Hey guys! Today I'm happy to introduce you to Amy Northard, the Accountant for Creatives. She's a CPA who works closely with creative entrepreneurs, and she has created an amazing e-course based on her experience. It's called Be Your Own CFO, and it is launching this week. How do I know it is awesome? Because I helped edit it! Even though I have an accounting degree myself, I found the lessons super helpful and I think anyone who owns a small business or works for themselves would really benefit from this e-course. But enough about the course, let me introduce you to Amy!

As a child, I wanted to be a ______ when I grew up. Elementary school teacher! I loved the idea of being able to decorate my own classroom and do crafts with students. As I got older, I realized there's SO much more to being a teacher than doing crafts every day!

How close (or far) is your current career from that dream? My current career as an accountant is pretty far from being an elementary school teacher, but now that I think about it, maybe there are a few similarities. Beyond tax preparation, I've started teaching entrepreneurs the basics of taxes and bookkeeping. While there aren't any crafts around, I try to make it a little more fun with pretty learning materials.

What is your official job title? I call myself the Chief Accountant.

Ok, now what does that really mean? I'm the lady you'll talk to when you have tax or bookkeeping questions. My goal is to make these sometimes scary and overwhelming topics easier to understand and less stressful.

What is a typical day like? I have a typical "busy season" day and "non-busy season" day. During busy season, I wake up around 5:30am and go straight for the coffee. I check email, have breakfast with my husband before he leaves for work, and then get started working on tax prep. I stop for lunch and dinner and usually call it quits around 8:30pm. The rest of the year, my schedule varies but I usually start out the day with coffee then a run around my neighborhood. Then, I usually either have a consulting call or work on blog posts. I've also been attending local small business networking meetings, which I love because I get to talk to people face-to-face!

How did you end up in this career? I took accounting classes in high school because my dad wanted me to have a business background. I was pretty good at it, so decided to major in accounting when I went to college. During my junior year of college, I did a tax season internship and LOVED it. After I graduated college, I began studying for the CPA exam because it was informally required from the firm I was working at. After passing the exam and a couple tax seasons in to my career, I wanted a better work-life balance. I've always loved entrepreneurship, so starting my own tax and accounting business was my next step.

What kind of education or training did you complete for this career? I took courses in high school, majored in accounting during college, and passed the 4-part CPA exam. I also do 120 hours of continuing professional education every three years.

What advice would you give to someone who wants a similar career? If you want to go out on your own to do bookkeeping and taxes, I would definitely recommend working for a small firm where you can experience a variety of clients and tasks.

Do you have any other career dreams? What do you want to be when you grow up? My goal is to meet more people in person. Since so many of my clients are spread around the US, I want to attend/speak at conferences so I can meet small business owners face-to-face. When I grow up, I want to have an accounting firm, where I employ accountants like myself, who don't want to sit in a cubicle and have a love for creatives.

Any last thoughts or encouragement for others trying to decide what they want to do “when they grow up”? Don't be afraid to try things out! Eventually you'll find something that just feels right and makes you excited for Mondays, instead of dreading them.

Thanks for sharing your story, Amy! If anyone is interested in finding out more about her e-course that is launching this week, check out the e-course website. Amy's offering a $200 discount until tomorrow evening, so if you're interested today's the day! Or if you'd like to hire Amy or find out more about what she offers, visit her business site.