We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Katie Beaver. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Katie below.
Katie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Back in 2006, I was working full-time in an accounting position and I had a friend who was a CPA. A client they were working on had financials that needed major reconstruction before taxes could be filed and he asked me if I had the time to take it on. I loved the challenge, completely overhauling what had been done, cleaning it up, making it accurate to bank statements and then sent it back to the CPA. He liked my work and started referring me occasional clients. To this day that is still the messiest set of books I’ve ever seen.
I realized over time, that the work I was doing 40 hours a week with all the limitations, while I was doing a great job, just wasn’t fulfilling and I didn’t feel appreciated. Yet the work I was doing after hours, often late at night after the kids were in bed was exciting, it was challenging, I was facing new problems to be solved, and each new client was a new person that I could help relieve their stresses with their business or personal finances and I was feeling such a connection with each one. I think the unique approach I have, and what surprises people when we talk or meet is that I’m such a people person and a high extrovert, and I don’t think they expect that from someone who also likes numbers or accounting. But the truth is I really like people and I like to solve problems, and I just happen to also be good with numbers.
Finally in 2011 we relocated to Ventura and I took that opportunity to retain my employer as a client at half-time for one year while I built my business with all the energy I had. This summer we moved to San Diego where I am again working to establish myself in a new place.
Katie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My interest in accounting goes back to the 7th grade when my sister didn’t want to do her 12th grade accounting homework and I asked her if I could try. With no accounting background I figured out her homework and I was so proud of myself, and I don’t know if that is something to brag about now that I think about it.
When I got to college I was a business major and took a lot of accounting classes, but took a break from college to work full-time and ended up working in my first accounting job when I was 20. I spent a lot of time working full-time in various accounting positions, gaining lots of accounting knowledge before starting my own business where I gained even more knowledge.
Working with so many different types of businesses presents different types of challenges and problems to solve, so I appreciate the successes we’ve shared and the tools I’ve added to my toolbelt that I can draw from so others can gain from those experiences. I love it when a new client calls and has a particular struggle, and I can pull from the database in my brain that says…I’ve solved something like this and it worked…let’s try it. And I can’t rest until I solve it, whatever it is, I refuse to give up…because it can be solved.
Once my business was in full swing and things got really busy, I had the crazy idea to finish my degree with both kids in school. So I did eventually get my degree in accounting, graduating in 2022, the same year my daughter graduated from high school. I think it was helpful having so much accounting knowledge and experience to help with my upper-level accounting classes.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
When I first was starting out (I see now) that I really struggled with knowing my value. I stayed in employed jobs for too long where I was undervalued and as a result I was now a nervous self-employed person trying to put myself out there almost apologetically. When people would ask my rate I felt I had to explain it or talk it down, and when I was first getting clients, the scope of services I provided was so broad I think I would almost take their trash out. Not quite, but I’m not far off. It took some time of personal growth for me to start to recognize the value that I can bring to my clients, and the strength that I have as a person, to begin to really shake off those old habits.
As my client list started to grow, and my confidence in my work and myself grew, I also started to begin to evaluate my values, my work day and the morale in my office, even though I was self-employed and worked alone. I realized that I had some clients that I had originally brought on because I needed to build my client portfolio that weren’t exactly a fit and weren’t as respectful of me as I should have required, and either some changes needed to be made or we needed to part ways. I felt a sense of agency when I realized that I had finally reached the place where I could create a space that was healthy, non-toxic, and a place of mutual respect. I value my clients and enjoy working with them, and I so appreciate the trust they place with me, and so it’s important that the environment we share be healthy and one of mutual trust and respect.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Well like I’ve mentioned before, I am a people person and from what I regularly hear from clients, that is unusual for a person in the accounting field, so that seems to stand out. If I’m completely honest, as a high extrovert that works from my home office, it gets too quiet to work, so I usually have a movie on in the background that I’ve seen a hundred times to make it feel like there is something going on or people around me.
I think the thing that has really helped to build my reputation is the referrals of others. I have several CPAs that like the work that I do and send their clients to me, or current clients tell their friends or associates about me who are looking for a bookkeeper. I’ve been fortunate to have great reviews on Yelp and I get a lot of activity from there, however I just moved to San Diego so I need to start again in my new community here. So I would say people. Connecting with people, being friendly and also referring out to others for their business. We really need each other and we have to be able to depend on what we can bring each other.
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