Melinda has accumulated over 25 years of experience managing and directing a small business. Her background in theater, her unbridled energy, and her thirst for financial knowledge enable her to quickly understand each client’s particular business needs.

Since founding ZümiFi Inc. (previously Phillips Business Consulting) in 2001, Melinda has helped hundreds of business owners through one-on-one consulting services, ongoing bookkeeping/accounting services, QuickBooks consultations, Cloud integration work, and through her popular, effective and inspirational financial education classes.

Her use of humor and common sense has helped a wide variety of business owners fully understand the financial relationships that exist and often drive their business.

From 1990 to 2000, Melinda was hired as the bookkeeper for The Balloon Lady®, the world’s premier balloon delivery and decór business. With 14 full-time staff people and over $1 million in annual sales, this first step in her career provided her with a unique, intensive education in how to successfully manage a fast-growing business, the unique personality of each client, and why customers choose to buy their products and services.

Previously, Melinda combined her deep, practical experience with a strong theoretical background, completing a Master of Science of Business Administration from S.F. State University with an emphasis on Business Analysis. She believes that her greatest strength is her ability to listen to the needs of business owners, and provide common sense, practical approaches to their challenges.

Her broad view on business is a direct result of her varied background. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Union College in Albany, NY, double majoring in Philosophy and Political Science. Upon graduation, she received a fellowship and pursued a 15-month independent study of Latin American political and street theater, traveling to Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Colombia.

When she’s not deeply engaged with her clients, she enjoys listening to blues or jazz music, cheering for the Stanford Women’s basketball team or the San Francisco Giants, or savoring time with her family.