Hello Taylor! Please share a brief introduction about yourself.
I'm Taylor, the founder and head bookkeeper at Bookkeeping Brunette. I have a bachelor's degree in corporate finance and accounting and have been working as an accountant in the startup space for the last 6 years. I also ran my own small business pre-pandemic so I know the struggle of trying to run a business while also keeping up with monthly bookkeeping. I am not your traditional accountant; I understand the online business space and know how to communicate on a human level. No confusing accounting terms here! I am on a mission to educate entrepreneurs on the importance of using their financial statements to make educated business decisions and grow profitable businesses.
What excites you about being an Entreprenista League member?
I love getting to meet women from all over the country with different perspectives and ideas that are all driven to grow businesses that will change the world. The women in this community take their businesses seriously and are willing to put in the work to make them successful!
So Taylor, what made you take the leap to start Bookkeeping Brunette.?
I am tired of the archaic values of the corporate work environment and hustle culture. I wanted to build a business that treated my clients as people and not just a number. And gave me the opportunity to work when and where I wanted to.
What was your background prior to starting Bookkeeping Brunette?
I have a bachelors degree in corporate finance and accounting and have worked as an accountant in the start-up space for the last 6 years. Through my corporate experience I have worked in a variety of companies from early stage to post IPO.
Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?
Yes! I wanted to be an entrepreneur for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I wanted to own my own fashion label and made full business plans. As I grew up the ideas changed, but I always knew I would work for myself one day.
When launching a new business, spreading the word is so important! Take us back to when you first launched your business, what was your marketing strategy to get the word out?
When I first started my business, I just used Instagram as my marketing strategy. Which was not a good one. I figured I would find a few clients and then could use word of month. I spent months fighting the algorithm and realized it was not the best used of my time. Now I spend my time networking with other entrepreneurs and spend very little time on my Instagram.
Entreprenistas face daily challenges. What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way?
One of the biggest challenges I have faced is defining who I wanted my ideal client to be. I feel like there is so much talk about figuring out your ideal client when you are in the early stages of your business but until you start working with different clients and talking to potential clients it is really hard to figure out who you want to work with. My ideal client has changed completely since I started my business.
So Taylor, what is the accomplishment you are the most proud of to date?
I am really excited to be giving a bookkeeping mini workshop at a local conference later this month.
Do you believe in work/life balance? What are some of your best tips?
Yes! it is the main reason I started my business. Some things I like to do to keep balance in my life is block of time for working out. I book my pilates classes 2 weeks in advance and make sure to block them off on my calendar, so nothing gets booked on top of them. I also make sure to get outside each day for a walk as it gives my brain a break from constantly going. Calendar blocking has also been really useful for me so I can be intentional with the time that I am spending on my business.
What's a piece of advice you can share that you wish you'd known when you first started your Entreprenista journey?
Social media makes it seem like you are going to start a business and be profitable within a few months. Well in some cases this is possible you have to put in a lot of work that nobody sees before your business is profitable. Profits don't just come overnight and you have to make sure your business is set up for success- setting up a business account, an LLC, putting the proper legal documents in place etc. Most of the time when you are starting a business you have to do the non-glamourous stuff first
Taylor you have lots to celebrate! What have you achieved recently that you'd like to celebrate with our community?
I am excited that I have identified my ideal client and have booked bookkeeping workshops for the new year and podcast guest spots to talk more about the importance of bookkeeping.
What's next for Bookkeeping Brunette? What can we expect to see over the next few years?
I would like to add on a full scale CFO service and a workshop for business owners who need accounting support but can't yet hire a bookkeeper
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About the Author
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