Small Business Spotlight- D.L. Hulse Consulting LLC

Dwight L. Hulse, Founder & President of D.L. Hulse Consulting, LLC

1. Tell us about your business; and what is your business philosophy?

D.L. Hulse Consulting, LLC, is a CFO Advisor Services Company.  Simply stated, we help small business owners (SBO) increase profits.

We reduce SBOs anxiety by providing clarity and peace of mind so they make better business decisions.  We fill the gap between the SBOs’ bookkeeper and tax preparer by showing SBOs how to use their existing financial and nonfinancial data to increase revenues, monitor costs, and manage risks resulting in improvements in profits.  Some of our tools employed include strategic financial planning, forecasting, and budgeting to help SBOs proactively manage their businesses.  We believe that SBOs should direct their businesses and not the other way around.

Since small businesses are the drivers of economic prosperity in any community, our goal is to increase their probability of success so that all those stakeholders and individuals who depend on them (e.g. local vendors, non-profits, financially stretched families, single mothers and fathers, college students, etc.) may not only survive but also achieve a respectable quality of life.  We succeed when our clients and the community succeed.

2.       Why are you passionate about your commitment to United Way’s Community Investment Fund?

For years I made my community investment primarily through my church and I continue to support them.  However, as a person schooled in finance and economics, upon introduction to the United Way’s Community Investment Fund, I understood clearly the multiplier effect of a dollar that the Fund generates.  Therefore, it was a natural extension of my ROI philosophy to invest in the Fund because I knew my investment could help more organizations and individuals in the community through the Fund’s multiplier effect.  As a former auditor, my mind is also set at ease because of the accountability and transparency that is built into the Fund’s governance and I can rest assure that the money will be used for the purposes for which it was designated.  Charity Navigator additionally attests to both assertions in their charity score and star rating of the United Way.

3.       What is something interesting or surprising that most people don’t know about you?

I had a successful senior management banking position with Citibank in Guatemala but gave it up for security reasons and came to the US to start from scratch.  The first two years were tough as I begged lodging from my sister, took university courses, and lived off my savings because I did not have a work visa.  Just when all the employment opportunities I pursued across the southeast US seemed closed, UF came through with a job offer and work visa sponsorship, landing me in Gainesville, FL.

4.       What would your older self tell your younger self?

“Remember to put God first, family second, and yourself last.  Live each day as if it was your last day here on this earth.  Make a positive difference in the lives of the people you meet.  You will get the greatest rewards from the biggest calculated risks you will take.  Your attitude will determine how much you enjoy your life experiences.”

5.       What is your favorite quote?

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32 (KJV)