Libélula Financial

Brenda partnered with her husband to start J&B Gardens, a family-owned landscaping business. She began taking care of their bookkeeping needs while continuing to work with another contractor as a full-time office manager. Brenda then decided to open her own business: Libelula Financial, a bookkeeping service that assists businesses with acquiring the permits and applications needed to become registered businesses. She focuses on working closely with the Spanish-speaking community and those in need of assistance. Her desire to assist others with their bookkeeping needs and business questions motivated her to fill a need and begin Libelula Financial. Being bilingual, she knew she could provide customers with the highest quality of service in both Spanish and English.

One of the biggest challenges she has is educating her clients on the concept of time and money. As with many entrepreneurs who are starting a business, herself included, she found it challenging to set prices correctly and recognize the value of time. With many clients having Spanish as their first language, the language barrier impacted abilities to move forward with their businesses. They needed assistance with understanding not only the bookkeeping aspects of a business, but also how to run an effective business. This includes permits, financing, and how to perform correct reporting. She meets with her clients one-on-one, reviews their bookkeeping practices, and discusses the opportunities and successes they have had. Her experience helping her clients has helped her recognize what she must work on to create a successful business. She’s taught her clients to be proactive and to invest in themselves by planning and implementing marketing plans, rather than just waiting for customers to come to them.

Brenda heard about WESST in 2019 when helping her husband with his landscaping business and has built a relationship with the Santa Fe office. She began with one-on-one consultations and was invited to informative workshops to help her with various aspects of her business. When she decided to start her own bookkeeping business, WESST was supportive and continues to assist her. She attended workshops in English and Spanish ranging from Credit to Social Media Marketing.