Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Deberah Williams. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Deberah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I create A Fresh Start, LLC in 2007 when I was terminated from a former Mortgage company by telling me that I was to honest and I do not need to tell the clients everything, such as their closing dates, or if their credit scores were not ready for them to purchase a home at that time. So, when I was terminated on February 7, 2007, it changed my life. I was obtaining my MBA at the time and I was speaking to a Represenative about my account, and the Rep. could tell in my voice that something wasn’t right. They proceeded to ask me what was going on and I told them about my termination.

The Represenative asked me what was my position with the company and I told them, I was the Operation Manager and a Loan Officier and I assisted people with their credit before they purchase a home.

The Represenative suggested if I liked what I was doing, why shouldn’t I start my own business. I had no clue what to do to start my own business.

The first step I had a Brainstorming meeting with 5 of my girlfriends to decide the following::
a. What is my goal as far as an outreach.
b. What would the name of the company
c. Develop a Mission statement
d. Develop a vision statement

Once that was established, I met with another girlfriend who could assist me with devloping a website.

Applied for a Busiiness Name
Applied for a Tax ID #

Once I created the above steps, A Fresh Start, LLC has been in exisitng since 2007.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hello, I am a very sociable person, who like to meet all diversity of people. The type of business I do does not have a particular color. I coach clients on how to build credit by educating them on how to pull and read their credit report. I coach them on credit cards, the language, terms and educate them on developing their own budget but also be responsible for the debt that they acquired.

I also coach them that their situation may be low at the moment, but their is a way to come out of their financial situation if we educate each other and follow my leads.

Some of the problems I have solved for my clients, is learning how to read a credit report, pulling you credit report and always pay attention to that credit report.

They can pull their credit from so may sites now: www.annualcreditreport.com, creditkarm, experian, equifax or transunion.

I have coach clients on collections, judgments, bankrupticies, by assisting with these problems, I partner with creditable specialsts, such as attorneys, real estate agents, tax accounts,, etc.

I am very proud to see my clients obtain the credit score that they are reaching more, but I am realistic by informing them that they must keep up the plan (work) it is almost like dieting, you have to do the work to see your results.

If you do not need the items, then you do not need the items.

I love to see my clients able to buy a home, car, get that major credit card that they wanted after coaching them through the credit process.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me has been referrals from real estate agents, accountants, morgage brokers, lenders, attorneys and family and friends.

This is one of the best sources, because people believe in the friends or business partners that they can rely on. This is less work for their clients to look for a resource and they know nothing about. All of my clients have come from all referrals.

Once I received those referrals, I contact them the same day or the next day but no later, my motto is as a black woman they already have a stigma on us and we have to proved who we are and if we mean for what we say.

I am my client coach, voice of reason and their reality when we are done. It gives me so much pleasure to have a passion to do what I love to do.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My journey was not easy, because when I first started I thought everyone wanted to be coached on building a credit scores for theirselves and leave a great legacy behind, but I wa s brought to reality pretty quick. My fee was pretty in expensive but people did not want to pay for a Consulation, so I was ready to quit.

I contacted my Mentor and he told me that clients will come and go and they will pay for your service or not, BUT if they cannot afford to pay you for your service then how can they afford to have a credit coaching session to clear up their debts. He stated that those clients are not ready yet, and take that as a blessing you will not be wasting your time or theirs. When they are ready they will come back. Trust they come back when they were ready.

I had to pick myself up and remember everyone is not in the same place, it comes in steps, and I now look at credit coaching as one credit coaching session at a time. Although it can be harsh in begginning and even now because I am constantly learning and educating myself on how I can build my business and continue to help my clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.afreshstartllc.com