Back to SearchWritten by: Abigail Guevara, Senior Content Writer – Freelance
Diverse Financial Group provides financial services; including income tax preparation (personal and small business), bookkeeping and payroll. Susan Harris, a Certified Bookkeeper, founded, owns, and has operated her business for 19 years.
How I Found an Appreciation for Numbers
Now well experienced and knowledgeable, Susan first found her talent for numbers in her early teen years when she began assisting her uncle with his tax business.
"I started helping him while I was only in Grade 8," Susan recalls. "I used to help him every year during tax season into my ‘20s."
Her early exposure to the financial world became an unintentional apprenticeship for Susan and laid the foundation for her future career.
"It was a good experience because he taught me without pushing me. It felt like a natural fit, and I was good at it," Susan notes.
Stepping into Independence
As a young woman, Susan eventually took over her uncle's business, transforming it into something uniquely her own. In 2005, she officially began her solo entrepreneurial venture part time, while maintaining her full-time position with the Toronto Sun in Accounts Receivable; and later as a Cash and Banking Financial Analyst. Despite her full-time commitments, Susan stayed on the course as she helped others navigate their own finances. Ultimately, her career took a significant turn when Susan was working with the Superior Court of Justice in The Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee. There, she helped deliver a range of services to safeguard the legal, personal, and financial interests of certain private individuals and estates.
Yet, Susan felt the pull to invest fully in her own business and build Diverse Financial Group. She was ready to take the risk of leaving the security of her permanent, 9-to-5 job, but what she didn’t know at the time was that her entrepreneurial journey would lead her to continue to helpless fortunate people.
Building and Giving Back
Initially, there was a significant dip in personal finances as she launched Diverse Financial Group full-time, but Susan never wavered. She grew a loyal client base of returning clients.
Though now working in a solo capacity, she missed the social aspect of teammates and remembered the rewarding feeling of helping others. So Susan started volunteering at the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP),part of the Canadian Revenue Agency, to help low-income earners at the Welcome Centre in Ajax.
"Many of these people are in transition and are in a difficult financial place, so I would volunteer my time to do their tax returns at no charge," Susan explains. “They need their returns to help them get back on their feet.”
Free tax clinics in the Durham Region make a substantial impact. In fact, in 2022 tax clinics held across Durham Region led to over $10 million in benefits for low-income residents; the average return was close to $4,000 per person (based on data collected from 10 partners of the Community Tax Clinic Community of Practice).
“Millions of dollars are claimed that are due to many people who can’t afford to pay to file their taxes but are owed returns, such as back payments of pensions,” Susan explains.
Susan valued what this organization did because they helped newcomers and people with mental health challenges to get organized financially. She found the experience profoundly rewarding.
Innovating with Purpose
It was while volunteering at CVITP in Oshawa’s social services office that Susan's innovative spirit led her to pioneer the Tax Drop Off Program in 2019. Her program allows clients to drop off their documents for tax preparation and pick up their completed tax files later, making it more convenient and easier to file. It is a model that has now been adopted by most tax clinics in Durham Region.
"I used strategy and genuine concern for the people we are providing this service to, so they can increase their chances of filing every year,” says Susan.
It is an approach that highlights her sensitivity and care in handling personal financial matters. She still includes a percentage of non-paying clients in her Diverse Financial Group business portfolio as well.
Organizing for the Future
Today, Susan's passion extends to helping young people. "I love to assist youth, showing them the basics of finances and especially the importance of being organized," she shares. “Organization is key to success.”
Diverse Financial Group and Susan’s volunteerism is a testament to her dedication to doing excellent work, her commitment to her clients’ financial health, and her community’s well-being.
Susan has contributed her personal touch to the world of finance. Many are better off as a result.
Innovation and Inclusivity: Stories from Durham Region's Black Business Leaders, Entrepreneurs, and Professionals is a series of stories about thriving Black professionals choosing to do business in Durham Region.
