The Impress Tax Services founder on why real financial freedom starts long before tax season ends
Dr. Bria Harris did not grow up with a roadmap for money. What she grew up with was the absence of one. That absence became the foundation of everything she built. Today, as the founder of Impress Tax Services and a self-made millionaire, she is spending her time making sure other people do not start from zero the way she did.
A field most people overlook
The decision to build a career in tax strategy was not accidental. Dr. Harris spoke about a career day she attended recently at a high school in Broward County, where students between 8th and 12th grade walked up to her booth with no idea what accounting was. Some had never heard the word.
“How well do you know financial literacy and how important it is beyond school?” she asked them. “Because we don’t highlight that enough in school.” For her, that moment captured exactly why she chose this field. “Especially in a minority community, we do not highlight that enough,” she said. She wanted a career with meaning, one that could fill a gap that no one else seemed to be filling.
Why financial literacy must go further than a budget
Dr. Harris is direct about what she sees as the central misunderstanding most people carry into adulthood. A budget is not a plan. A budget is a starting point, and for most people, it is one they do not even follow.
“Financial literacy isn’t just about now,” she said. “It’s about how you set yourself up for the future as well.” She pointed to retirement as one of the clearest examples. A lot of entrepreneurs do not know that they can still open a 401K or an IRA while running their own business. “Most of us don’t follow our budget,” she said. “We live beyond our means. We don’t plan for the future. We’re scared to talk about having life insurance.”
Her point was not to lecture. It was to open a door. “It’s more than just having a savings now. Let’s think about 5 years from now. Let’s think about 10 years from now. That’s how far financial planning goes.”
What a tax refund can actually do
Dr. Harris pushes back on how most people treat their annual refund. The refund is not a bonus. It is money that was already yours, and what happens to it matters.
“Most people who do get refunds don’t use them wisely,” she said. The typical pattern is familiar. A car, some bills, new furniture. “And it’s fine,” she acknowledged. “But your tax refund is just a savings.” The question she asks her clients is how they want to use that savings.
Her own answer has been consistent. Her children have IRAs. She started them at around 6 or 7 years old. “They don’t even know they have money when they turn 18,” she said. Investment properties are another option she recommends. The goal is not perfection. It is intention.
Tax entrepreneurship as a path to real income
Beyond helping clients manage their money, Dr. Harris also trains people to build businesses in the tax industry. She is careful not to oversell it. Not everyone will hit six figures in 90 days, and she says so plainly. But the ceiling is real.
“As an accountant, before I even started my own business, the average salary can be anywhere between $50K to $500,000,” she said. Once you step into entrepreneurship, that number can move significantly higher. Dr. Harris herself has had years at $1.1 million and $1.2 million in revenue, built not just on tax preparation but on tax planning, debt resolution, business startup guidance, software sales, and training.
“I tapped into a market where I’m not only doing taxes,” she said. “I know some people making three, four million a year.”
To connect with Dr. Harris, visit impresstaxservices.com, follow her on Instagram @impresstaxservice19 or call 762-217-5954.