Hi, I’m Sylvia Inks. I help small business owners like you become confident by learning the business and financial skills to succeed in business, allowing you to spend more time and money on your family (and yourself).

You’re In the Right Place If This Sounds Familiar… 

• “I’m GREAT at what I do, but I’m just not good with numbers.”
• “I feel like I’m flying blind and making things up as I go along.”
• “I’m afraid of doing anything wrong, so I end up doing nothing.”
• “I don’t know where the money’s going – there’s never any money at the end of the month?!?”
• “I didn’t have time to get everything together, so I filed an extension.”
• “I can’t wait until I make enough money so I can hire someone else to do the bookkeeping.”
• “I want to invest in my business, but I just can’t afford it.”
• “I feel guilty missing another family event, but I just have too much to do.”
• “I need to make this business work. There is no other option.”

My Story:

Growing up, my family ALWAYS talked about money. We talked about it at the dinner table, in the car, at the mall…anywhere my parents felt they could share a good money lesson.  They told us to always have money for a rainy day, to never have debt, and to save at least 15% of our paycheck towards a 401K.  The best gift that my parents ever gave me was paying for my college education – I started my adult life with no debt.

Six years into my career as a business and technology consultant for corporations, I met my now-husband on one of my projects. He came from a family who NEVER talked about money.  It was considered taboo and rude to discuss finances.  He went to college on a football scholarship, but a severe knee injury ended his football career and scholarship.  While his parents could’ve helped him, he insisted on paying for his own education. He ended up working several jobs and doing co-ops, but still graduated with student loans and credit card debt. When we realized our relationship was the real deal, trying to have money discussions with him often ended up in fights.

Plain and simple: we were complete opposites when it came to dealing with money.

We’d both been promoted several times and had great jobs with great pay. I didn’t understand how discussing money and wanting to eliminate debt could bring on such anger, frustration, and stress.  I thought people only avoided talking about money if they didn’t have the ability to earn it…which I knew didn’t apply to us.

Fast forward a couple of years – after studying and trying different resources, we created a system that worked for us. It wasn’t long until we were able to talk about finances without getting into a fight. Working together to pay off the debt and build an emergency fund allowed me to leave my 10-year consulting career to pursue other passions.

While exploring what I wanted to do “when I grew up,” the feedback that I got from friends and colleagues was very consistent.  They said that I was great with numbers, had a knack for organizing chaos, and was always very thorough in my research.  Many said that they come to me with questions – trusting that I did my due diligence – and saved hours by not needing to research the answers on their own.  Over time, I was giving advice to people within my network who were looking to make financial and career changes…Ultimately, SMI Financial Coaching was born.

My passion is working with small business owners like you, who are GREAT at what you do, but need help in learning the business and financial skills to create and maintain a profitable business.

WHY I DO IT:

Simply put – having a great product does not guarantee success. Managing your money well? Now, that can really improve your chances.

STATISTIC – The Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics has found that only two-third of businesses survive at least 2 years, and only 50% of small businesses survive the five-year mark.  Shocking, isn’t it?

I want you to have the best chance possible to succeed – and that means hiring someone you can trust who can help you avoid the pitfalls and hazards waiting to stop you on your way to success.

Through my Busy Entrepreneur Program, my clients have gained the confidence and the knowledge needed to steer their businesses in the right direction.

Consider me your step-by-step guide to learning the business and financial skills you need to be a successful entrepreneur – so you have the money and time to what you want and when you want to do it.

If you’re ready to get started, schedule a complimentary consultation.

SUCCESS IS A GAME. PLAY TO WIN.

So do the professional services consulting and individual coaching/consulting worlds have anything in common? Yes! You may be thinking, “But I’m not a Fortune 500 firm with billions in assets; I’m not sure if Sylvia’s coaching would be right for me.” The truth is that there is very little difference between the best approach to working through problems and optimizing outcomes within giant corporations – and working through problems and optimizing outcomes with individuals, families, and small businesses. The framework for assessing needs and affecting change is the same.

I’ve developed an easy-to-remember, and easy-to-implement framework that’s worked well to shape the coaching process for financial coaching, career management, and business consulting engagements; I call it GAME: GATHER, ASSESS, MOTIVATE, EXECUTE . I’ve found that every successfully completed engagement has consisted of an information gathering phase, a needs assessment and planning phase, a skills building and motivational phase, and an execution and evaluation phase. It’s worked for many who came before you, and if you commit to and invest in the process, it can work for you, too.