“Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.”
Dr. Mae Jemison, First African-American female astronaut
Cameo Roberson is a Business Coach and Operations Strategist, Founder of Atlas Park where she provides financial advisory firms and wealth management partners with guidance on operations and management, business planning and development, and improved programs to manage people, process and technology. Tactics learned from a highly regulated profession, is where service based entrepreneurs find her valuable as a Virtual COO, to help companies scale responsibly, control the chaos and bring balance to revenue generation!
Prior to launching her firm, Cameo served as an operations advisor at several independent fee-only RIAs. She uses her expertise to help business owners organize what they need to grow strategically, avoid burnout and save time. Her articles and expanding work have been highlighted in FORBES, Investment News, Financial Planning Magazine, NAPFA Advisor Magazine, The Journal of Financial Planning and in several other media outlets.
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Tell us a bit more about your background - where are you from, anything you wish to share about yourself personally, what inspired you to choose your specific area of education and eventual career?
Bay Area native, born/raised in Redwood City, CA. At the age of 12, I decided I wanted to earn some extra money. It was probably to go shopping or to the movies with my friends! I got this idea to ask my neighbors if I could rake the leaves from their front yards. I made $30 my first day. From that point on, I knew that earning my own money was something I wanted to continue!
As a teenager, I continued to earn my own money through odd jobs, babysitting and neighborhood events! The entrepreneurial seed was planted, but it was not until I took an entrepreneurship course in college that I decided to major in Business Administration, with an emphasis in International Business.
I actually fell into financial planning and wealth management after I returned home from college, student loans in tow. It was a decision that shaped my career path and led me to the ultimate opportunity to start my own business providing service to financial advisory firms.
What are you most proud of in your life and why?
I am most proud of stepping out of my comfort zone in 2007 and travelled to Ghana, West Africa for a medical and humanitarian mission.
What is something most people might not know about you?
Many people may not know that I am a big basketball fan, played in high school, intramural leagues during and after college.
Can you tell me about someone who has had a huge influence on your life? What lessons did that person teach you?
My parents have had a huge influence on my life. Collectively they taught me to have a strong faith, love and believe in myself and to pursue my goals with determination!
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Don’t be harder on yourself than others are! Be kind to yourself.
Who/what inspires you and why?
I am inspired by people who have had extreme difficulties in life, yet are able to rise above and be successful. It reminds me that my problems are only as big as I make them out to be.
If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be and why?
I would want to meet Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to the United States Congress in 1968. In 1972, she became the first African-American candidate for a major party’s nomination for President of the United States. For a woman to do this in the late 60’s and 70’s is amazing in so many ways. I’d want to hear what inspired her to step out during a time when women, let alone black women were seen in a subservient light.
What does it "honoring and celebrating black excellence" mean to you?
Honoring and celebrating “black excellence” to me is remembering that I come from a long line of amazing, talented and resilient individuals who have set the stage for where I am today. I honor them and myself when I can acknowledge their struggles and embrace the opportunities they set before me.