After leaving a $40K corporate job, this entrepreneur made $100K in less than six months

Patrice Stewart is the founder of Tax Cred Academy, a boutique-style consulting firm that offers an array of services like tax preparation, business funding, business planning and strategy, and business Coaching as well as credit consulting.

Stewart has 17 years of experience in the accounting and finance industry. Shortly after she graduated from college, she worked as an account manager for a small electric distribution company and then moved to BMO Harris Bank where she served as a relationship banker.

According to her, her career in the banking field improved her capacity in customer service and once she left the banking sector in 2013, she decided to leave corporate America and step out on faith with her business.

She started Tax Cred Academy in 2008 while working for BMO. She rebranded her firm and put the love of taxes and credit into the business hence the name Tax Cred Academy.

“When I left corporate America, I was making 40K annually. I was let go in March 2013, and by December 2013, I had made $98,733. I gave myself a 60K pay raise in less than 6 months after being fired in 2013,” she noted, according to Black News.

Stewart said she was inspired to start her firm because most people are not taught finance unless they go to college. The Chicago native further noted that most parents in Africa live check to check and do not teach their children financial management.

However, she was fortunate to have learned finances from her father and grandmother. Her father was an accountant and a professor at Howard University and her grandmother, Viola Lewis, was the first African American to fight for equal pay. And one of the things Stewards is big on is education and empowering employees to become entrepreneurs. And she is hoping to transfer what she learned from her family to young entrepreneurs. 

She organizes training programs, webinars, and coaching sessions to share her knowledge and experience. Her advice and guidance have helped thousands define their dreams and reach their business goals, according to Black News.

“I teach business owners how to leverage the tax laws and loopholes established for businesses to keep more of their hard-earned money in their business. I share tips and strategies used by the wealthy to preserve their wealth,” explained Stewart.

“My passion is coaching and empowering employees to become entrepreneurs, which is why I created ‘THE LAB – Life and Business with Patrice’. It is a group mentoring and coaching membership program for entrepreneurs struggling with both life and business.”

Stewart is an alumnus of Chicago State University where she acquired a Bachelor’s in Business and Administration with a focus in Management Information Systems.