Community Highlights: Meet Leah Johnson of ReliaBookkeeping

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Johnson.

Hi Leah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My degrees are in communication studies and I never would have imagined working with numbers at all! I fell into bookkeeping as a career when I realized while working a successful direct sales business that while I was doing these tasks intuitively my counterparts were not. Looking back there had been a budgeting/bookkeeping thread through my jobs, and I paired that with my background in teaching to start helping others. When a friend with a successful construction company needed help managing their books, receivables and payables, I jumped on the opportunity. This is was the springboard for ReliaBookkeeping.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This is tough because I have been very lucky with a smooth road so far. I will say even though I haven’t had massive struggles, building a business is not easy. There have been sacrifices at the family level to grow my business. Learning to hire & manage employees for my own company is very different than for someone else’s. Anything worth doing will have some struggle and the way you meet them is key.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about ReliaBookkeeping?
What I love about the business I am building is our focus is on micro & solo entrepreneurs. I know that starting a business is overwhelming and money is tight, so you try to do as much as you can on your own. Outsourcing things you are not well versed in and ensuring your books are clean from day 1 will actually save you money (and hassle) in the long run. This is where we thrive & hope to help. Because my official bookkeeping journey started with direct sales, I do love working with those in this industry who truly want to build a business as having the financial side managed will help with establishing a true business. ReliaBookkeeping also now offers payroll and tax services as well. We are expanding to help try to meet our clients needs.

I am most proud that clients know they will have a personal touch when working with ReliaBookkeeping. I speak with each client as they come to us and ensure they know the bookkeeper who will be working with them day to day. We understand every business and owner is unique and do our best to meet each where they are.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
AI is the big talk in many industries and finance & accounting is not exempt from this. I think there is a place for AI in assisting with categorizing transactions, but it does not replace the human eye. There are always things that are nuanced and require review. I don’t think there will ever be a time a bookkeeper will not be an asset to business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.reliabookkeeping.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reliabookkeeping
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reliabookkeeping
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reliabookkeeping/

Image Credits
Christine Lowell Photography www.christinelowellphotography.com