We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Linda Love. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Linda below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Linda with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
My father was a great example of an ethical hard worker. He never missed a day of work, was dedicated and honest. He took the high road even when upper management made decisions he did not agree with. He rode his bike to work every day, in the rain or snow, and his subordinates liked him so much, they all pitched in and bought him a new bike! His example was key for my own work ethic. He believed honesty is the best policy. When faced with decisions of my own, his belief became my own. Honesty keeps life more simple and drama free. In the accounting world, one sure way to lose it all is to be dishonest. Getting caught will ruin your career. That risk is not worth the reward. No one wants a dishonest accountant keeping track of their money and having access to their financial information. Over the years, building trust has proven to make my career consistently grow and thrive. When you are trusted with financial access and information, having the work ethic of honesty and fairness is imperative. It guides me to give fair and low as possible pricing while still allowing me to pay employees, grow the business through marketing, and have a reasonable salary for myself.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My first experience in the accounting field was when I was 17 years old and working for a law firm. I was first hired as a part time courier and then promoted to billing clerk; this was before computerized accounting. I stayed with that law firm until I turned 21 and moved down to California. Over the years I always found myself in positions that had at least some accounting in the job duties and I became well acquainted with the accounting program called Quicken, Intuit’s product before it became QuickBooks in 1992. Since that time I have used QuickBooks Desktop and over the last few years became well acquainted with QuickBooks Online.
In 1996 I decided to start my own bookkeeping business. I wanted to be free to have flexible work hours, work from home, and not be tied to a full time position within a company. The ability to work around my life, especially as I was raising 3 boys, who are now 22, 22 and 19 years old, was a blessing. I was able to volunteer in their classroom, be their room mom, be active in the PTA, and go to all their special events without having to ask for time off. I also never have to sit at work with nothing to do! That was probably the worst feeling and what motivated me to start my own business. When I’m done for the day, I can leave and live my life! No more wishing I could be somewhere else.
What I love most about what I do is helping people. Many times I get new businesses who don’t know what they need. They know they are required to file tax returns and that motivates them to seek help. They often think what they need is a CPA, but they don’t even have computerized record keeping! I often get referrals from CPAs, EAs, and Financial Advisors because they know the importance of a good bookkeeper and it makes their job easier. I love learning about what my clients do and how I can help guide them. I also often get clients who have had a bad experience with a bookkeeper or who feel like they are getting charged a lot for bad service. I had a client come to me who was getting charged $1,200 a month for bookkeeping services and the fair quote I gave them was $250 per month. I do not believe one size fits all and I review actual bank and credit card statements to get an estimate of how much time this will take and customize the fee with that information. I am an excellent communicator and I am available after normal business hours. I can get back to my clients within 24 hours or sooner and meet with clients in the evening. Many of my clients travel a lot, work in construction, or work 9-5. They need a professional that can help them after work, and I am that person!
My firm handles small businesses including, non-profits, professional athletes, construction companies, hair salon owners, restaurants, real estate professionals, property management companies, sole proprietorships, LLCs, S Corps, and C Corps.; basically every type of business. We also provide payroll services. We charge a flat fee for payroll that includes everything such as, payroll tax deposits, payroll tax returns, W2s, and W3s. My pricing beats the big corporate payroll companies by far. I do not charge extra for items such as 401K contributions. This year I saved a company with 22 employees on payroll, over $500 per month.
I believe every business should understand their financial statements. We are not taught this in school. No question is a bad question and I take the time to explain what things mean and why, for example, it goes on a Balance Sheet rather than a Profit & Loss. I don’t believe in complicated financial statements with crazy numbering systems. Most people don’t think in numbers so why would we complicate these critical business decision making documents with complexity? That only makes it impossible to find what you are looking for! Clear, concise, and simple financial statements are best for small business owners.
I am passionate about helping young people. I found this passion as my kids were growing up in public school. My heart went out to all children, not just my own. I saw good kids that just needed some attention and guidance. I continue to help young people through my business. I have and continue to hire bright individuals with no accounting experience but the ability to pay attention to detail, and I take the time to teach them, or pay another more experienced employee to train them in the proper accounting procedures. This gives me a good feeling of helping give them a chance. Now, more than ever, employers want to see work experience before they will take a chance. I give them a chance!
If you have a small business, give me a call and I will give you my professional opinion on what you need, how much it would cost for your bookkeeping and/or payroll, with no obligation. You can reach me at Integrity Accounting Inc 619 507 0965, Visit the website at www.integrityaccounting.net. You will see many of my clients with their 5 star reviews there and also on Google.com. Check out my referral program as well. I look forward to getting to know how to best help your business!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The ability to pay attention to detail is most critical in this industry. You are either born with it, or you’re not. From my experience, it is not easy to develop. I was born with it. For example, as a child, I was organized and everything had its place in my bedroom. My mother was not the same and I often cleaned up the refrigerator and the laundry area because I noticed the moldy food and scum on the washer/dryer and thought, that doesn’t make sense! So I took care of it. To this day, I notice when items are not where they belong in my household and in my work. For QuickBooks Online (QBO), this is imperative because transactions are placed in the holding tank and must be pulled through in order to get on the financials. QBO automatically names them what it thinks they should be but is mostly wrong, unless you create a rule, and this leads to really inaccurate financials if you don’t pay attention to detail. I have heard stories where a client had to amend 3 years worth of tax returns due to non-sensical QBO reports. No one was paying attention to detail!
If you know you have attention to detail, the rest is not difficult! You need to learn QuickBooks Online for sure. The desktop version is being phased out and a new user can’t buy the software. I will still be able to get it but I am not sure for how much longer. You should take accounting courses to get the basics but you don’t need an accounting degree to be a payroll specialist or a bookkeeper. I do not have a college degree. I learned on the job and also took accounting courses at Mesa Community College. Purchase QuickBooks Online and reconcile your bank and credit cards. QuickBooks Online has free tutorials and they will even give you a free version to get you started. Real life experience is the best teacher and that is why doing your own personal bookkeeping is a great place to learn! I’m happy to answer any questions you may have as you go. Just give me a call or email me at [email protected]. If you are interested in bookkeeping as a career, I’m happy to help!
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am looking for referrals and I have a referral program on my website at www.integrityaccounting.com that explains how that can benefit you as well. I can help any business, especially one that is not happy with their payroll service, their bookkeeper or who thinks they are being over-charged for bad service. If they complain that they don’t get a response from their bookkeeper or payroll person in a timely manner (within 24 hours), refer them to me. You can text/call 619 507 0965, or email [email protected] to introduce your friend, colleague, hair stylist, manicurist, barber, person you met at a social event, etc. Whenever you hear a negative comment come out of their month about bookkeeping or payroll, that is your cue to send them to me! They will thank you and so will I, in more ways than just saying “Thank You”. See www.integrityaccounting.net for details.
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