We were lucky to catch up with Camari Ellis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Camari , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

Yeah, I’m definitely happier working for myself. But I’d be lying if I said I never thought about what it would feel like to just clock in somewhere, do my eight hours, and clock right back out.
It usually crosses my mind during tax season when things are wild, phones going off, clients needing answers yesterday, and IRS letters are stacking up.
Sometimes I think back to when a client was so upset about her refund being smaller than she expected that she called her boyfriend to come “handle” me.
Moments like that really make you sit there and think, “There’s gotta be easier ways to make money.”
I remember one night, late, still at my desk, surrounded by paperwork, exhausted, and knowing I had even more returns left to finish.
Meanwhile, real life doesn’t stop, bills are still due, and kids still need things.
And for a minute, I sat there thinking, “Man, having a steady check every week or two, some benefits, and guaranteed PTO would be a whole lot easier than this.”
But after a little while, I shake that off.
I remember why I’m doing this.
I grew up around entrepreneurship. I watched my dad run his own business.
I saw the freedom, not just with money, but with time and decision-making.
Even when things get rough, I know I’d rather bet on myself than let someone else control my life.
And more than that, I know I’m building something bigger, something my family and community can benefit from.That kind of freedom,you can’t put a price on it

Camari , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Camari Ellis — people know me as The Finance Rebel and Chief Tax Problem Solver.
I grew up in Philadelphia. In West Oak Lane. After school, instead of running outside to play with my friends, I had to go to my father’s tax office in the Olney section of Philadelphia, not too far from where I grew up.
At the time, it felt like a punishment, sitting there for hours, watching him do taxes and deal with clients while my friends were out riding bikes.
When I was younger, I definitely hated taxes because of the overall circumstances, but I always loved business and the stock market.
My mother always reminded me that I would grab the Sunday newspaper and go straight to the stock section, getting lost in the charts, 52-week highs and lows, and company news.
I couldn’t really explain it back then, but looking at it now, I realize business is a form of art, and the stock market is the biggest exhibition of that art.
I encourage my clients to read quarterly and annual reports from companies like Apple, Home Depot, and Exxon Mobil.
These companies spend billions of dollars on research and development and share some of that information publicly.
That’s free research that a small business owner can learn from if they know where to look to help grow their business.
Looking back, my time in my father’s office gave me my real education, learning about money, business, and the power that comes from financial understanding.
A lot of people think I come off as paternalistic sometimes, but a lot of that comes from my own experiences.
I promise my intentions mean well.

I was a teenage father, and when I went back to college, I was a single father.
Before finishing my degree in finance at Temple University, I worked in IT as a Microsoft-certified engineer, helping to build and maintain corporate computer networks.
I always knew I could make enough money to take care of my family.
While working at Temple, I found an unpaid internship with a major financial planning company.
Once I earned my Series 7 and other licenses, I started doing financial literacy workshops in local churches.
That’s when I realized I was hooked — not on selling investments, but on teaching financial education.
One major issue in my community is the lack of financial literacy.
And most people’s first major financial experience is when they file taxes — so I believe that’s the best time to start teaching them.
Today, through Philly Tax Team, I focus on:

Tax Resolution (settling IRS debts, cleaning up old returns, audits)

Tax Strategy (helping clients keep more of what they earn legally)

Tax Preparation (getting ahead of problems before they start)

My main clients are real estate investors, small business owners, and side hustlers — folks building something who don’t want the IRS to tear it down.
What makes me different is simple:
I don’t just do taxes. I teach.
(Well…at least I try to. Some folks still don’t listen, lol.)
I make sure my clients understand why the moves matter, not just what to do.
Because once you understand the tax code, you realize it’s not about fear — it’s about opportunity.

Have you ever had to pivot?

One of my biggest pivots was leaving the financial advising world to focus fully on taxes and financial education.
I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with the financial services industry.
When I started, I truly believed financial advising was the answer — teaching people to invest, save, and plan.
I thought it could help close the racial wealth gap. I was wrong. A lot of that business is about selling, not advising.
Not stewardship.
Not doing what’s truly best for the client.
You’re often pushed to recommend the product with the biggest commission, not the best solution.
At the same time, I kept seeing clients walk in with real tax problems — unfiled returns, wage garnishments, IRS levies.
You can’t build wealth when your financial foundation is crumbling.
It didn’t make sense to talk about stock portfolios when the IRS was about to take somebody’s entire paycheck.
So I pivoted.
I left that world and started focusing fully on taxes, strategy, and financial education.
It wasn’t easy.
I had to rebuild my business from the ground up, reposition myself, and help people understand why tax strategy was just as important, if not more important, than investment strategy.
Looking back, it was the best decision I could have made.
Now I get to meet people where they are, fix what’s broken, and help them build something real for the future.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Building my audience on social media started with a simple idea: answering real questions from real people. I fell in love with the raw, unfiltered way folks used social media to share their struggles and triumphs. My good friend Renard Oldrick suggested I start a segment called ‘Ask Camari in 2012, where I’d tackle folks’ money and tax questions head-on. It was raw, it was genuine, and yeah, the early stuff was really bad, but it was real. My willingness to help people kept people coming back, and it still does to this day.
A big inspiration for me was Marcus Sheridan’s book, ‘They Ask, You Answer.’ It taught me the power of simply addressing the questions people already had. Another influence was Gary Vaynerchuk — say what you want about him, but he knows the grind. Coming from a family business background like mine, I understood the value of putting in the work and building genuine connections.
One thing I always tell people is not to get hung up on going viral. Like Marques Brownlee, who built a massive following without a single viral moment, it’s all about consistency, authenticity, and providing real value. Viral is fleeting; consistency builds a legacy. So my advice to anyone starting out is simple: focus on being consistently authentic, answering your audience’s questions, and building those genuine connections. That’s what makes a difference.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.phillytaxtea.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefinancerebel
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFinanceRebel
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camariellis/
• Twitter: https://x.com/thefinancerebel
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFinanceRebel

Image Credits

All Images are the credit of Camari Ellis
All Images are the credit of Camari Ellis