We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tunisia Offray. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tunisia below.

Tunisia, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Taking risk in life are necessary to growing and evolving. Every time you level up in life you would need to step out of your comfort zone.

Everything I have accomplished in my life has been because I stepped out on faith and took a risk. I have learned to always bet on myself because I trust myself. I trust my divine intuition and I have total faith in God.

Starting my own business as a single teenage mother of 3 was the beginning to learning and understanding the importance of taking risk.

In 2006 I lost my job in corporate America mostly due to the state of the economy during that time. I was having no luck in finding employment and found myself having to return home to my parents with 3 school age children. This was devastating to me. I was used to my independence and accustomed to living the way I chose. This experience was a humbling experience but later I learned it was a necessary experience needed for me to evolve and grow.

Not being able to provide for my family because I was not able to secure employment left me depressed and unsure about our future. It was in this moment I began seeking God for clarity and direction.

During one of my prayers I heard God say to me “focus on what makes me happy”. I thought this was odd because I was not happy at least I thought. I literally began searching within for any glimpse of happiness and slowly began to realize I felt most happy when I was with my children doing simple things like cooking for them, taking them to school and volunteering at there schools. Seeing them do small things like leading their class in the pledge of allegiance. I began to notice I was happy and the kids were happy just having their mommy around and fully present in their lives. Even with nothing we were happy in sharing those moments.

Once I found my happy I began to understand this is the path I must follow. Following my happiness lead me to discovering entrepreneurship. The new challenge was how do I make this a reality in our lives? How do I create a life of happiness every day? How do cultivate a life where I can be a present full time mommy to my children and still provide for them?

I returned to God for answers to my questions? Again during my time of prayer God spoke to me again and said “start your own business”. I was like WHAT! God really my own business! How? What kind of business? With what capital? Seriously this seem impossible to me in the moment. I was literally unemployed and broke.

So I began thinking of different ideas that could sustain my family so I can create the life I now realized we needed and deserved. Again God spoke to me and said “focus on what I’m good at”. Well that was easy. I knew I was a GREAT bookkeeper and accountant while in corporate America all my clients loved me and my employer as well. The answer soon became clear I would start my own bookkeeping and accounting business for small businesses.

But wait! How I have no money, I have no business plan, I have no website. Where do I even find clientele? This seemed impossible to me. I never told ANYONE about my dream of being an entrepreneur because it seemed unrealistic to me. My circumstances did not allow me to believe this was something reachable.

I eventually took a one day temp assignment working as an assistant at a conference at the Pasadena civic center. I took the assignment but was never told what the nature of the conference was about, upon arrival I was greeted by a woman named Kelly who was directing me on what my assignment wound be that day. My job was to work the registration table greet guest as they arrived and sign guest in. While Kelly and I began setting up for the conference that day Kelly began small talk with me. Kelly asked me one specific question and that was”Tunisia what do you want to do career wise”. She stated “I know your assistant me today but what are your future goals”?

Now remember I NEVER told ANYONE what I wanted to do…. I NEVER told ANYONE I wanted to be an entrepreneur so I can be a full time mommy. Back in those days being a entrepreneur as a single parent seemed crazy. A black teenage mother with no money, no business plan, no car nothing. I had NOTHING and I wanted to start a business honestly it sound crazy to me at that time. Women were not “being their own bosses”. Especially not black women. Something said to me “tell her, tell her your goals”. I thought HELL NO! I will sound crazy! Something said “tell her”. So I did. I quickly blurted out, I’m starting my own bookkeeping and accounting business for small business owners. Almost immediately guest began to arrive and Kelly did not have the opportunity to ask me any follow up questions so I felt relieved.

As guest arrived I greeted them and signed them in gave them name badges etc. The room filled up at about 200 capacity. Once guest checked in and settled down Kelly began her presentation. Now remember I still had no idea what the context of this conference was about. Kelly introduced her self and then introduced me. In her introduction she stated “Tunisia is a bookkeeper specializing in small business bookkeeping and if you’re interested please stop by the registration table”. I was shocked! A line began to form. I was unprepared I had NO business cards, I had NO website, I had NOTHING in place. I began taking down a list of interested business owners on the back of a random piece of paper and the rest is history.

My business started from that experience and immediately began to be profitable. My kids and I moved back into our own home, I purchased a car and all this happened within a span of 6 months.

I was actually living my reality of being a full time single mother all while providing a good life for my children.
I share this story often because it’s important for people to know you can have whatever you desire from this life but you have to be willing to bet on yourself. You have to be willing to take risk and step out of your comfort zone.

