Welcome to the Escape the Accountants Trap podcast. It's a podcast to help accountants, CPAs and bookkeepers escape what we call the accountants trap. It's where accountants are now, getting paid for their value and are forced to work long hours with high demand and clients with little pay. Well, how do you escape the trap? One way is the topic of today's episode, and that's by setting up a virtual firm so you can work from anywhere.

To help me with the discussion that I've invited Noemi Aguilar or to the founder of Mama Counts. Noemi, welcome to the show. Hi, Adam. Good afternoon, and thank you for having me here. And super, super excited to, be here with you today. And I think the name of this podcast fits very perfectly with what we're going to be talking about today, too.

Yeah. So I'm excited to dive in because I think this is a topic that will resonate with a lot of our listeners. You have been successful at setting up a virtual firm. And so just off the bat, tell us about that. Tell us about your journey in setting up a virtual firm for yourself and your family. Yeah, absolutely.

So, I've been in the shipping tax world, since I was about 17 years old. I, my dad has a tax business, so I've been around this for some time, and I was very used to working at an office right in the after working with my dad. I actually went to work at an accounting firm to kind of get the feel of like the whole, you know, full year accounting firm, how how this operates.

And I was young at that age. At that time, I did have my kiddos, and, you know, it's just the fact that we don't have a life when it's taxes. All right? As an accountant or anyone who does tax preparation, we don't have a life. And and I really is that, when I actually got pregnant with my third baby where I was like, you know, as a mom, I want to be there for my kiddos.

Like, I wanted to have flexibility. And I wanted to be able to, you know, not just come home for dinner and putting two kids to bed, and that's it. I mean, as a mom, women who are going to hear this, you know, can probably relate to that. And even dads, because I think dads play such a big role too, because, you know, they also are tired, right?

Don't want to be working 12 hour shifts sometimes. And sometimes that's what we do during tax season. So when I got pregnant with my, third baby, I was like, okay, I need to put an end to this. I need to do something different. I actually ended up quitting my job at the firm, to just kind of be like, I'm going to figure something out because I have a baby coming, and I still had to help provide my house.

That's back. To help my husband provide, for the home. So, it was funny because, I had never thought about a virtual firm, and this was, like, back in, I want to say, like, in 2015. Where? Right now you hear all about working online and working remote, and the pandemic helped so much with that. But back in 2015, it still wasn't that much information out there.

I think QuickBooks online was just starting to like, you know, kind of take off and things like that. Everyone use QuickBooks desktop. I am a desktop lover when it comes to QuickBooks desktop, I will I will be faithful to the desktop version as much as I can. But I started to be like, okay, I had a client from my dad who actually referred him to me and said, because my dad only did taxes and he was like, me, I have a client, that wants to, you know, needs help with their bookkeeping, needs help with their payroll.

And it was a small client. And he's like, you've been doing this at the firm for so many years, why not take it on on your own? And I flipped out because I was like, but I don't have an office. I don't have, like, you know, a legit business set up. I don't have a single member, LLC.

Like, I don't have none of that. But I had a clients ready. I thought that was pretty incredible. And I said, okay, well, let me figure this out. How can this happen? Because I have my babies, and it's like, I can't, number one, afford to go into an office. So how can I make this work for me?

And, that is when I started to discover how to set up systems in place that would now lead me to where I'm at right now. But this was like nine years ago, back in 2015, when I first started with just QuickBooks in a laptop, in the internet, you know? So that was all I needed. It's all you needed.

Yeah, that was all I needed. Obviously, as, as, the years went by, you know, fast forward to where we're at right now. You know, our whole firm is run sprints virtually. My husband and I run for. And we work from home. We're a one stop shop place, firms that we offer, the for keeping taxes, payroll, business, startups, business tax and personal tax.

And we've been able to use systems in place with our team as well, because we're a team of four, that also communicates all virtually the rest of the team is also virtual. And, you know, being able to set these systems in place from the beginning, or, you know, just like adapting to them and also with the new technology that's coming out has really helped us work less time and actually making more money, making it more efficient to serve our clients, take care of them, get the work done, but not having to compromise our time.

Which I think that to me was super, super valuable, especially having three kiddos. I mean, I started our business about nine years ago. My oldest was about ten years old. I was eight, nine, ten years old. He's off to college in a couple weeks. So it's like, man, like, I love that. I have to do it for a part of all of that.

