Alisa McCabe Provides Financial Expertise to Business Owners

Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business:

As the proud founder of First Steps Financial I have effectively collaborated with business owners, providing expertise in tracking cash flow, streamlining processes, and organizing financials. I firmly believes that every business owner can achieve success with the appropriate tools. I hold a Bachelor’s degree from UMass/Dartmouth and I am recognized as an Advanced Certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor. My recent accomplishments include being the recipient of the 2023 NJBIZ Empowering Women award and the 2024 Princeton Mercer Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Who are your customers?

My customers are entrepreneurs who run companies between $750k-$5mm. They are passionate about what they do and are growth minded. They run professional service companies, like marketing and PR firms, educational businesses, engineering firms and Saas companies. They are located all across the country and have one thing in common, they are continuous learners.

What was your background prior to starting your own business?

Prior to starting my business I worked in sales and marketing research. I loved the story in the numbers in marketing research. From opinion polls we wove a report of what it meant now and in the future.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

While I was a stay at home mom of 6 kids I started doing some bookkeeping- I was hooked! I realized that bookkeeping, controllership and accounting are the lifeblood of the business- without it you can't make informed decisions and you can't track your success. I started taking on clients and word spread.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Yes, I always had a desire to be the master of my time and future. My father, both brothers and my husband are all entrepreneurs.

Take us back to when you first launched your business; what was your marketing strategy to get the word out and did it go as planned?

Hahaha- marketing plan? I had no idea what I was doing. I tried to put together a business plan but when I started my business, 10 years ago, there weren't many people doing fractional bookkeeping/controller work. There was no plan but it grew by word of mouth. The more clients I worked with the more they talked about the great experience they had. I actually stopped taking new clients because it was just me doing all the work and I didn't want employees at the time.

What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way so far and what have you learned from it?

My biggest challenge was going from just me to having employees. The whole hiring process is overwhelming and then you have to manage those people. It taught me how to create a process and test it. After many failings we now have a really good hiring system. I also learned how to be. a leader in a remote work environment. It takes time and you have to be willing to keep learning and evolving. Going from leading one person to 15 is a different set of skills.

What accomplishment are the most proud of to date in your business?

I am really proud of the culture I created in my business. It is exactly how I envisioned it so many years ago. Everyone has a good work life balance. People who work with us are not tied to hourly work but completing tasks. We respect each others time and we are tight knit. We joke with each other, rely on each others expertise and allow time off as needed. We are open about taking time off to be with kids or family and even have kids/dogs/cats in our meetings at times. We embrace the whole person and support them where they are. We have very little turnover in our employees and that is reinforcing that we are doing the right thing for our culture.

Do you have any recent wins from the last year that you'd like to celebrate with our community?

I was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Princeton-Mercer Chamber of Commerce. I was so proud to be recognized by this group. I have belonged to the group for a few years and know so many members. My remote team surprised me and came to the event- it was quite tearful!

What's next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

Funny you should ask- I am starting a community for female solo and small firm bookkeepers. We are setting up a course and community through Skool which will teach them what we have done in our firm to streamline processes and provide them with those processes. We are going to support these women with open sessions for them to ask questions and provide support for bookkeeping as well as the challenges of owning your own firm. I currently mentor a group of women who all own a small firm. I love it- it feeds my soul and there is nothing like helping other women succeed!

What is your top productivity tip? 

My favorite productivity tip is no meetings before 12. I do all my deep thought work in the morning.

On the flip side, how do you avoid burnout?

UGH- who doesn't have burnout! But lessoned learned....I make sure I totally disengage from work at least once a week. I do something that requires total concentration- in the winter it is skiing. I can't think about anything else while I am skiing or I will end up tumbling down the mountain. In the summer I play tennis and it has the same affect. It keeps my mind off of work and completely occupied and I get exercise!

What is your approach to work-life balance / integration?

I have always wanted a work life balance. Working all the time leads to burnout and typically health issues (yes, I had that too). I make sure that I handle crisis by taking a step back from it and reviewing from a stand point of what am I learning here. I make sure i take time for family and me- every week. My family is my priority and I tell my team this too- and I expect their families to come first too.

What is one thing you wish you had known when you started your Entreprenista journey?

You don't have to go thru this alone. There are communities of women who are out there to support you. Also follow your gut instinct on people -if you think there is a red flag THERE IS!

When hiring, what is your go-to interview question?

What specifically do love about the work you do? What is your favorite type of work? It helps to place the person doing what they love and that is win:win.

Are you a Mamaprenista? If so, please share your best advice for simultaneously managing a business and a family:

Its not easy and you have to be willing to be flexible. I use to get up before my kids- 3-4am and work. Then would get them off to school and work a few hours until pick up time. Then hang with them and drive them all over! They (my kids) are what I am most proud of and the time that I put into raising them was time well spent. As a business owner you worry about wasting time and not being productive, we only have kids for so long in our care and then they leave and have their own lives. Spend time with them when they are young, even if it means your business moves slower than you would like, you won't regret your choices.

What's the one app on your phone you absolutely cannot live without and why?

Lastpass- keeps all my passwords save so I can work from my phone too!

What is your favorite business tool or solution and why?

Using Scribehow. It is the best app ever! It shortens the time to create processes because all you do is use the Scribehow extension and then go about doing the process- it records each screen and writes a blurb about what you are doing. Makes providing instructions a dream.

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?

Find a mentor- it can help shorten the learning curve. Having a mentor was pivotal in my development as a business owner. She inspired and guided me through many challenges. We are still friends today and collaborate on some clients! It inspired me to mentor others. I currently mentor a group of women from all over the country monthly to help them with their business obstacles.

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