Life will cause us to grow and evolve and usually it is not always comfortable and easy to do so. However it is necessary. Take risk, believe in yourself, be open to growing and change, trust God, and most importantly trust yourself. We are born into this world with everything we need to make it but we doubt ourselves along the way. Have faith and watch how far life can take you if you just believe.

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?

I began my career in bookkeeping and accounting however after successfully building Offray Accounting and Booking Service in 2006 I felt it was best to pivot into insurance so I can maintain my work life balance. I went on to open my own insurance agency August 25th 2018 Prestige Insurance and Financial Services located in Pasadena CA.

In the spirt of following my passions I became certified as a domestic violence counselor through Project PeaceMakers at the 77th District Community Police Station in Los Angeles, I later helped to co-found Shepherd’s Door Domestic Violence Resource Center in 2000 alongside my mother Linda Offray. In this position, I provide youth violence prevention education in high schools and middle schools in my community. As a teenager, I had suffered from domestic abuse that led to me becoming a teenage mother by the ages of 16 and having two children by the age of 18. I feel it’s my life purpose to help women who have lived through the same experience. I have expanded my advocacy work to include policy reform as it relates to laws governing domestic violence. As a person with lived experience it is most important that I use my voice and personal life experience to change laws that impact domestic violence victims in our legal system. I co-wrote AB304 along side Assemblymember Chris Holden 41st district. In March of 2023 I flew to our state’s capitol to address our legislative members on the importance of restructuring the DV Batters program in an effort to ensure reform to DV perpetrators. The bill passed the assembly and I am hopeful we can get AB304 signed into law.
In 2009 I established Women, Wealth, Warriors, a platform supporting women entrepreneurs and women in business. My goal for creating the organization is to provide women with the support, resources and encouragement needed to create the life that they envision for themselves through business ownership.

In 2017 I had the unique opportunity to serve as an executive producer with NFerno, a feature film production company founded by Christopher Nolen, assisting in the production of the movies “I Left My Girlfriend for Regina Jones” and “Pierre Jackson.” I having the opportunity to create great content for film and entertainment left me with the desire to create more.
Currently I am working with a well known production company to produce a reality show that will highlight women women in a way that will inspire other women to also create the lives they envision for themselves. In an error when reality shows only highlight the caddy behavior of women I want to create a culture of women who understand the power of women supporting women in a way that has never been highlighted on reality television.

I am also producing a documentary which will be featured in October for domestic violence awareness month. The documentary will highlight the work Shepherds Door contribute’s to the community and the lives of the participants who has participated in our program. My hope is to educate individuals, government officials, corporations, and philanthropists on the importance of supporting domestic violence programs and community members. The false stigma associated with domestic violence must be broken in order to gain the support needed for the cause. Domestic Violence is still looked at as a private family issue but it’s not, domestic violence is a public crisis, it’s a social issue, it’s a mental health issue, is a public safety issue, it’s a community issue. Until the community as a whole get involved domestic abuse will continue and it will also continue to escalate. This documentary will bring insight and education as well as help to break the stigma associated with domestic violence.

I have also been featured on Inside Edition, Access Hollywood, ABC7 Los Angeles news, Page Six, NBC News, and most recent in 2023 I have been a reoccurring expert commentator on Investigation Discovery Death By Fame. Television is growing on me and I’m excited to continue to work more in the capacity of entertainment television.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media presence is important. How you are perceived online must be in alignment with your overall brand itself.
For instance my brand isn’t my businesses my brand is me. I am the brand and my businesses are the product of my brand.
When anyone visits my social media platform you immediately recognize I’m a “boss lady”, I’m a Mom entrepreneur, I have several businesses and they all align with my one common purpose which is helping and inspiring others.
Your social media presence should tell the story of who you are at a glance and it should be capturing audiences who are in alignment with your brand so you can monetize your likeness.
I have fun with my social media I enjoy giving others a glimpse into my life, my thoughts, my ideas and most importantly for me inspiring other women to also live authentically and purposefully.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I can say I am blessed to have built successful businesses with out costly marketing campaigns and strategies. I strongly believe how you treat your clients is your strongest marketing tool. All my business comes from direct referrals.

If you treat others how you would want to be treated it goes a long way. It’s not about the money. We become money focused and we lose our integrity.

Do a GREAT job EVERY TIME. If you happen to make a mistake take accountability and do your best to resolve it. When you do good business the money will follow.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.prestigeinsuranceandfinancialservices
• Instagram: @tunisiaoffray
• Facebook: @tunisiaoffray
• Linkedin: @tunisiaoffray
• Twitter: @tunisiaoffray
• Yelp: https://instagram.com/tunisiaoffray?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==