Meet the SmartBean® Family

I grew in the Pasadena, CA area where my family had a small business for many years. I witnessed how hard they worked to make the business successful. I admired their resilience which they shared with most entrepreneurs. After graduating from CSU-Northridge in 2007, I went to work in social services for 10 years. I enjoyed that profession but began a new career in sales in 2017 when my children were a bit older. I believe in being honest and straightforward in all areas of my life. My ability to empathize and communicate with people, especially business owners, is what makes me a good salesperson. I am happy to share SmartBean® with anyone I meet because I believe in its mission to change the way business owners see and use their numbers daily.

I spent fifteen years working in public accounting, where I developed a love for small businesses. I enjoy helping individuals grow their businesses and take pride in assisting them with their financial information.  I left public accounting to spend more time with my family.  When I am not working, I can be found on the basketball court, football, or baseball field cheering on my son.  As a family, we enjoy traveling and spending time with our extended family.

I have been working for larger businesses for more than 14 years. As I expanded my knowledge in working for larger companies, I was also curious as to how smaller businesses work. I always thought small business owners should just focus what their business is about, but I never really thought about the financial aspect of it. Working here at SmartBean® as a Client Service Representative gives me the opportunity to see what it is like to handle our clients’ small business financials, as well as being a partner in their business growth. I always look forward to expanding my knowledge and experience in my chosen industry. It is always fascinating to see what life has to offer and it makes me realize that we all have the potential to achieve success!

When I was growing up my dad owned a small commercial printing business. He worked long hours, so we almost never saw him. Like many small business owners, he didn’t have the luxury of eating dinner with his family every night or going on vacation with his kids, and he didn’t have the help and support he needed to run his business for over 25 years, so he made many personal sacrifices to keep that business running and support his family. If I could say one thing to encourage other business owners, it would be to take advantage of the strengths that other people have, like SmartBean® Bookkeeping, and focus on what is most important to you and your business. Life is very short and goes by quickly. It has been several years since my dad passed away, and I think he would agree with that.

My first job in high school was with an independent children’s bookstore. In order for such a small business to survive, my boss had to be the shop owner, the sales rep, the event coordinator, and so much more. Any way that I could help meant that she had one less task to worry about that day. As I went to school in University of California, Santa Barbara, I found a passion for working with the smaller clubs and organizations, because I found that this is where I could help out the most. When I studied abroad in Tokyo, I worked for a raw denim company that had hundreds of orders a day and was only run by 4 people. On most days I would take on a variety of jobs, from managing the website’s inventory, to getting clothes tailored. These experiences showed me the amount of effort it takes to keep a business running, let alone trying to make it grow. As I graduated with a degree in Economics and Accounting, I learned that taking care of a business’s finances takes a great deal of effort. Now that I am working at SmartBean®, I can help relieve that effort from small businesses across the nation. By taking care of a businesses’ bookkeeping, I can help them focus on the multitude of other tasks that their business leaves them with on a day-to-day basis.

I come from a military background. I was raised in the United States and then moved to England, where I stayed for 11 years before returning to the United States.
I love to travel, and one of my favorite things to do is to travel on cruise ships to different countries. After graduation I went directly into bookkeeping. I found that I enjoyed working with numbers and problem solving. I have worked for large corporations, small businesses and ran a small construction company for several years. I found my passion in small business. I find it very personal and rewarding and thoroughly enjoy interacting with people.

Growing up I had two passions, math and helping others. So, it was only natural that it would reflect in my professional career. I have always worked for small, family-owned businesses. I am always looking for new ways to grow and better myself as well as the business. But when I became a mom in 2020, I knew I wanted more time at home. To be able to watch my daughter grow, to travel, and not miss out on life’s moments that tend to pass us by. That’s when SmartBean® came into my life, and I knew this was the place for me to take my career to the next level, while not sacrificing the more important things in life.

My love of finance began on a personal level when I got married and had to learn how to budget our money. Having a solid understanding of how you’re spending your money is essential to the success of managing a household and a business. Since then, my love of analyzing numbers has trickled into my professional life. I aim to provide small business owners with the information they need to make the most accurate financial decisions for their company. Apart from bookkeeping… books, coffee, family, and traveling are my favorite things in life.  

Growing up in Maui, Hawaii and having the pleasure of traveling has given me a respect for diversity and the simple pleasures in life. Currently residing in Cottage Grove, Oregon, with my three dog children and fiancé, I enjoy cooking, learning, and traveling. Seven years ago, my bookkeeping journey began, and I have continued to look forward. Servicing our clients isn’t just going the extra mile but being the extra mile. Small businesses are the real backbone of this country and it is an honor to serve and support families. Life is full of surprises, challenges and wins. As a little spec on the globe, I’m grateful to be a member, to learn, and to grow with the rest of the world.

I grew up in the Thousand Island Region of beautiful upstate NY on the St. Lawrence River (so far “Upstate” that I could see Canada from my bedroom window). My father was the CFO/Controller for a subsidiary of a Fortune 500 company, so naturally I inherited my love of numbers and accounting from him. I started working for a small industrial supplier while in college, and quickly learned that I loved the family feel of a small business. When I accepted this bookkeeping position, I was a typical broke college senior who needed money to pay bills, but it turned into so much more than that. The owners of this particular business were in their late 70’s when I went to work for them, and they took me under their wing. They taught me more about the real-world application of accounting practices and principles than I ever thought possible. They didn’t believe in computers. Everything was a manual accounting system from the inventory of 50000 small parts, to accounts receivable, and financial statement preparation. No software to collect the numbers and put them into a financial statement, just knowledge and skill. Not only did they mentor and teach me, but they also fed my soul. One of the most important aspects of their business for them was to ensure that their employees felt like they were family. I can recall being regularly invited to their home for home cooked meals that were out of this world. For me that is the same thing that stands out about SmartBean. The culture here breathes family from the top to the bottom. We are a family of “Beans” assembled carefully by our “Boss Bean” to ensure that our clients are treated like family and receive world class financial services (Cue superhero music and capes here). If you want to experience a different bookkeeping company that gives you that family feel, allows you to relax knowing your financials are being prepared by top notch Beans, and gives you the warm fuzzies each time you receive your monthly financial statements, SmartBean is the family for you!

I grew up in a small coastal town in Florida and I have always worked for small businesses. I have a tremendous amount of respect for small business entrepreneurs. The impact of small businesses is not just an economical one, they enrich their communities with new innovative ideas and opportunities. Helping small businesses and their communities grow is something that I enjoy being a part of.

With more than 18 years of experience in IT, I have been involved with several successful small businesses where I have played an integral role as a technology leader and have helped them achieve their goals. I learned at an early age that I naturally seek out answers and this led to defining the details for projects and solving problems. I found I was good at directing rather than following. As one associate said, “When Mike says he will take care of something, it is done.” I love helping businesses and individuals attain their goals and dreams. I am grateful for being healthy and live with purpose. My intent is to be beneficial to the universe and its living creatures.