We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joe DiChiara a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Joe, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

About 6 years ago, while doing market research, I came across an underserved and ignored market, sole proprietors. Out of over 30 million US businesses over 26 million were classified as sole proprietors. This is the worst way to be structured for legal and tax purposes. Sole proprietors are over-taxed, paying 15.% of net profits in self-employment tax, have no legal protection, are audited more than small businesses structured as corporations, and get little respect from the business community. Many individuals form LLCs and get legal protection from creditors but don’t realize there are no tax benefits when creating an LLC. The IRS views them as a “Disregarded entity”. Single-owner LLCs are taxed as sole proprietors.

Almost all of these individuals do not have a professional tax advisor and wind up doing their own tax returns. Making mistakes and triggering IRS tax audits. The reason they don’t hire a professional is the cost. There is a severe shortage of tax professionals and the cost is usually prohibitive. Many sole proprietors operate below the poverty level and simply can’t afford to hire a professional.

4 years ago I formed Bedrock Business Builders Corp and structured it to provide low-cost, quality professional tax services. We created our signature CFO program that includes bookkeeping, accounting, and tax planning services for only $57 a month.

To do this I needed to develop a streamlined, highly efficient accounting system. Knowing there was already a shortage of accountants and bookkeepers in the US I had to find and train people overseas. My coach, Larry Broughton introduced the Philippine community. A culture of hard-working, intelligent individuals who were hungry for opportunities. Many of them were separated from their families because the only jobs available we either in other countries or far away from their provinces.

Our system is 100% remote so they learned that it was possible to earn money working from home. Now I had a second market to serve and make a difference. In November of 2020, I hired my 1st Philippine team member. Janine was a graphic designer. Today we have 16 full-time team members and 7 interns getting hands-on experience.

In March of 2022, one of our accounting team members had to resign after only a month. She told me about her Facebook group that she was passionate about and she could commit to a full-time position with Bedrock. Her group was over 1,500 Philippine accountants who wanted to learn how to work from home. I had an old bookkeeping course and told her I could update it and teach them how to enter the US accounting market.

That led to a series of courses where we have had over 800 students with almost 400 completing and earning a certification. We learned that many couldn’t complete the courses because they were able to find full-time positions because of our courses. We get all of our accounting team members and interns from our courses. We have been able to reunite families and help people earn more than they were in their former brick-and-mortar jobs. They have flexible schedules so they can tend to their family needs. We are changing people’s lives and that has brought me more satisfaction than I ever thought was possible.

We have so many testimonials and heartwarming stories from students and I just want more. You can’t put a price tag on changing people’s lives, reuniting families, and giving people hope. What’s amazing to me is that none of this was my idea. All I wanted to do was help sole proprietors who don’t even know they have a problem. I feel truly blessed that I can help people on 2 continents. I can attribute all of it to my in God and my belief that when you do the right thing, and serve others only great things will happen. I could never have done this on my own. Larry Broughton has been instrumental as my coach and as a friend. Larry taught me how to build an amazing team that loves their work.

What I tell them is “The Best is Yet to Come!”

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was born to be an entrepreneur. I always found ways to make my own money from the time I was 11. My family didn’t have a lot of money so if I wanted stuff I had to get it myself. Mowing lawns, selling flowers on street corners, paper routes, shoveling snow….

When I was 17 the friends I grew up with started wearing leather jackets, listening to heavy metal, and getting into trouble. I was one of the ring leaders. My father seeing where this was heading tricked me into becoming a CPA. We were at a family barbeque and he pointed to one of the guests and said, “That guy’s a CPA!”. I said, “What’s a CPA?” He said, “They run businesses and other business owners ask them for business advice”. “Then I’m gonna be a CPA” I didn’t know that meant I was gonna be an accountant doing bank recs and payroll taxes. How boring! I resented my dad for decades.

Now I’m an entrepreneur with a CPA license. Feeling trapped I did what all entrepreneurs do. I kept starting new businesses. That didn’t help my marriage because my wife at the time wanted a secure future with our children. She would say “Why can’t you just get a regular job?” She didn’t understand that I needed more. So our marriage didn’t survive but I was determined to succeed no matter what I needed to do or how long it took.

