Community Highlights: Meet Michelle (Sunshine) Echols of Balance Financial Enterprises

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle (Sunshine) Echols.

Hi Sunshine, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In undergrad, I hit a rough patch where I lost my job and was evicted twice in the same year. I also racked up a lot of credit card debt during the 2008 recession (my colleagues and I jokingly refer to that time as the summer of poverty). After moving back home and looking for an apartment I was denied, so I had to fix my credit. I did a lot of research and successfully removed both evictions as well as several other negative items from my credit report. I later began to help others do the same thing. When Covid-19 caused the world to shut down I reflected back on the last time I had financial troubles and immediately thought about creating a recession-proof income, thus Balance Financial Enterprises was born. I purposely picked credit repair and tax prep because they were both services I could provide virtually and practically everyone could or would be in need of them.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
To me, the business has gained natural growth. I share credit and tax education on my social media platforms and in return, my followers become my customers. The hardest part about this journey has been running a business and being a full-time student. I am currently enrolled in a dual MSW (Masters of Social Work)/DSW (Doctorate of Social Work) program. As a social worker I know the importance of self-care so this past October I joined Women of Finesse (W.O.F.), a women’s dance group that has allowed me to have a physical outlet and enjoy the sisterhood of the other dancers. Up until the end of 2021, I was juggling being a wife, mom, (double full-time) student, business owner, and full-time employee. I am now self-employed full-time so my schedule has become slightly less demanding. I will graduate from the Master’s part of my program in May 2022 so my course load is lightening up as well. People always say to me, “How in the world do you manage all of that?” I always answer that my husband does a lot to make sure I’m able to follow my dreams. I have yet to meet an obstacle that I couldn’t handle because my support system is phenomenal.

We’ve been impressed with Balance Financial Enterprises, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Balance Financial Enterprises provides tax preparation services for individuals and small businesses as well as tax software to other tax prep companies. We also provide credit repair services to individuals and offer a business credit builder package. In the late spring/early summer of 2022, we will be launching a credit repair and tax prep course that will teach other entrepreneurs how to launch a credit repair or tax prep business of their own.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I have always been a believer in God so I like to refer to my “luck” as favor. Meg the Stallion has a song called God’s Favorite that speaks to me because I truly believe that I’m one of God’s favorites. Prayer is part of my daily routine and for the past 6 years, I have shared public prayers on my Facebook page. I believe that my love for others and positive attitude has given me the exposure needed to be successful. When you genuinely care about people, helping them comes naturally. There have been stumbling blocks along the way, but the power of pivoting makes those hiccups seem like water under a bridge. The growth of Balance Financial Enterprises has been amazing and is solely based on my love for sharing knowledge.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@bfe-ent.com
• Website: www.bfe-ent.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/balancefinancialenterprises?utm_medium=copy_link
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunshine.carey.1

Image Credits
The professional photos were taken by Naisha Bailey-Johnson of Bailey-Johnson Photography.