As a young teenager riding horses, I gained the nickname “The Horse Whisperer” because I had an ability to work with difficult horses and an ability to pinpoint injuries in the horses I worked with regularly.
At the time, I didn’t feel like there was anything special about me. I simply took the time to approach each animal to understand its history and experiences and on the level where it was ready to meet me. I found injuries because I sat quietly with the animals and paid attention to subtle changes and differences.
In my professional experience, I’ve found that these skills have enhanced my practice of accounting. I like to approach each business relationship with an understanding of that person’s background and experiences and their hopes and dreams for the future.
Working for a public school district, I found myself working with primarily non-financial people for the first time. I was successful in the role because I took the time to get to know the people I worked with regularly and develop authentic personal relationships.
Through these relationships, I developed a deeper understanding of each person’s background, needs, and goals. This understanding shaped my approach when I needed to explain difficult or technical materials, solve problems or make recommendations.
My greatest sense of achievement came when several key people let me know that they felt safe asking me questions or admitting they didn’t know something. This position, in particular, highlighted for me the communication gap between many financial and non-financial people.
As an experienced accounting professional, working with money and compliance issues is part of my everyday life. However, throughout my career, I have observed in my work with many non-financial people that these topics are challenging and often deeply emotional for others. I also observed that many members of my profession do not respect or even acknowledge this fact.
This realization awakened a deep calling to help non-financial people better understand and have a better relationship with financial information. As I explored my calling, I found myself particularly drawn to working with small business owners. The passion and ingenuity of entrepreneurs have always inspired me.
I started my career working as an auditor, and my favorite part of that work was meeting different business owners and learning about what they do. Their passion and enthusiasm for their business was contagious, and I could spend hours listening to them talk about what they do. It was also clear many of these smart, hardworking, passionate people were deeply uncomfortable with the financial aspects of their business.
Years later, as I reflected on these experiences, I knew my purpose was to work with small business owners who want to do things the right way but need help getting there. Based on my experience working with animals, I also knew that the right approach was to work with each person individually, understanding their business history and what they are looking to achieve before taking action or making recommendations.
My work at the school district taught me to be mindful and respectful of many people’s deep emotional responses to financial topics. Relationships built on trust and respect would be the foundation of my business and the key to my success and the success of my clients.
