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Hi, I’m Sonia. I am originally from Puerto Rico (born and raised). We moved to the States in 1998. I have a daughter in college, Nathalie. My husband, Javier, has been in the Army for 22 years. He will be retiring soon. We’ve been stationed at two posts; Ft. Drum and Ft. Bragg. I studied accounting and finance at the University of Puerto Rico. Additionally, I have a MBA from Methodist University plus a CPA (certified public accountant) license from NY & NC.

I founded SIR Accounting and Tax. We provide tax and bookkeeping services to individuals and small businesses.

What was your first move towards working in a remote capacity and/or becoming a military spouse entrepreneur?

I started years ago by preparing individual tax returns at home while I was working full-time. Many of my clients are military and are located all over the world.

What is your definition of military spouses as an ‘untapped resource’?

A woman with a great deal of potential, education, and experience who people don’t approach due to lack of knowledge and misconceptions.

What would you tell other military spouses looking to start a professional career?

Don’t hesitate. Whatever they want to do they can do it. It’s all about the mindset and setting specific goals. They need to do it for themselves.

If you were put on a panel involved in an initiative to improve military spouse employment opportunities and corporate awareness of the MadSkills that professional spouses bring to the workforce, what suggestions would you make?

I’d point out that times have changed. The fact that military families move is no different than civilians changing jobs every 2-3 years. Employers need to be more open and drop the assumptions that military spouses will not be good employees.

Connect with Sonia at siraccountingtax.com.