Karem Ospino, owner and operator of Ospino Consulting, has built a million-dollar business in Englewood by helping small business owners get where they want to go.
“We focus on aligning business’s finances with their goals,” she said. “It could be bookkeeping, tax planning, virtual CFO services or something else. There are a lot of needs.
The key, Ospino said, is finding out just what the need is. It’s a task that often is harder than one might think.
Ospino said many new clients know they need something — they just don’t know what it is. The first step is figuring that out.
“It’s whatever pain they are feeling at the moment,” she said. “It could be access to capital, so we prepare them to do that. Or it could be because they’re growing, and they don’t have the processes in place to do that. It could be that they realize they have waste in their company but can’t figure out how to eliminate it.
“Our goal is to help them to identify the problem, create a plan — and then help them execute the plan.”
Ospino, who started her firm in 2014, does that as well as anyone.
Ospino Consulting recently was selected as a Top 50 Accounting Services Practice award winner by Woodard.
Ospino, a member of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, said one of the secrets of her success is to be inclusive. She serves more than just Hispanic small businesses — and she serves businesses in all sectors.
“We don’t focus on ethnicity and we don’t focus on sectors,” she said. “For us, it’s about the growth mentality of the owners. We work with that in mind. The businesses that reach out to us do so because they want to grow and they want to scale. And we help them to do that.” Not everyone.
Ospino, who has a book of business of more than 300 clients, gets most of her clients by referral. But, she’s quick to add, she won’t take on everyone that comes her way. Being selective, she said, is what has helped her grow her firm. It all starts with that first call.
“We need to have an understanding of the mentality of the owner,” she said. “We need to understand their vision and what they want to accomplish — and see if it’s actually realistic. Then we need to see their commitment.
“It’s not like we have a magic wand. They have to be a committed team. So, while we are analyzing their company, we also are analyzing them to see how much of commitment we’re going to get from them.
“In the end, it’s more about aligning with the person. If that test is passed, then we go forward.”
Ospino said most companies sign a one-year contract. But, if the fit is right, she often finds they stay on after that.
“Our longest client has been with us since their inception,” she said. “It was a matter of gaining that trust. And that, they see that they can succeed — and the rest is history.”
Conversation Starter
Reach Ospino Consulting at: ospinoconsulting.com or call 201-894-0021.