Some of you may know my story of how I started my business and became an entrepreneur, and some may not be aware that September 1, 2015 will be what I consider the 10th anniversary of Affordable Bookkeeping and Payroll Services. It’s an exciting time my for staff and I as we approach this milestone anniversary.
I technically started my own bookkeeping endeavor in December 2002, but I was working a “real job” at the time and only starting helping a business owner “on the side” as a favor to her. She was my mom’s manicurist and helped in her husband’s business doing the bookkeeping. She told me she didn’t mind invoicing the customers and paying the bills, but reconciling the accounts was a nightmare. She asked me for many months before I gave in.
Once I finally told her I’d help, I applied for my business license. Even though I was only going to help one person (so I thought) I knew I needed to be in compliance. Because I was technically working out of my home (even though I did work in their office at first), I had to pay an additional fee to have a home operating permit. When I realized that the income I’d earn was not much more than what I had to pay for these licenses, I decided to look for a few more clients to make the investment worth it.
In 2004, my husband told me to leave my job and focus on growing my business. Most of the time I would drive to the clients’ locations and do the work on their computers. In 2005 I was introduced to an entrepreneur who had a bookkeeping/payroll/tax preparation business who was looking to find someone to take over the 30 or so bookkeeping and payroll clients she had as she no longer wanted to handle that aspect due to her assistant leaving on maternity leave and the potential that she would not return.
As we discussed how this transition would occur, she suggested I work at one of the desks in her office, name my business “Affordable something” so we could use the same telephone lines (her business started with Affordable), and her clients could get to know me as we worked together. Everything seemed to fall into place, and I began learning her processes in mid-August 2005. The official date I began operating as Affordable Bookkeeping and Payroll Services was September 1.
I am having an anniversary celebration in my office and my staff and I are looking forward to it. Having my employees help plan the event and come up with ideas has been a lot of fun for us all. I am looking forward to having my clients stop by and celebrate with us, and hoping to meet some in person who have only communicated to us through phone or e-mail. And of course I’m going to have a photographer here to document in picture many of the memories.
Are you in our local area? Stop by and see us! Our open house is 3:00-5:00 on September 1st in my office located at 24404 S. Vermont Ave. Suite 207 in Harbor City CA. If you can make it, please give us an RSVP at the bottom of this blog, on social media, sending an e-mail to [email protected] or calling 310-534-5577. I hope you can celebrate with us!
