Akilah Beavers founded My Favorite Fixer out of frustration. After a sudden townhouse flooding incident left her struggling to find reliable home repair help, she realized women needed accessible handywoman resources, practical home repair classes, and a clear pathway into the skilled trades.
When you launch a business out of personal passion, the enthusiasm to serve your community often moves faster than the financial structure behind it. While her business model gained rapid traction, she soon hit a critical hurdle familiar to many growing entrepreneurs: securing capital without draining personal finances.
Like many driven founders, Akilah initially funded her business using her own personal credit cards, blurring the lines between personal debt and business expenses.
“I did not realize that I should have gone for capital beforehand,” said Akilah. “Instead, I was using my credit cards to pay for stuff.”
Akilah first connected with Operation HOPE in August 2025 during a Wealthy Woman event hosted by a Community Development Financial Institution. There, she met Operation HOPE Financial Wellbeing Coach Shakiera Carter. Soon after, she joined Coach Shakiera’s 8-week Small Business Development class with one primary objective: positioning her business to secure capital.
Coach Shakeira brought a unique perspective to their collaboration, combining her background as a former banker and entrepreneur with a straightforward, no-nonsense coaching style.
“She gives me honest advice—like very blunt, honest advice,” shared Akilah. “Sometimes you need that. It’s not going to be roses all the time, particularly in business.”
Her coaching expertise came through loud and clear when a local bank invited Akilah to apply for a $25,000 line of credit. Excited by the prospect, Akilah wanted to jump at the opportunity. But Coach Shakiera reviewed her financials, and delivered a candid reality check.
“She was like, ‘Akilah, you’re not ready.’ She told me, ‘Take the meeting, go and see what she says, but I’m telling you, you’re not ready.’ And I was all hopeful, but when I got there and put my stuff down, I just wasn’t ready,” admitted Akilah.
Coach Shakiera knew that Akilah’s debt-to-income ratio and credit score would need to cross key thresholds in order to secure capital. The takeaway became Akilah’s guiding operational principle: Know your numbers before you sit across from a funder.
Under Coach Shakiera’s guidance, Akilah built a clear roadmap to restructure her finances:
- Separate Personal and Business Finances: Hire an accountant and bookkeeper to cleanly divide personal debt from business liabilities.
- Negotiate Lower Interest Rates: Call credit card lenders directly to negotiate rates down. As a result, Akilah secured a 3% interest rate reduction for a full year.
- Implement Daily Cost-Saving Habits: Work from home and utilize public transit to save on gas, cut back on dining out, and redirect every saved dollar directly toward paying down debt.
“You can’t hide from what you owe,” said Akilah. “I’m able to have better options. When I’m going for capital with my business, I know my numbers.”
By committing to monthly coaching check-ins and disciplined tracking, Akilah transformed her financial standing. Her personal credit score climbed by over 20 points, pushing her securely past the 700 milestone.
Knowing her numbers changed her outcome at the funding table. She successfully qualified for a Kiva loan to fund critical business equipment, including power tools to expand her hands-on repair workshops.
As My Favorite Fixer approaches its five-year anniversary, Akilah is turning a profit and actively preparing for full-time entrepreneurship and future homeownership.
“We can’t go in blindly,” said Akilah. “The biggest thing is: know your numbers. Know what you’re spending and what you’ve done… Just having a consultation with an Operation HOPE counselor can help you see what you need to do.”
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