EBWoman Sarian Bouma - "From Welfare to Millionaire"

Born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Sarian Bouma founded Capitol Hill Building Maintenance, Inc. (CHBM), after moving to the United States in search of the proverbial American Dream. But after working in Corporate America, she quickly realized that "regular" jobs were not for her.

When, as a gift for her thirtieth birthday, her husband offered her a check to buy her dream car, a BMW, Sarian decided instead to use the money to finance her dream of becoming an entrepreneur.

Sarian approached the Maryland Small Business Development Financing Authority (MSBDFA) and, with the funds that would have paid for the BMW, applied for a business loan.

She got the loan and Capitol Hill Building Maintenance, Inc. was up and running.

Today CHBM has an impressive roster of clients throughout the Maryland and National Capital region and is recognized as one of the fastest growing small businesses in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

Sarian's success story is anything but elementary. Along the road to becoming an indisputably successful EBWoman, winning the U.S. Small Business Administration's Entrepreneur of the Year award receiving many other business awards of distinction, Sarian suffered through the pain and humiliation of poverty, abandonment and homelessness.

How did she prevail? Well not only is Sarian a survivor and a savvy entrepreneur, she is also an accomplished author. Read all about her inspiring life in her book "Welfare to Millionaire".

Purchase copy of Sarian's inspiring book