It’s All in the Numbers with Samantha Santaniello, Partner at R.S.K. Tax and Consulting LLC

Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business:

I am a mom of two adorable kids, a wife to an amazing husband, and a partner at R.S.K. Tax and Consulting LLC. I love waking up early to focus on myself before the kids wake up, so I can get my mind right for the day. My morning routine is so important to me because it sets the tone for my day. My passion is educating and supporting women-owned businesses on the importance of understanding the tax law and how to take full advantage of it. Why give more to Uncle Sam more money than you have to?

What excites you about being an Entreprenista League member?

I love to network, especially with like-minded women. I love to hear everyone’s stories and how they go to where they were because my past and what I have been through is the reason why I am where I am today and I’m grateful for all the challenges and heartbreaks and setbacks I have come across.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

I wanted flexibility and to be able to control my own destiny. Most importantly, I wanted financial freedom and to be able to control my time so I can be more present with my family.

What was your background prior to starting your own business?

I have been a CPA for 15 years. I graduated from Fordham university and started my career at one of the big four accounting firms: KPMG. I then worked in private and non for profit prior to starting my own business.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

To be honest I didn’t. After my mom passed away 5 years ago, everything changed. My whole perspective on life changed.

Take us back to when you first launched your business, what was your marketing strategy to get the word out, and did it go as planned?

With an accounting and tax business, the majority of the clients are referrals and word of mouth. I then started to market on Instagram, but I was attracting the wrong clients. we just started with SEO and I am excited to see the results.

What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way and what did you learn from it?

My biggest challenge is setting boundaries for myself with my business. I always felt like I had to answer my clients right away and everything was an emergency and it affected my relationship with my kids and husband. I started a business so I can set my own schedule and it actually was worse because I became obsessed. I learned that it’s okay to answer an email a day later and that I need to set boundaries from the beginning. I love what I do and being there for my clients but I need to make sure I separate what’s urgent and what can wait so it doesn’t affect my time with my kids and family.

What is the accomplishment you are the proudest of to date?

How this business is growing is so exciting to me. I love helping my clients with all financial-related things and it has changed their lives. Finances are one of the biggest stress factors in many people’s lives and RSK is able to reduce that stress.

Do you believe in work/life balance? What are some of your best tips?

My best tip for making sure you have time for what’s important to you is planning your day, weeks, and months. It doesn’t always go to plan but having a plan helps tremendously. Figure out what’s important to you and what your priorities are and the things that are not important to you but prevent you from doing the things you love, and try to outsource them. For example, I hired a cleaning service to clean my house because I rather spend time with my kids and husband or help my clients than clean the house. Not only did I give myself that time back but I’m also helping a local business by utilizing their services.

What’s a piece of advice you can share that you wish you’d known when you first started your Entreprenista journey?

You don’t need to have all the answers to start, just start. Every step is closer to your dream. It’s ok to fail. I was so scared to fail which is why I struggled in the beginning but once I accepted my failures, I learned what worked and what didn’t work.

What have you achieved recently that you’d like to celebrate with our community?

I left my full-time W2 Job to run my business full-time and really excited to see where this goes

What’s next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

To continue to help and support more business owners on their journey from a financial perspective. We will continue to educate business owners on the importance of understanding your numbers. Your numbers are the brain of your business and if the brain doesn’t work, the business cannot sustain itself and will want to ensure it doesn’t happen to our clients.

 Learn more about the Entreprenista League and join today!