Albert Einstein said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. In 2007 I decided to start studying success. I started with Napoleon Hills’ “Law of Success”. I crafted my Definite Chief Aim as instructed by the book. I still have it and chills run down my spine because it’s all happening now. It took time but it’s happening.

I emersed myself in learning. “Think and Grow Rich” By Napoleon Hill and “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace Wattles. I joined my friend’s Master Mind group in California which is where I met Larry and a lot of other successful people. Larry said 2 words that changed everything for me. “Serve First!” it’s really that simple. It’s a plan for business and life in 2 simple words.

What I learned is that having a plan is not enough. Action and continuous hard work are required. That’s where habits and discipline come into play. You don’t win an Olympic medal by just showing up. You don’t win an MVP award in sports just by playing. People don’t see all the hard work and training that goes into winning. Mike Tyson didn’t start losing until training became less important to him than partying and buying stuff.

The core services we provide are bookkeeping, accounting, and tax services. We also have a series of tax courses to teach Philippine accountants how to work from home. This has put us in a position to help a lot of individuals at different levels. From providing business and financial guidance to business owners in the US and abroad to providing hope and guidance to the Philippine community.

What sets me apart from most accountants is my Faith in God and my commitment to serving others. Hard work and discipline are essential but the fact that I always try to take money out of the equation is what really sets me apart. I’m an entrepreneur and believe that everyone has a right to be rich. God didn’t put us here to keep us poor and struggling. What sets me apart is my desire to empower people less fortunate and give them hope. Show them that anything is possible if they have Faith and are willing to put in the hard work.

I am most proud of what we are building and the lives have changed so far. To see people on my team transform their lives and grow and become leaders. All this because I wanted to help sole proprietors!!!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2019 I had a successful accounting practice and was living with the love of my life. I still felt empty. Something was missing. People think that “if I get here, I’ll be happy. Or “If I had $xxx I’ll be happy”. Well, I had achieved most of what I thought would make me happy. On the outside I was but on the inside, I felt tormented.

Then something happened. My largest client started asking me to commit a series of felonies. From insurance fraud to outright money laundering and tax evasion. When I asked him why he needed me to do this his answer was “I’m getting killed in taxes” Yes he was paying more in taxes than ever because I had helped him organize his business that was in chaos doing $3,000,000 a year to a very structured entity doing over $10,000,000.

This wasn’t the 1st time a rich business owner asked me to commit felonies for them. I took out a notepad and listed all the other times it happened. This was the 6th time. The previous 5 times I dropped the client causing a lot of financial distress for me and my family but I wasn’t going to risk jail for these people. So I dropped him even though it was over 70% of my income.

Soon after I found out that the love of my life, who I was living with for 4 years had her husband living 2 blocks away. Now I had no business to speak of and no girlfriend. I couldn’t pay my rent and covid hit. That’s when I started praying. I had to do something different than I had in the past. I hired Larry Broughton when I could afford him. I had known Larry for over 10 years and I knew that if anyone could teach me it was him.

Almost immediately I started getting results. Not the kind I was looking for though. Larry started me with his Spider Graph. On a scale of 1 to 10, where was I with family, relationship, financially, physically, spiritually, and professionally? He was a former special opts Green Beret. I expected him to have me doing pushups and jumping jacks. LOL

That exercise to my focus off of my “problems” and I started focusing on solutions. I started feeling better and had a renewed hope. The change in my attitude changed the results I was getting. I started getting new clients. The kind of clients I wanted to help. Larry introduced me to the Philippine community and the rest is history.

Today I have the kind of business I always dreamed of. I am helping people and laying the foundation to help millions. That’s what was in my Definite Chief Aim I wrote in 2007. “To help millions of entrepreneurs all over the world.” All possible because I simply had faith.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

My reputation has been built on several things.

1: Doing what I say I’m going to do

2: Serving

3: Always showing up

4: Being honest and transparent

5: Over delivering

6: Consistency

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bedrockbusinessbuilders.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DichiaraJoe
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bedrockpublishing/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/bedrockbizbuild
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BEDROCKBUSINESSBUILDERS