We were lucky to catch up with Janet Berry-johnson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Janet, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I’m a CPA, and while working as a tax advisor at a CPA firm, I often met with women who didn’t have a lot of confidence around handling their day-to-day finances. Whether they were a recently divorced mom who’d never handled her own money or an independent senior who was having trouble staying on top of the deluge of bills, tax forms, and other paperwork, I could tell they felt a sense of shame around not knowing how to stay on top of these things. But really, why would they? A solid financial education is unfortunately rare in our country, so most people don’t have a deep understanding of budgeting, credit, saving for retirement, and (especially) taxes.
I started Firefly Financial Organizing to use my organizational skills and experience in personal finance, financial education, and taxes to help people gain clarity, calm, and confidence in their financial lives. Whether they just need help setting up systems to manage their finances on their own or ongoing support to stay on top of bills, prevent fraud or elder abuse, or prepare to file their tax returns, I meet them where they are and help them manage their paper, their money, and their lives.

Janet, 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?

I’ve had a few different careers over my lifetime, but the through line is a love of organizing. I took my first accounting class in high school and loved organizing all of the numbers into ledgers. That’s showing my age because although Excel was around at that time, accounting education still revolved around ledgers!
I majored in accounting in college, went to work for a CPA firm after graduation, earned my CPA license, and eventually worked my way up to a Tax Supervisor position, where I helped individuals and small business owners with tax planning and preparation. People might not think of taxes as a form of organizing, but I loved nothing more than when I client brought be a box full of receipts and other paperwork and I had to organize it into a complete and accurate tax return. It’s a lot like doing a jigsaw puzzle because you just have to work it piece by piece until it all comes together!
During that time, the firm I worked for asked everyone to contribute to the company blog. I actually really enjoyed writing and received a lot of good feedback on my writing. That lead me to my next career: freelance writer. It turns out it’s tough to find people who really understand taxes and accounting AND know how to write about it. What I thought would be a fun side hustle turned into a business pretty quickly. Again, for me, writing is about organizing. I’m not the most creative writer, but I love organizing complicated tax, accounting and personal finance topics in a way the average person can understand.
After nearly a decade of writing, I started to feel a little restless. Generative AI has kind of taken over, and writing purely SEO-focused content wasn’t igniting that passion for me. So I started thinking about what might come next. I remembered working with clients who needed help managing the daily demands of their financial lives and immediately knew I wanted to become a Daily Money Manager. Firefly Financial Organizing combines my passions for tax, financial education, and organization.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I believe the fact that I’m a CPA sets me apart in the Daily Money Management business. Entrusting your finances to a stranger can be scary. But there’s a lot of trust in the CPA brand. I think most people realize that CPAs are experts in their field and held to high standards—even if they’re not really aware of the background checks, education, testing, experience, and ethical standards we have to maintain to earn and keep a CPA license.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

I’m a member of the American Association of Daily Money Managers, so being in the member directory sends some people my way. But not many people are aware of what a DMM is. That’s why it’s so important to be active in the community. I’m a member of Omaha Women’s Network, a network of other female business owners in the Omaha area. We meet regularly in small masterminds and larger networking and educational events. When I talk to other women about my business, they almost always know someone who could benefit from my services, to those relationships are invaluable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fireflyfinancialorganizing.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fireflyfinancialorganizing/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jberryjohnson/

Image Credits

CB Yates Photography