Alissa Bickar, The Consultress, and Karen Bershad, The Small Business Advisor (Family Business Radio, Episode 56)
Anthony Chen, the host of Family Business Radio, offers two guests in this episode who focus on the journeys and tactics of family businesses and real estate investors. Guest Alissa Bickar, known as “The Consultress,” shares her family-rooted background in business and real estate, emphasizing the importance of personal passion in entrepreneurship and the diverse options in real estate investment beyond common perceptions. The discussion delves into the significance of understanding one’s goals, risk tolerance, and leveraging professional relationships for success in real estate. Karen Bershad, The Small Business Advisor, provides insights into managing finances for success in real estate, highlighting the value of strategic planning, cash flow management, and the concept of becoming one’s own bank to achieve financial goals. Both guests share personal definitions of success and valuable business advice, offering listeners practical strategies for achieving their entrepreneurial and investment ambitions.
Anthony closed the show with a commentary on how to define a life fully lived.
Family Business Radio is underwritten and brought to you by Anthony Chen with Lighthouse Financial Network.
Alissa Bickar, The Consultress
Alissa Bickar is a diagnostic consultant and coach who uses business acumen and laser-sharp intuition to assess, diagnose, and develop solutions so that businesses can truly work smarter, not harder.
She uses her natural creative talents to create innovative solutions for growing businesses to become more effective, efficient and sustainable. With 20+ years of experience in business ranging from family-owned to corporate, Alissa has gleaned wisdom from every level of organization. In her own consultancy, she has successfully trained entrepreneurs and founders to see business in a more collaborative fashion and deliver extraordinary experiences at every level of the organization.
She has a passion for innovation and out-of-the-box methodologies so that her clients can become unforgettably distinct in the marketplace, and so that business development becomes effortless: returning more results in less time.
Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
Karen Bershad, The Small Business Advisor
The Small Business Advisor is your business cash flow and advisory bookkeeping expert. The SBA empowers small business owners with cash flow analysis and expert bookkeeping for profitable financial management. They use specialized tools, analysis, insight and systematic systems to guide their clients to reach their goals. The SBA has worked with varied industries but has had a market niche in the real estate investor industry for many years.
The Small Business Advisor is a 28-year-old Certified Profit First advisory and bookkeeping firm. The landscape of the accounting industry is quickly changing, and their firm has been changing with the times very purposefully over the last 6 years.
Entrepreneurs are becoming savvier and want to be better at running their businesses while also understanding the numbers. They want to understand why the income statement tells them they had a $30,000 profit this month, but the bank only has $1000. “Where’s the Money?”
While taking another advisory course, Karen was introduced to Profit First. She was immediately drawn into the program and knew this was the next step to creating the value her clients needed and the tools to show them where the money is (or went) using the “cash management system” that she was looking for.
Today, The Small Business Advisor has the tools and knowledge to share with their clients and provides a service most CPAs, bookkeepers, and coaches don’t provide. They are different because we are not just number crunchers; we are in the trenches with the client to show/teach them that they don’t come last in their businesses, but they come “first” because they took the risk, the frustrations, and the sleepless nights.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Karen’s LinkedIn
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:00 Welcome to Family Business Radio: Showcasing Family Businesses
00:39 The Consultress: Alissa Bickar’s Journey into Business and Real Estate
02:44 Diving Deep into Real Estate Investment Strategies with Alissa Bickar
23:54 Karen Bershad: The Small Business Advisor on Financial Management
43:35 Defining Success and Valuable Business Advice
47:55 Anthony’s Financial Take: Defining Success and a Life Fully Lived
Anthony Chen, Host of Family Business Radio
This show is sponsored and brought to you by Anthony Chen with Lighthouse Financial Network. Securities and advisory services are offered through Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. (RAA), member FINRA/SIPC. RAA is separately owned, and other entities and/or marketing names, products, or services referenced here are independent of RAA. The main office address is 575 Broadhollow Rd., Melville, NY 11747. You can reach Anthony at 631-465-9090, ext. 5075, or by email at anthonychen@lfnllc.com.
Anthony Chen started his career in financial services with MetLife in Buffalo, NY, in 2008. Born and raised in Elmhurst, Queens, he considers himself a full-blooded New Yorker while now enjoying his Atlanta, GA, home. Specializing in family businesses and their owners, Anthony works to protect what is most important to them. From preserving to creating wealth, Anthony partners with CPAs and attorneys to help address all of the concerns and help clients achieve their goals. By using a combination of financial products ranging from life, disability, and long-term care insurance to many investment options through Royal Alliance, Anthony looks to be the eyes and ears for his client’s financial foundation. In his spare time, Anthony is an avid long-distance runner.
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