We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Allison Mott a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Allison, thanks for joining us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

I quit my job in pursuit of opening AM CPA (then known as Allison Mott CPA). I was beyond terrified and just stuck to my checklist of tasks that I needed to complete to open the business. Get insurance, buy computer/printer, get software, etc……but finding a client was not on the checklist. I was starting a business from scratch with zero clients. I felt kind of crazy for thinking I could make this happen. I was working in my spare bedroom and turning it into a full functioning office. I had gotten a Google Voice number for my business line and one day it rang. It was a business owner who had been referred to me through a friend. He wanted me to meet with him and provide a quote for service. I made an appointment to visit his office later that week. After I got off the phone I panicked! I was still working on my checklist. I needed to complete all my tasks before I could get a client. This was too soon. I was not ready! How would I even pitch my services? What would I charge? What do you wear to a client pitch meeting? I tried to put that to the back of my mind and got back to work on my list.

Later that week I met the client at his office. I don’t really remember the details of the meeting just that I think I faked my way through it ok. We had left the meeting on a positive note, but he needed to sort things out before he was ready for me to take over the account. I remember leaving the meeting and feeling so unsure about what had happened. However, it was over and I had completed my first client meeting! That was a success in itself. Luckily it was Friday and I could leave the week behind.

I can’t remember how much time had passed when he called to hire me! We agreed on an hourly rate to clean up his books. I was blown away! I had secured my first client and it was a big project! I got to work right away. I had taken a few other client meetings between our chats, but none of those had moved forward either (they eventually would).

Then came the time to issue the invoice! The first invoice I ever issued. WOW! My heart was pounding and my palms were sweating. The amount on the invoice was very easy to calculate b/c it was our agreed upon hourly rate and hours I spent on the project. Math is my comfort zone so at least that felt safe. I hit send and anxiously awaited payment.

My invoice went unpaid for a few days and then the phone rang. My client wanted to dispute my invoice. My heart sank! I did the work, put in the hours, and stuck to the agreed upon rate. I wasn’t sure what to do! I felt defeated. The funny thing is at that time it felt so huge, but I can’t remember now how the phone call ended. I know he eventually paid the invoice and I did a little more work for him the following quarter at a lower rate. However, after a small amount of time working together we decided we were not a good fit. It was a mutual decision. By the time we parted ways it was tax season and I had issued many invoices and had them successfully paid without dispute.

It is an interesting thing to look back at how our client base has grown over the years. At first, you take what you can get and often have to resort to the FIFO (first in, first out) method. Eventually you find clients that align with you and you begin to attract the right client base. It is never a smooth process though and I am thankful for every client along the way b/c each one was a milestone or taught my something I needed to learn. To all my past and current clients, THANK YOU!

Allison , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Allison Mott and I am the owner and founder of AM CPA. We are a full service CPA firm that offers small to mid-sized business accounting and consulting, business taxation, and individual taxation services.

I opened AM CPA after having spent a few years in corporate public accounting, a number of years doing accounting for non-profits, and working at a local tax/accounting firm. My passion has always been accounting, but the industry was never for me. There were so many things about the industry that never felt quite right for me. I remember when working at non-profits, my favorite compliment would be “You’re in accounting? You are really breaking the mold of what I expect from an accountant.” I loved hearing that so much b/c for so many years I felt my personality and style were held against me. I remember not exactly fitting in in my college classes and definitely not in my corporate accounting job. However, I always got straight A’s and excelled at my work.

My original intention with AM CPA (formerly known as Allison Mott CPA……b/c I am in fact left brained and not very creative) was never to start an accounting firm that was “breaking the mold.” I just wanted to do what I loved and create a space for myself in that world. I started by being your stereotypical accountant. I was very formal and wore blazers everyday but I was still myself. My personality is what sold every client in the beginning and the more I was myself the more clients I got. It took a while for me to take some of those restrictions I put on myself off and really embrace who I was.

As my client base grew I noticed a trend…..there are lot of small business owners and individuals that don’t feel welcome or valued in the traditional accounting world. There are a lot of creative business owners who don’t want to only deal with intimidating older men in suits. They want an environment where they feel respected and comfortable. The culture of AM CPA has evolved as we have grown. From adding my first employee to having a team of 3 (4 if you include myself).

We established our “Core Pillars” to define who we are and what we stand for so when times are tough, we can rely on them for support.

Those pillars are:

1. Dedication- Trust your co-workers to accomplish their tasks. Delegate without worry and minimize the need for micro-management. No one is too important to own any task.
2. Joy- Maintain positive attitude with clients and staff. Choose kindness and understanding in all situations.
3. Inspired to Innovate- Solutions based problem solvers who are constantly searching for improved ways of doing things while always staying current and relevant.
4. Break the Mold- Reinventing how the world see CPAs by proactively meeting our client’s needs. Daring to step into spaces where CPAs currently are not.
5. Client Satisfaction- Our clients get the best of both worlds: proactive communication and an accurate, timely deliverable.

I think these pillars perfectly sum up who we are. We are breaking the mold of what people expect from accountants, we provide excellent customer service, and we are constantly searching for better ways to do things. Accounting has been a static profession and our goal is to change that and bring it into the modern world.

I am most proud of the people of AM CPA. Whether that is our clients who we support or our staff who have helped grow and define the business. I love coming to work every day and I never thought that would be possible unless I changed my profession.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson I had to unlearn was there is only one way to succeed in business. The way of success I had been taught was one of rigidity and conservativeness. You needed to maintain a professional presence at all times. In your personal life and professional life b/c once you are a business owner you become your brand. This was very hard to unlearn b/c it’s so engrained into our society and especially the financial services world.

I remember at my first corporate job out of college instead of being praised for my work I was busy having discussions with management about my colorful clothes and nose ring. It was like my hard work was ignored and my differences were magnified and scrutinized.

I always saw fun and colorful business owners and thought that could never be for me b/c I was in accounting. That was for creatives, artists, and industry folk. I didn’t even stop to think that those individuals need accountants and would love to work with people like themselves that make them comfortable.

The truth is all my real success started when I started to be myself and leave the rigidity and conservativeness behind.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

There have been many times in during journey that I had to pivot. You can have an amazing idea and be certain it would work out and then the bottom drops out!

My biggest pivot to date was related to staffing. I had my team cultivated and ready to head into busy season! We worked hard to make sure all the ducks were in a row months before tax season arrived. However, life did what life does and things changed over night. I had to hire numerous staff at once to be fully prepared for busy season. I had a short time frame and a hard post-COVID market to find them in. Some how I did it. I found the perfect team, we re-organized some roles/duties, and headed into tax season! Luckily I found amazing team players that are always willing to shift on a dime and help each other out. Any time a new project or service arises they pivot too and we accomplish our goals together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://amcpakc.com/
• Instagram: @am_cpa_kc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/am.cpa.kc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-mott/

Image Credits
SSK Photos and Stef Conway at J29