Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rebekah Polley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Rebekah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about your team building process? How did you recruit and train your team and knowing what you know now would you have done anything differently?

I started off as a one woman show, trying to figure out what exactly I wanted to do. I started Perfectly Polley off as a virtual office management company, and realized I was gifted in and I found joy helping my clients make sense of their books. I worked in the accounting world for 11 years before I started my own business… So I changed paths to be focused on the books for my clients. I thought it would just be me as I just wanted to make enough to help my family thrive without sacrificing time with them as they grew up. Around year 2 I needed help with data entry and my sister-in-law was having trouble finding a job after she graduated with her accounting degree. COVID was shutting things down, but my business was growing and I decided I could use her help since I now needed to virtually homeschool my kids (schools weren’t open and were providing schoolwork online). We continued to grow, and I started dreaming of what it would look like to have an internship for young adults aging out of the foster care system who were also wanting to stay in school. My sister (now my CFO) reached out about what I did to start my bookkeeping and accounting firm because she was thinking about starting her own. I asked her to consider working for me and eventually running my bookkeeping team so I could focus on the internship and the client relationships. We are now a team of 9, 3 full-time, 4 part-time, and an intern, and looking to add another intern. We have had to build training modules as we grow, but we have been blessed with some teachers who needed to be home with kids during COVID. Training focuses on bookkeeping skills and on being trauma informed leaders (no matter the position) for our non-intern positions, as well as life skills (budgeting, laundry, applying for scholarships, etc) for our interns. We have now grown to having an interview process, but we look more for teachability than already having with the necessary skills.

Rebekah, 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?

Perfectly Polley is a bookkeeping and accounting firm for small to medium businesses. I started in the accounting world 11 years ago as a receptionist in an insurance office, then was taught accounts payable, then accounts receivable, then premium taxes, then the CPAs I was working for decided they want to see what I could do with journal entries and bank recs. Which led to me having more opportunities to keep learning the world of accounting. Because of how I learned, I am able to talk to my clients in English with words and concepts they understand so they are able to make smart business decisions to propel their business forward. We also think everyone can be good stewards of their money, they likely just need help taking the fear and confusion out of it.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Find a social media team who will take the time to understand the heart behind your business. Social media is not my area of genius and I shouldn’t spend my time there. So I found (well they found me) a company that cares about the heart of the business they are helping represent. If you’re looking for someone, reach out to Alex with the Social Consultants who creates the content for my social media platforms, Dixon with Mammoth Creative Group who helps me make all my videos and helps me improve my website, and Mandy with Mandy Liz photography is my favorite brand photographer. I have the best collaboration partners in my corner!!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Delight and exceed your current client’s expectations!! People don’t like to shop around, and a client singing your praises does most of the selling for you!! All of my clients come from current client referrals.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.perfectlypolley.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/PerfectlyPolley
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebekah-polley

Image Credits
Mandy Liz Photography