The Story of Novii CPA

Victoria Thayer came from a working class family in Venezuela. Raised by a single mother and her aunt, both of whom were maids, Victoria got her big chance when she was offered a college scholarship in the U.S.

She had never been to the States before, and spoke little English. Classes were so difficult that she recorded them and listened to them again later, frequently stopping and starting the recording, trying to understand.

Her hard work paid off, and she landed a job with an accounting firm. Although successful, she knew eventually she wanted to start her own firm — one that would spend more time nuturing individual client relationships.

She started Novii CPA in 2023. Victoria shares her journey and some of the many challenges she’s faced.

Her story is an inspiring immigrant success story: if you are brave enough to come to a new country to learn a whole new language and culture, then anything is possible. And starting a business on your own really isn’t that daunting!

First Light Health: Too Much to Do, Not Enough Time!

Balancing life with our business is one of the fundamental challenges of any founder. There is always too much to do, and never enough time! And women business owners often find it especially challenging to balance everything.

Jenna Piche, creator of First Light Health, joins The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show to share some of the ways we can become more mindful about the tradeoffs so that we can truly create both a business and a life we are happy with.

First Light Health helps women business owners `become more mindful about how they’re spending their time, how to help ensure the time they’re spending is better aligned with their values. First Light Health also helps women entrepreneurs find ways to draw lines and to give themselves grace in doing so.

Jenna says her passion and work grew out of her own experience after having two children. She continued to try to do it all, and ended up burned out. After hearing similar stories from other businesswomen, she created First Light Health to help other women balance work and life better.

Most of us — both women and men — have struggled at times with balancing our business with our personal life and personal goals. If you have, you’ll enjoy Jenna’s many suggestions to make sure your business doesn’t control your life!

Click on the arrow to the left to take a listen!

Pathways to Entrepreneurship: Buying An Existing Business

When people think of entrepreneurship, usually they assume it means starting a new business. But there are other pathways to entrepreneurship.

The Savvy Entrepreneur has previously looked at entrepreneurship in non-profits, as well as franchise ownership.

In this episode, Deb Curtis, founder of Curtis Business Solutions, shares another pathway: buying an existing business. It’s a path that many don’t think about. But Deb shares insights on how it can be done — especially with the aid of an SBA loan.

She talks about the kind of person that might make a great fit, the likely costs, and some of the ins and outs of SBA loans. Is this an option for you? Listen in to find out!