Hello there from the Big Blue Nation! My name is Dominique Waits and I am a CPA, CGMA and Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor from the Bluegrass state.
I have been using QuickBooks since shortly after graduating from Transylvania University in 1998. I always start conversations with my new QuickBooks clients by telling them my first experience with the software. My first job out of college was as an Accounting Manager at a property management and construction company. My boss hired a consultant to find the perfect software to track his job costs and one day a green box with the word “QuickBooks” appeared on my desk. I was told to install the software and get it up and running because I had to do payroll in just a few days. This was 1998 and my only experience with accounting software was a Non-Profit package I had used for two years as an accounting intern and tax return preparation software.
QuickBooks was relatively new in the market and other than seeing commercials for it I had never seen it in action. So I installed it and set it up, and learned to use the software on my own. I always tell clients that there is nothing in QuickBooks that can’t be fixed, so do not be afraid. I know from personal experience, because as a new accountant I messed up everything there was to mess up and through my mistakes I learned how to use the software properly.
My career has spanned almost twenty years and in this time I have worked in both private industry and in public accounting. Early in my career I worked as an auditor in public accounting and soon realized that I enjoyed the tax and business service side of accounting much better.
Spending weeks in rural Kentucky observing inventory counts at manufacturing plants and grocery stores made my decision quite easy. So my career took a turn and the firm I was working with provided training in several software packages, including QuickBooks. I was the go to girl for installing and training clients on accounting software.
Jump forward ten years and now I use QuickBooks software almost exclusively for my small business clients. I use the desktop versions, online version, Enterprise, POS and cloud hosted versions. Having used the software as an accountant in private industry it allows me to help clients because I have been where they are. I also provide tax advisory and financial management services, which includes outsourced accounting.
I have a system that I use when meeting with new clients that allows me to determine what version will best suit their needs. It also allows me a chance to get to know the client and offer outsourced accounting services and often times this is the client preferred option. I pride myself on excellent client service and want the right solution for my clients. My clients know they can count on me.
Currently, I work in public accounting as a Tax and Business Service Specialist with Blue & Co. As an added bonus, I also partner with a local training facility to provide QuickBooks training classes. The classes are hands-on and are open to current clients and the public.
When I am not watching my Wildcats playing basketball, I am enjoying time with my husband and our daughter. We are all avid sports players so much of our free time is spent cheering each other on and various leagues and tournaments. Softball has become the game of choice.
Having found a balance with a career I love and still being able to enjoy plenty of time with my family has truly been a blessing. A true testament is that my daughter tells me every day that she “can’t wait to grow up and be a CPA.” She is only six but I can see a future ProAdvisor on the horizon.
Dominique
Editor’s Note: Dominique Waits, one of Intuitive Accountant’s Top 100 ProAdvisors for 2014, is an Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor in Lexington, Kentucky. She is also certified in QuickBooks Online, Point-of-Sale, and QuickBooks Enterprise.