We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shannon Simmons. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shannon below.
Shannon, 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?
Years ago, despite working in accounting and bookkeeping, Shannon found herself in the uncomfortable position of not being able to pay her tax bill. (She was telling clients to save for taxes and not doing the same for herself. Oops!) Shannon discovered Profit First and it changed her life and her business. Since then, She’s become a Profit First Certified Professional and over the last decade has helped hundreds of clients create profitable businesses using this time-tested system. When she’s not meeting with entrepreneurs or assessing their businesses she enjoys time with her husband and two children serving in their community, playing and watching sports, marveling at nature or reading a good book.
After two years in public accounting she saw a need to work for small business owners to teach them how to grow financially healthy businesses. She has built on her Master of Accountancy degree from Manchester University by becoming a Certified Profit First Professional and a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor.
Since 2017, she has specialized in working with businesses in the wellness industry, those who have a heart for helping their students and clients to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
5 years into business, I had a tax bill I couldn’t pay. I’ve found this isn’t uncommon for most growing businesses, however, as an accountant that brought me a significant amount of shame. I was supposed to be helping my clients avoid this and yet, here I was with the very same issue.
Within months, I had paid off the tax bill AND set up a bank account so that never happened again. Then a few months later I was introduced to a system that expanded on this one bank account so I also had profit in my bank account at the end of every quarter as well as always enough to pay payroll, all other operating expenses AND could make very informed financial decisions very quickly.
I introduced this system to all my clients and not only did we survive that tax debt we thrived when we turned it into a system for our clients.
Any advice for managing a team?
For me, managing and maintaining all starts at the beginning in the hiring process. Hire for values and personality, those things are very difficult, if not impossible to change. Skills can be taught.
When you hire based on values and personality, the managing and maintaining morale are easy because there is a synergy amongst the team and the leaders.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fitforprofit.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fit4profit/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fit4profit
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonsimmonsffp/
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/groups/313156582440677