Accountant by training.
Operator by experience.

I started my career in accounting. That training taught me to respect the details, but most of my work since then has put me much closer to the decisions behind the numbers.

I have seen professional services from several sides. I began in public accounting, spent several years managing finance inside a litigation law firm, and later led an accounting services firm. I have also worked in founder-led companies where finance was inseparable from people, systems, operations, and management.

In one high-growth business, I helped build the financial and operating infrastructure needed as revenue grew from less than $6 million to more than $30 million in about 18 months and the organization grew from fewer than 25 people to more than 350.

I have worked inside private businesses during transactions and ownership changes. That included an operating leadership role through a post-acquisition period within a family-office portfolio company. I later led an accounting services organization with a 12-person team serving more than 100 clients.

The businesses and stages were different, but many of the questions were the same.

Where are we really making money? What can we afford? When should we hire? Where is growth creating complexity instead of value? What does the owner need to stop carrying personally? What needs to be built now for the company we want to become?

Those experiences taught me to look beyond the financial statements. A decision about pricing, hiring, or investment only makes sense when you understand the clients, people, cash, and operating realities behind it.