This was an interesting week. When it began, it felt just like any other ordinary week in the life of an entrepreneur. There were lots of meetings on my calendar, client events, and deliverables due. There were also things I was dreading—like getting my taxes done, which I always think will be worse than it is.
Since this past year was my first full year as an entrepreneur, I wasn’t sure what to expect when planning to sit down with my accountant. As we had discussed this time last year, I made a spreadsheet with all my income, tracked my expenses, and held onto my receipts. Everything was saved in its respective folder in my Google Workspace, and I felt incredibly organized. Then, on the day of my appointment, we got hit with our only heavy snowstorm of the season, which derailed my plans and canceled my in-person meeting with my accountant. Fortunately, we’ve worked together long enough that I sent her over my papers, she did my taxes, and then we discussed them over the phone.
The phone call was scheduled for this past Wednesday, and to be honest, I was panicked over it. What did I forget to do? How much money did I make? And, probably most pressing on my mind, Would she think my business was a success? Let’s sit with that last line for a minute. I didn’t worry about whether I had made enough to pay my own bills, yet I worried about what my accountant would think of me as someone starting up her own business.
To my surprise, the call eventually became one filled less with dread and more about celebrating. Celebrating myself—because I made more money from my business than I did last year. As I write this, I’m still in awe. Was it a great sum? No. Not even close. But to me, it felt like an unexpected success. I don’t know what I was anticipating I would hear from my accountant on the call, but in the back of my mind, I suppose it was probably something that sounded like judgment. I’m sure she counsels clients who make way more than I do, yet she never came from a place of sounding like, “Wow, this is all you made last year?” It was not only refreshing but also the reassurance I needed. The rest of my week suddenly started looking up, and I felt more like a CEO who just made her first dollar than I should have.
After the call with my accountant, things really started to happen. I had one person reach out about scheduling a discovery call with me, I heard back from another potential client I had sent a proposal to, and I had a coffee meeting with a second potential new client. Entrepreneurship is such a wild ride, and it still amazes me how much can change overnight.
In a way, my call with the accountant was inspiring. Despite my initial anxiety, I always feel more informed and prepared to run my business after meeting with her. The one thing I will say about working for yourself is that it’s important to have a good accountant who not only knows what they are doing but feels more like a friend in your corner. Naturally, I had to do something to celebrate this week, so I went to Trader Joe’s and treated myself to this little bouquet that makes me smile every time I look at it.
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