked the job environment so much that I decided to start taking classes related to accounting just to see what accounting was all about.
One class led to another and a few years later, I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting.
This might not seem like a lot for some people, but the fact that I arrived in this country as an immigrant from El Salvador in the 1980s with practically nothing, thinking that I was destined to work in low-paid jobs, it means a lot to me that I was able to achieve a formal education in the U.S.
I had to fight with what I thought were limitations.
My age, my accent, the color of my skin, and my origin, but with hard work and a lot of support, I gained the skills necessary to embark on my new career as an accountant.
After graduating from college, I thought it would be easy for a mature recent graduate to find a job at another accounting firm. Instead, I struggled to get hired and when I finally did, I found myself in an environment that was not supportive or compassionate.
Two weeks into my new job, on the day before Christmas, I quit.
I spent the holidays depressed and crying myself to sleep. I felt like a failure again. I wallowed in my misery for a whole week, wondering “what am I going to do?”
New year, new opportunities on the horizon.
With the new year came new resolutions and a great idea: I will start my own accounting firm. I realized I didn’t need to depend on others to build my income.
While the thought of failing again terrorized me, I knew that I could build my dreams by being of service to others in a way that aligned with my values by listening to my clients and standing out with excellent customer service. Equipped with the skills I gained and a whole lot of personal experience, I went for it!
Fast forward to today.
I have built a successful accounting practice that has seen consistent growth and has provided me with great fulfillment as I compassionately serve my clients. Through all of my experiences, I am able to empathically understand the entrepreneur’s journey and support them with sound financial advice on their path toward profitability.
I would love the opportunity to hear from you.
I’d like to help you unscramble the ins and outs of having a financially healthy business. Check out the Work With Me page or send me an email at silvia@smgbusinessservices.com.
Fun Facts About Me:
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My first experience as an entrepreneur was at the age of 5, selling snacks outside our home to moviegoers passing by
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I am the happy mother of 5 beautiful young adults
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I have been married for 39 years
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I was born and raised in El Salvador
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I traveled by bus during 6 days 7 nights to arrive in the United States at the age of 17
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I graduated from college at the age of 49
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I love nature, specifically the ocean/beach
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I like to cook to de-stress
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I love to read, walk and meditate
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I like watching movies (not series) and find the hidden messages
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