Meet the Difference Makers: Rebecca Bambarger

If you invest in yourself while showing confidence and purpose, others around you may go above and beyond to support your cause.

Intuit® Professional Tax customer Rebecca Bambarger is one of those “others.” The story she submitted about helping a young architect build a career foundation was selected as a winning entry in our Meet the Difference Makers Contest in September.

“I was introduced to an unemployed new architecture graduate in 2010,” shared Rebecca in her contest submission. “Back then, she was having a difficult time getting a job even as an architectural assistant due to the economy.”

A new professional herself not too long ago, Rebecca saw something special in her client and was motivated to make a difference. When the architect decided to venture out on her own, “We structured a contract for my office to run the administrative side of her business – using Intuit products throughout. We handle her banking, all back-office support – including coordination of insurance requirements – plus all business contract reviews and record keeping. This enables her to concentrate on the operational aspects of running her business.”

Based in Arcadia, Calif., with a staff of three, Rebecca’s company mainly provides comprehensive accounting services to businesses in the equine industry, nationwide. She’s also happy to provide tax services to other clients who come her way, including the special case of the promising young architect.

“I saw someone who just needed a break,” said Rebecca, of her motivation to assist the client. “And I see that same helpfulness in Intuit. They work closely with big companies and with startups.”

To help the client build early momentum, the structured contract kept Rebecca’s fees extremely low through the startup period.

“The fees grow as the business grows,” Rebecca said. “We share the risk right along with the client. It’s a long-term agreement and both sides are happy. It really does allow her to grow her business. She was recently awarded her first sizable contract and is hiring her first employee, all within her first year of opening shop.

“I saw this person who easily could be successful,” Rebecca continued. “I saw the potential. I just needed to make it affordable for her to get over the hump.”

Rebecca is hoping that by sharing her client story, she might inspire her peers to create similar partnerships with clients who have raw potential. In fact, she recalls her own bumpy road on the way to becoming a successful enrolled agent (EA).

“Before I took over the family practice in 2008, I was an employee and a victim of the economy. I was told that I wasn’t qualified because I wasn’t bilingual, even though I was more than qualified. I saw that I needed to get to my goal differently. I made a life change and became an entrepreneur.”

A loyal Lacerte customer since 1993, Rebecca was thrilled to be a Meet the Difference Makers Contest winner, in large part because the resulting exposure may in itself make a difference for the young architect featured in the winning story.

“When I saw the opportunity to enter the contest, I thought, ‘Wow, we need that for her. This is what my client really needs.’”

For her own professional development, Rebecca is most excited about the free admission to QuickBooks Connect that is included in the contest grand prize package. She sees it as an important training opportunity that will help her offer more value to her clients. The annual event will be held Nov. 2–4 in San Jose, Calif.

“I’ve already looked into the conference and planned out what kind of classes I can take,” she said.

Rebecca is one Intuit Difference Maker who has certainly demonstrated the ability to map out a promising future, for herself and for her clients.

Editor’s note: It’s not too late to enter Intuit’s Meet the Difference Makers Contest. Click here for more information.