And now he's off to college and I love that. I can say I was there for when he did this. I was there for when he had this activity or when I had to go pick him up from the principal's office because I know. Right. But it's just been such a fun journey to adapt to it. And, and put those systems in place.

That have helped our, our firm side and my husband and I as a family to just really have that compensation of time, which I think is so, so valuable. And I think that's like sometimes we don't get that because we're always working. Yeah, I that make sense. So other than the benefit of having, the control of your time back, what are the other benefits of working virtually, working from home as compared to having a physical office somewhere?

What I have learned, too, is a lot of clients, as well. You know, they they are busy running their business, too, right? They're out there. You know, we have, clients who are in construction who are truck drivers. You know, they're out there doing their business, and they don't have the time to stop by the accountant's office to pick up a document or or to pick up their financial forms or anything like that.

And I remember working at the accounting firm, the clients would come into the office about maybe 3 or 4 times a month. But they were always rushing or it was something really fast that needed to happen. And I think that, you know, took away from the business, from them as their clients to be working on money generating activities for their own business.

So I, I thought about that to where I was like, you know, how can I save our clients time and also be efficient with it as well? And, and I haven't had a clients complain about us meeting via zoom or a phone call or via email. We now also have in place, kind of like a CRM system called tax Dome.

I don't know if you've heard of them. And I mean, that is like our hub for everything. Like we collect documents, we share information with them, we send emails, we send is it works like an app, even on their end, where it's like we're texting and them. So we're not always, like on our phones or tied down to it.

And we create workflows when it comes to taxes and like, hey, fill out the questionnaire, upload your documents, and then everything is so automated. Like that was where I was like, I have found the gold when it comes to releasing my time during tax season. Oh wow. Yeah, that was actually gonna be my next question. What software other than QuickBooks use QuickBooks desktop versus online.

And then this both actually. Okay. Which which I know could be a heated discussion between the countries. And I would love to hear your thoughts later on about where where you think Intuit is going with their software, but what other software do you use besides QuickBooks in in this tax software that you use to manage your virtual practice?

Yeah. So so yes, the QuickBooks online, QuickBooks desktop, to be able to manage the desktop version of it virtually, we use a server called Right Networks, which is what allows us to host our desktop, softwares so that way I have it here on my desktop at home, but then I also have it on my laptop. My team has it on their laptop as well, so that they can have access to the desktop clients that we work with.

And your team's all virtual as well. They're remote. They don't work at your office, your house, the remote. This is like a little corner of my office. So I have a lot. Yeah. Yeah. So Ryan, that works is one that we really use because I'm still big, a big lover of the desktop softwares. But again, I didn't want to have it just on one computer.

I wanted to be able to have access to it when we're on the go with the family or anything like that. Like literally the whole month of July, my family and I, we were just traveling and we just had the laptop with us and can just pick up our work and go with it. The, the tax software being Pro series, which is what we use also is the desktop version.

So that's why we use right networks to host it. And then from there tax home tax home has been something that really just changed, like the whole game for our firm side. Because of the automation and workflows that we can put into there. That to me has been the key to just really let go of so many administrative things and back and forth with the client.

Okay. You know, yes, it takes effort and time to set it up at the beginning. But once it's set up, oh my God, like it is so good. And you can do all that within tax on which I mean it is very underrated right now. If you're not on tax day you got to get on tax dollars. Okay.

And dome DOMA, DOMA. Yeah. Okay. DOMA and taxed those that they're getting good because their prices are going up. So, you know, before I get I get tired. What I'm getting to besides that, I'm sorry. Is our GC, calendly zoom and asana, which is kind of like our hub of communication also with the team.

Okay. And literally, you know, the only expenses would be for our GC and tax stone, because even on the other end, zoom, because I like to have the extended version, from what they offer. But a lot of those systems are also either you can get like a beginning trial version of it or just like, you know, the free version works perfectly well on certain things.

Like asana is a big one that we use when we have our whole clients kind of worksheet of how what everyone is doing. So that's like everyone knows a responsibility in communication. And, you know, it's not so much of an investment event to put these systems into place. Yeah. Okay. Interesting. Real quick on, speaking of QuickBooks.

