minutes. After that, her workday is started. “I don’t allow walk-ins because, I want to spend enough one-on-one time with each of my clients. I take each case very serious, and I want to provide the best help I can.” During the height of tax season, Edwards stated that she could be in the office for 10 to 12 hours working on taxes. The last day of tax season is usually about a 15-hour workday. they look away or look unsure in the eyes, I can tell they aren’t right for the job.” She urges any college student that aspires to become an entrepreneur to start by finding someone they admire. “Shadow them, do paid/unpaid internships, and let them mentor you,” she advised. “You have to be all in with your business, no one is going to love it like you do,” Edwards added. “You can’t expect others to do all the heavy lifting and you collect all the riches.” Every October, Edwards takes classes to prepare her for the next upcoming tax season. With all those long hours and hard weekend work, she says it’s just the love of doing taxes that motivates her to keep going, even through the rough days. Edwards enjoys the mystery of not knowing what she’s going to get out of a client. “I explain to my clients that I’m here to serve them the best I can legally; I’m not here to manipulate them.” Edwards said that she doesn’t have a fear of failure, because she knows what she’s doing. “I study and research on all new things, to stay up to date.” If there is ever something that she does not know how to do, Edwards said she’s very honest with her clients with telling them. No one knows it all, and she admits that she’s still learning. “I come from a long line of entrepreneurs,” Edwards said, “but I always feared not having benefits.” Also, she stated with becoming an entrepreneur, money doesn’t come in fast or easy, so it would be a mistake for anyone to go into business thinking that it’s simple to work for themselves. “Putting God first is the definition of success,” Edwards said. “Start, end and keep your day with Him, and ask Him to guide your journey.” She added, “Listen to what God is trying to tell you; always ask yourself, ‘What would Jesus do?’” Edwards said she runs her business strictly on the way God would do it, fair and with love. The main goal of her company is to provide the best tax service she can to each and every client. She wants all her clients to feel free to come back, and continue to work with her. “Stick to it” is the best quality an entrepreneur can have in Edwards’ opinion. When it came to opening her business, trying to find a safe and clean environment was one of the major challenges Edwards had to face when first starting her entrepreneurship. If she had to do it all over again, she said that she would change some things in the beginning process. For instance, Edwards would have created a website first and hired employees upfront. “Starting out, I was doing up to 105 returns on my own,” she revealed. “And with no help, I overworked myself like never before.” From that point on, Edwards got some great help. When picking good employees, it’s the eyes for Edwards. “I start by asking simple questions, and if “If you’re a person that gives up easily and can’t accept failure, this isn’t the business for you,” she stated. When it comes to building a good customer base, word of mouth is the best for Edwards. She says if you do a good job, you will have no problem. And as far as that negative comment about being too old to start something new goes, Edwards’ advice is simply, “Don’t listen.” She went on to say, “As long you have breath in your body, your mind is clear and sharp and you have the will to do it, go do it. Life is for the living,” Edwards added. “Get busy living, or get busy dying; it’s all your choice.” 8 www.hhjonline.com
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