This feature is a question-and-answer session with a new Blount County Chamber member. So, here we go with our 216th installment visiting with CEO & Co-Founder of Forecastle Financial Sara Hobbs whose passion is financial literacy and she provides a service that is very much anchored in her desire to help her clients be good financial stewards.
Describe your business: Our focus is to help clients preserve their wealth, save time and be empowered to make informed and intentional financial decisions with confidence. We accomplish that by offering consistent, accurate and in-depth personal cash flow management solutions. A partnership with Forecastle Financial creates visibility in our clients’ numbers and enables them to reclaim their time and pursue their passions.
How did you begin? At the time my company was founded, I was a commercial lender at a local credit union. I had more than twenty years’ experience in banking and had no intention of leaving. I enjoyed helping business owners solve problems, create efficiencies in their businesses and realize their growth plans. I was more than content in my career. But, in July 2021, something sparked in me, and that spark grew to an all-consuming fire. I knew it was time for me to take my skills and expertise elsewhere, and the forerunner to Forecastle Financial was born.
What is your background? My banking background was diverse but consistently centered on helping customers make wise financial decisions. For fourteen years, I served in various branch banking roles, each role allowing me an opportunity to help individuals, families and small businesses with their banking and borrowing needs. I spent the last seven years as a commercial lender, assisting business owners acquire capital to grow their business operations. During my lengthy banking career, I gained the expertise I need to help simplify complex financials for my clients, replacing mystery and uncertainty with clarity in their numbers.
Describe your customers: My clients are serial entrepreneurs, business owners and affluent households with complicated personal financials that have a lot of moving parts. They have multiple revenue streams, significant expenses, several properties and household staff. Their personal cash flow is like a 1,000 piece puzzle, a jumbled picture that becomes clear when all the pieces are in place. None of them have the time to sit down and put together a 1,000 piece puzzle, so they call on me for help.