So there's a lot of debate between QuickBooks desktop quick QuickBooks online, but also where do you think into it's going with QuickBooks? Because a lot of bookkeepers and accountants are saying, well, I don't know that they seem to be competing with us. Yeah. How do you what do you think? Well, one thing I have learned, number one, no software will be my competition, especially with the offers that they have.

Because, again, I think the way we accountants are, tax payers and bookkeepers present ourselves to our clients. If more of the service that you can provide to them that connection, right, the relationship can't be replaced. Yes. Yeah. And in QuickBooks, as much as we want to do, you know, bookkeeping and all that stuff, like I, I've already heard horror stories from it, unfortunately.

Sorry, QuickBooks, but it's the truth. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So so it's like, you know, I don't think I don't find it as a competition. I'd rather want to see it. Okay. How can I do this as a collaboration with it? Which I'm still very faithful to into IT products. You know, again, I could I learned desktop, I will be able to use desktop as much as I can because I just love it and I love the functionality of it.

QuickBooks online, it's a love hate relationship with us. But it's really interesting, though, that a lot of people will ask, well, how do you run a virtual firm with using desktop? And, and I think that's where again, the me learning where my client needs me or what they need in their business because there's some clients that will never see the value of QuickBooks online.

So why am I going to put them on something that they're never going to get into? That's true. That's a good point. So I, I'd rather take on the expense of the desktop version and know that I can keep them on there, and they just want to see their PNL. So that's all they want to know. Yeah, I'll serve them in that way and, and continue to use those two options.

And I was I was talking to someone the other day and I said, until if the only reason I would leave accounts and the only reason I would leave QuickBooks is if they ever do to shut down desktop, which if they do, I am sure they'll get a lot, of lot of pretty upset. Accountants and tax preparers and bookkeepers.

Yeah, I would agree with you. I, I would hope that they wouldn't, because I feel like they recognize that a lot of their power users and larger firms, accounting firms are on this desktop version. I remember when in college, I was in college in the early 2000, like 2000 and, early 2000, and my boss asked me to do his book because I was an accounting major in college.

And I can can you do my bookkeeping? And he had desktop. So I would go to and I learned QuickBooks desktop there that that year. And and I, I liked it a lot. And I was very hesitant to switch over to online when they started. That was almost a decade ago. But I will say it has gotten a lot better.

I think it has, yes, and I have. All right. Well, there is a lot of new features that they're trying to add with like extensions to QuickBooks online. That is, they're wanting to make it like similar to the desktop. So that's the only thing that I'm like, not if they really do get these extensions. Like would they leave the desktop?

Yeah, I hope that. I think I went to one of their, events they had a couple years back and they did say, like we would not get rid of the desktop because of how many people use it. And I, you know, I think they would really rest a lot. Yeah, I agree, I personally think they like the ongoing subscription fees of a software as a service.

Yeah. Whereas desktop you buy it, you buy it once and you keep the same version for three years. Yeah, that's true. But they also make it a subscription base if they wanted to like yeah that's true. I so switching gears, when you were setting up your virtual practice and even now, what are you say, what do you say to the, to the people that would like to do this, but they have some sort of limiting belief for this mindset that they can't get clients online or they can't they have a they working in an accounts payable at a large company.

They would like to start a, an accounting practice or, or somebody that has a physical office and they would just like to go remote and maybe travel. What would you say to those that have this limiting belief or their mindset is not where, is not allowing them to get over the fact that they're I can't do this.

I love that you said is not allowing them because I think that's where that's where it starts. That's like, we don't we're salt. We're sometimes so stuck into that employee mindset. Right. You're looking for somebody that you limit your potential. So we don't allow ourselves to think big and to dream big. I remember talking to my husband is like, I, I knew I wanted to start a business, but I never knew how big I wanted it to get to until I actually started doing the business.

And it's like, you don't if you want to dream super big, like do it like, because I believe, you know, I'm a woman of faith. I believe in God giving us everything that you want, you know, and just being exponential in what you want, the universe, whatever it is that you believe, you know, but we limit our mind a lot.

But if you are doing that, start little. When I started my firm, I said, I wanted to make enough to pay for my son's tuition for private education because we were living in an area where the public school systems weren't the best. And I said, okay, if I can't afford to move us right now, what if we, you know, do private school education?

And and I remember it was like 750 a month for private school education at that time. And I told my husband, I need to make that in the business. Like that is my first goal, you know? So I wasn't thinking about making $10,000 a month or 15,000. I said, this is how much I want right now and this is how much I need.

