Jordan Michaelis @j_michaelis_photography
Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Albrecht. She and her team share her story with us below.
Please kick things off for us with some background on Nicole’s story.
At only age 18, Nicole Albrecht was already a struggling single mom. Financial strain and tough parenting decisions were a constant burden. Her personal goal to further her education was regularly challenged. Through unwavering grit and determination, Nicole fought through every obstacle to achieve career success and financial peace.
Thanks to mentorship from her business partner and coaching from some of the nation’s top business leaders, Nicole Albrecht has excelled in her industry. She is the Managing Partner of Financial Accounting Services. Nicole has enjoyed helping business owners create tax and financial strategies to improve business processes and profitability.
Nicole is an active participant in the community. She was awarded Temecula Citizen of the year in 2012 and Volunteer of the year for 2013. Along with her team, she actively leads Financial Peace University, a course designed to teach individuals and families get out of debt and start saving. Financial Guru, Dave Ramsey, has endorsed Nicole Albrecht as Southern California’s #1 Tax Expert.
Nicole’s vision is to help provide hope and inspire change so that others learn to live modestly, leave a legacy and help change the world.
What were some of the most challenging struggles along the way?
I was 16 and pregnant. Scared, confused a disappointment to my family.
At 17, I graduated early and was kicked out of my home my fault. I was now hostage to the label of a single mom. A baby, raising a baby.
Fast forward three years, I was now 20, and in between apartments. Working three jobs to make ends meet. A pizza parlor, a gas station and a cage fighter. Yep, you heard right. All the while, I was going to San Marcos and taking 21 units to get my degree.
I barely slept and never saw my son. Some nights, I crashed in my car, while he was with my friends or family members that evening.
I was in survival mode. I felt like a failure as a mom, a daughter and as a young adult.
It was an early morning of May 2001, raining outside. I walked my son out to our car, it was still dark out. As I got close, I noticed there was shattered glass everywhere. My son’s car seat was soaking wet. My car had been broken into for the 4th time that year. See, we were living in a shady neighborhood and by mistake, I had left my purse on the passenger seat overnight. Now, the window was smashed, the purse was gone, along with the last few bucks I had to my name.
I carried son back to my crappie little apartment, slumped down on the floor and began to weep. I had no money for gas, no money for food, and no idea how we were going to survive. Everything seemed hopeless.
Now that I’ve lightened the mood, let me stop for a moment and share a different story. One about taking chances.
Two months before that day, I’d decided that I could no longer endure the endless cycle of shit storms. And that somehow I needed to find a way out. First of all, I needed a better job.
I reviewed my skills. Ok. I could make one hell of a pizza, I could scrape gum off the gas station concrete, and oh yes, I was very good at kicking someone’s ass. This was quite a resume!
But I did have one thing on my side. I had a reason to succeed. I was now responsible for another life, one who meant more to me than anything I had ever loved before. I had to survive for him, he didn’t ask to be born into this poverty-stricken life.
I needed to fight and find my way out. I had to have guts!
I was in the fight circuit with UFC at that time, and I was hanging out with people who had money and were sponsoring the events. One night, at an after fight party, I decided to dig deep and take a risk.
That night I remember walking through the room, eye half swollen shut from that night’s fight and my heart pounding through my chest. I could fight in a cage, but I was terrified to ask someone for a job.
I approached one of the sponsors, took a deep breath and asked if she was hiring. She said she’d see what she could do for me. I thanked her, and as I walked away, I heard her mumble under her breath that I was white trash and that no one would probably hire me.
That night I cried in bed, overwhelmed and ashamed but I told myself I would keep asking till someone said yes.
Someone once said, “if an opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” Well, I say, sometimes knocking on doors isn’t enough, sometimes we need to kick the door in.
We don’t all have equal opportunities but we all have the opportunity to be better.
There isn’t anything special about me, I was brave enough to look for open doors. This is hard to do when you are buried with self-doubt, insecurities, fear. When you are in survival mode. But I knew if I had guts, if I kept asking, I would find a way.
One day, I got an interview for a secretary job at a local tax firm. I was beyond nervous and terrified but I went for it.
It wasn’t great timing. I had a big fight coming up that same week, so I had my traditional dreadlock hair, a black eye from sparing the night before, and a tongue ring. Hey, that was so cool back in the ’90s!
I got a ‘new’ suit from the salvation army and did a decent job of hiding the black eye with makeup.
I went in to meet my potential new boss, Fred Karma. Karma! I swear you can’t make this shit up, Karma was really his last name…
What I remember most about that day was that Fred was compassionate and caring.
He understood that I needed flexibility and the struggle that I had being a single mom. See, Fred too came from humble beginnings. He knew what it was like to hustle, to put food on the table for his young family. In fact, years earlier he had worked at the same pizza parlor.
That day, Fred took a risk on me. I was hired on the spot. Finally, I had a fighting chance.
(pause, let the audience feel the relief, smile)
Back to the rainy day, two months later, with the broken car window, and the stolen purse. Slummed on the ground of my apartment, I made one phone call to my new boss, Fred Karma.
Fred could sense the hopelessness in my voice. He didn’t pass judgment and he was compassionate. At the time, he didn’t have a ton of money, but he paid for my car window to be fixed. Over the next year, he took me under his wing. He taught me everything there was to know about our business, I was eager to learn.
Fred’s willingness to take time and mentor me was life-changing. I don’t say it enough, but he really is one of the reasons I am who I am today.
Please tell us about Financial Accounting Services.
Many small business owners worry about where their money is going. Financial Accounting Services has a team of experts to help you navigate your taxes and accounting, so you’re never in the dark again. We keep our eyes on your financial future, so you can focus on what you do best-confidently growing your business.
We specialize in effective, proactive tax planning techniques to keep the IRS out of business owners back pockets.
I am most proud of my amazing team and our company culture that we have all worked so hard to create. I have a team that is all synchronized and run at very high rates. Everyone gets along and it is a pleasure to wake up and come to the office and work alongside them.
What sets us apart from others is that we have every tool and technique in-house. We have a payroll team, a bookkeeping team, an investment team, and everyone works together so you don’t have to have (and pay for) four different professionals all doing different things.
Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
In our office we champion diversity. We promote excellence and nothing more. I believe that more gender diversity can translate to better innovation and a better company.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9255 Towne Centre Drive, Ste 805 San Diego, CA 92121
- Website: taxmanfred.com
- Phone: 858-203-1310
- Email: nicole@taxmanfred.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FASLaJolla/
Cameron Powell Studio
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