Meet Ani Miller: The Ani Miller Services Story by U.S. Century Bank

During Small Business Month, U.S. Century Bank, a strategic partner of the firm, shared Ani Miller’s story: how she built a multiservice company out of her own experience, and how trust, relationships and personal, hands-on banking helped her turn challenges into opportunities for growth.

The video is in English.

The full conversation

In this short video produced with U.S. Century Bank, Ani Miller, founder of Ani Miller Services, tells in her own words how her multiservice company was born from her own experience as an immigrant, how her relationship with her bank supported her at every stage of growth and what advice she gives to those who are starting a business. The video is in English; here we present it in full.

A good banking relationship, the key to success

Ani opens the video with an idea that sums up her vision as a businesswoman.

It is very important to have a good banking relationship with a financial institution that can support you and guide you in your vision for growing your business. It is the key to success.

She introduces herself as the owner of a multiservice company, whose services include:

• Personal and corporate taxes.
• Real estate services.
• Insurance.
• Immigration services.

All of it, she explains, is based on her experience as an immigrant in the United States. Ani is an accountant by profession.

An IRS letter that changed everything

Even with that background, when she arrived in the country the same thing happened to her that happens to any immigrant: she hired someone to do her taxes. Shortly afterward she received a letter from the IRS and, like anyone would, she got scared. She contacted the person who had provided the service, but they did not help her.

I truly felt very scared and frustrated. And I thought: maybe this isn’t happening only to me, but to other people too.

That experience led her to get trained and study so she could know and understand the tax system better. That is how the company began.

The loan and the call from the bank

To give her business a boost, Ani applied online for a loan with the SBA, the federal agency that supports small businesses. Shortly afterward she received a call from Juan Rincón at U.S. Century Bank. She shared that she was moved that everyone she spoke with gave the same or a similar testimony about how close they felt to the bank.

Her own office and growth through referrals

When she opened her office, she recalls, there was “a boom” of clients. People loved having a place where they could meet with her and feel at ease, and the company started growing quickly thanks to recommendations from the clients themselves.

Her best day in business? Ani says she lives it every day, every time a grateful client thanks her.

A 30-minute response policy

Her office has a clear rule: if someone sends a message, no more than 30 minutes can go by before a person responds.

When someone contacts us, it’s because they have a problem. So we have to be the solution.

Why she chose U.S. Century Bank

Ani explains that she chose U.S. Century Bank because of how good the relationship has been, because of how close and accessible they are and because of the excellent service she has received. They were always there to support her, even outside business hours, something that surprised her and that she describes as truly personalized service.

Her advice for those starting a business

To close, Ani shares the advice she would give anyone who is starting their company:

• First of all, believe in yourself.
• Look for a relationship with a bank that lets you grow hand in hand.
• Choose an institution that will truly lend you a hand in that process, as happened to her when her company took a step as important as buying its own office.

In just over two minutes, Ani’s story shows how a personal problem became a business serving her community, and how trust, both with clients and with a bank that is close to you, can make the difference in a company’s growth.

Video: U.S. Century Bank.

This article is an English translation of the original Spanish version. Quotes have been translated from Spanish. Leer en español.