The Smartest Hire I Made for My Business (And Why You Should Too)

When I first started my company, I was doing everything myself. Like, literally everything. Sales pitches? Me. Client presentations? Me. Writing contracts? Still me. I thought being a one person team was the best way to stay in control and keep costs down.

But then reality hit.

Have you ever heard the saying, “A jack of all trades is a master of none?” At first, I thought doing it all was empowering. But the truth? It was just exhausting.

Nobody can prepare you for how much mental energy running a business takes, especially when you’re doing it all alone.

For me, every day meant switching between 10 different roles: sales, marketing, admin, legal, customer service, and bookkeeping (which, spoiler alert, is not my strength). I was trying to manage spreadsheets, track expenses, send invoices, and keep my finances up to date. Here’s what I realized: Not having an accountant wasn’t saving me money. It was costing me.

Looking back, trying to DIY my business finances, in the beginning, led to three big problems

1. I missed out on tax savings: I didn’t know there were deductions and credits I was missing out on! My home office? My car mileage? Who knew they could potentially be tax deductions?

2. Financial blind spots: Without expert guidance, I was making decisions that could’ve turned into costly mistakes. I didn’t realize I wasn’t classifying certain expenses right and even missing filing deadlines.

3. I wasted valuable time: Every hour spent in spreadsheets was an hour not spent growing my business, finding new clients, or improving my app.

The stress was real. And deep down, I knew I couldn’t do it all long term. Once I admitted that to myself, everything changed! And when I finally brought an accountant onto my team, I felt a huge weight off my shoulders. Before starting my own business, I thought an accountant was just someone you called once a year at tax time. I couldn’t have been more wrong. What did I realize? 

A good accountant has your back when it comes to business finances.

 My accountant helped me:

• Clean up my books: Before I hired my accountant, my “books” consisted of random receipts on my desk, a couple of spreadsheets that lived in random places, and an ongoing list I had in my head. Once I brought in an accountant, they cleaned everything up and organized my expenses properly and even set me up with a system I could actually understand!
• Plan for tax season (no more surprises!) Hallelujah: The first year I was profitable, I didn’t set aside enough for taxes. When April hit, I got a reality check. My accountant helped me create a quarterly system to pay my taxes in advance, so now I’m never caught off guard!
• Find new ways to reinvest in my business: One thing I didn’t expect? An accountant to point out unexpected areas where my expenses could qualify as deductions! Who knew some of the money I was spending on software tools and marketing expenses could qualify as deductions and save me money!
• Spot cash flow issues before they become problems: I remember when I landed a big partnership, a $50k deal, I was over the moon. But what I didn’t anticipate? 90-day payment terms plus days of waiting for a check to come in the mail and clear with my bank. In the meantime? I still had to pay creators and cover company expenses to keep my business running. My accountant helped me map out a plan for the next few months to spend more conservatively so I didn’t overspend before the money hit my account!

The best benefit, in my opinion? My stress levels dropped! And for the first time, I didn’t feel scared about my business finances. There’s a shift that happens when you stop doing it all yourself. 

Once I hired an accountant, I could finally focus on leading my business instead of trying to do a million things I was never meant to handle.

And as my business grew over the years, so has my team. I learned that smart leaders don’t go at it alone; they bring in people who can help them grow!

So if you’re reading this and still trying to wear every hat in your business, I get it. I was there once, too, and I’m all about DIY when it comes to things like home improvement. But when it comes to running a business, you need the right people in your corner. Time to start thinking like a CEO… stop trying to do it all yourself!

Hire an accountant who can help you clean up your books, save money, and build a stronger financial foundation for your business. Your future self will thank you.