So that is what moved me. Once I reached that goal, I was like, okay, what's my next thing? Oh, I want to get another car because we had one car at that time, right? So it's like, like, what is it that you need and build from there as your goals and your steppingstones and then and then it comes like you will get to that point and and knowing that it's like it's it's being consistent.

Right? It doesn't happen. One day to the next. You know, I, I teach a lot of the moms on how to create their business. And I say, you know, you just got to be patient, you know, but persevere and be consistent with it. You know, there will come a point where clients come to you, but at the beginning, you do have to put in a lot of the work, right?

Oh, you do, you have to and some people will, they'll say, oh, I'll just get a job. And I say, look, the same effort you're going to do to get a job or find a job or get trained in that job, is the same energy and effort you can put to your own business. So why not put it towards there.

Yeah. Access. Yeah. And and the social media part because I am pretty big in getting clients. I work with clients from all over the U.S on the social media version part. The way I see it, it's like nobody watches TV commercials anymore, right? You know, everyone is where on social media. So if you're not showing up on social media, who you are, what you do and who you serve, nobody knows about you.

So it's to, to know, so use social media as, like the TV marketing that it's like, I'm right. I've actually free marketing literally on social media, you know, before you have to pay for a commercial. But that's that's it. I would say start there, start with those little things. Definitely surround yourself with a community of support.

I think that is also huge, huge, huge. When you surround yourself with people who are maybe on that same journey as you are and what you're trying to do because you're you're going to have questions, you're going to have a lot of doubts. You're not going to, you know, no, you're going to have a question that is going to question your whole existence of you having the accounting degree or not.

You know, that imposter syndrome, right, that like that happens to everybody. Yeah. So, yeah. So having that community that you can ask the question to or know that you can get the support that you need, whether it be free or whether it be paid to. Because sometimes, you know, we have to continue to invest in that aspect.

With people who are one step ahead of us. And why not? Why not do that? Absolutely. I completely agree with you. Speaking of that, you have a community called my accounts. So, tell us about that. Yes, absolutely. So, I have a community where I teach moms how to master the skill set of bookkeeping, so that they can be, you know, at home with what matters the most to them.

Like, they really spend the time on what is important to them. And it's been a beautiful community. In the Facebook group, it's completely free, so anyone can join. So this is the thing, though, we do want to keep it to moms like women. Not to be like, you know, have inclusive. But the reason why why I do that is just because the way I speak to the ladies is like, hey, we're talking about mom life and business.

Like we don't separate that because it becomes us, right? So even going through entrepreneurship, building a business, I mean, sometimes, you know, we, we talk about like, hey, we're struggling here with my kids. I'm struggling, you know, at home, I'm struggling, you know, with a newborn. How how do I manage this and run a business? Yeah. So that's why, you know, we get to accounts.

But we love the dads, too. My husband is in the group, and he's one of Revi and Adam, if you want to be part of it, we will actually, Thank you. I appreciate that. But, yeah, I know the community has been it's been a beautiful community that grows. All the ladies in there are so supportive.

Really try to have that community space for. Yeah, I have a question. I'm double guessing myself. Hey, I've heard that people do this. What is the right way? Because again, there's so much misinformation out there too that, you know, we, we try our best, you know, train in that sense, I go live with weekly trainings.

I have guest experts, you know, come in as well. And it's just the space for you to ask the question, not feel intimidated because I think that's a big one, too, where there is, unfortunately, a lot of communities where if you're starting off and you go and ask the question like you'll get, you know, backlash or like, oh, you should know there's to kind of college for that.

Or, you know, I've seen it and it's like, no, like that discourages somebody. You know, we all start somewhere. So I, we really try to make that community feel very welcome. Whether you're beginning, middle or you're super advanced, you know, always welcoming to that community. So if you girls, if you girls, you guys, again, just tell me that you came from Adam's podcast and we'll let you know.

Oh. Thank you. Well, no, Amy, thank you so much for being on the show today. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for having me. Adam. This is so much fun. I hope I was able to, you know, give some good tips and encouragement to those who are watching or listening to the podcast. Absolutely, yes. And I know you did, and I really appreciate it.

And to everyone listening or watching, thank you so much for spending the last few minutes with us as we discussed how to escape the accountant's trap. Bye for now.