We had the privilege of interviewing one of Ascendus’ dedicated loan consultants, Vice President of Lending: Fabiana (pictured on the left), giving you the opportunity to meet one of the individuals who truly drive our organization and makes a tangible impact in the lives of small business owners.

Q: How do you describe what you do at Ascendus?

A: From phone conversations with entrepreneurs looking for guidance on the process of getting capital for business to Zooms with local partners to identify what we can do more together in our local community. There are days where we have to be an open ear to understand the frustration each entrepreneur faces with many closed doors for projects or growth ideas. In fact, what we all do at Ascendus is to work with heart, knowledge, and passion.

Q: Do you have a favorite client success story?

A: It’s hard to identify only one client. Each leaves an impression on us. There is always a story to tell behind each project and a story to tell when we mentor our small business owners about how to read a financial statement or why a late payment shows on credit report. Our empathy identifies our organization, and this is why we are a trusted partner nationwide. This week we had an amazing afternoon with Priscilla from Earthy Chic boutique earthychic.com. We know her from the difficult times we all experienced during Covid. Priscilla’s boutique closed their doors during the pandemic, and we met her while launching a local capital initiative called RISE. Then we assisted her  with a  SOAR loan to continue recuperating sales lost because of Covid. Priscilla was kind enough to host us on her busy Monday take photos with us. This type of pure bond of collaboration we see in each loan we provide.

I ‘d like to mention Derrick from Vouke drinkvouke.com/. He is  a hard-working entrepreneur. We did a small loan amount for him, and he worked magic with his healthy beverage called Vouke. Recently Derrick participated in a local competition based on our recommendation. We were so excited when he won a $2.5k grant! This is what we do. Fight everyday for our clients.

Q: What advice would you give yourself if you were a small business owner looking for funds to better your business?

A: Every big business or idea started small. Over time, they grow and gradually, taking baby steps and without fear the entrepreneurs become are braver, stronger, and smarter than what they think can do — especially when they are surrounded by valuable partners like Ascendus and many others in the community.

Q: If you’d like, give a shout-out to a specific new client you’re really rooting for to be successful!

A: www.ebay.com/str/mavsolutions2020 [I] met Maria Osorio this month and she was amazing to work with 

And, a bonus from Fabiana…

Nothing can be done alone …shout out to my team and the entire Florida team, the teamwork makes the dream work!)