Editor's Note: This is another installment in our ongoing series highlighting this year's Insightful Accountant's "Top 100 ProAdvisors." Over the remainder of the year, we will introduce you to our winners, getting their insights on a wide range of topics, including what it is like to be a leader in their profession, how to stay on top and what the future holds.
Seven employees. Two interns. Two dogs and two cats. That's the support group that Karen Dellaripa has around her. After transitioning her solo practice to a firm-of-the-future-trusted-advisor model, things have taken off for the Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor.
Karen set out in 2003 to help small and mid-size businesses organize their finances, manage costs and improve profitability. The aforementioned reinvention began in 2016, when she decided it was time to expand the scope of her practice. Today, Beyond Your Books provides virtual/remote outsourced accounting services, QuickBooks and integrated software training, business analyses and special project services.
Karen Dellaripa
Her client base includes startups with one to two employees to growing mid-sized companies with 50-plus employees and revenues in excess of $20 million per year.
Beyond Your Books focuses on providing its clients with accurate, real time meaningful financial information to assist them in making important business decisions that will positively impact their business and help them grow. Her clients also benefit from paperless workflows across robust, cloud-based accounting systems with “BYB’s” ongoing commitment to technology and staff development.
What does it mean to you to be recognized out of more than 200,000 ProAdvisors in the world?
It’s still a little unbelievable. My feelings flow between honored, humbled and very grateful.
Your first thoughts on getting news of the honor?
At first, I felt relief, then excitement. It’s hard to believe I would be selected a fourth year in a row. Mostly, I am just so grateful to be included with such a great group of people.
How has your ProAdvisor practice changed or evolved over the last couple of years?
Wow, what hasn’t changed? In a few short years, technology has replaced so many of the manual processes accountants were being paid to do. I’ve had to not only embrace the evolving tech, but also reinvent my firm and myself in the process. Personally, I’ve gone from being a solo practitioner to now managing a team of seven awesome people. And we’re growing.
Why is continuing to enhance your skills and acumen critical to staying one step ahead of the curve?
Because the whole accounting industry is being transformed, and as practitioners, we must adapt and evolve too or we’ll quickly be obsolete. Clearly, we need to rapidly assimilate new technologies, but more importantly, we must grow the consultative expertise that is the true value we deliver to our clients.
What do you do?
LOL. Some days I don’t know anymore. As a company, we provide best in class bookkeeping, payroll, QuickBooks consulting and are Intuit Resellers. We’ve been especially focused on growing our consulting practice as part of Profit First Professionals. On a daily basis, my role has dramatically shifted. I now manage and teach people – both my team and clients. The most important thing I do is help my clients have a better understanding of their financial position, and how to navigate the business challenges and opportunities in front of them.
Give us a snapshot of today's accounting landscape.
From a practice perspective, I’m seeing a split between those who are evolving and thriving versus those who are hanging onto the ways they’ve been working and are rapidly withering.
On the client side, we are seeing a similar split – those who are hesitant to adapt to new accounting tech, and those, mostly Millennials, who expect us to provide the latest tech solutions. One thing that hasn’t changed is that business owners want and need sound council on how to navigate a very dynamic business landscape.
What was the best piece of advice you ever received?
Wow, I’ve been so lucky to get feedback and advice from so many mentors and colleagues over the years. Is it okay if I name drop? My very first boss from 30 years ago, Phyllis Lundy. Joe Woodard and Doug Sleeter have been there for me for close to two decades; all the members of our Northern New Jersey Woodard Group; and most recently Mike Michalowicz, Ron Saharyan, Jennifer Dawn and my Profit First “Surge” sisters – all have provided much appreciated advice, and hugs, when I’ve needed it most.
I think the most gratifying part of what we offer as accountants is the ability to see past the numbers and have a beneficial effect on our clients lives.
One bit of advice I recently received that I must share is simply that self-care is extremely important. I know I’m not alone in putting work first to the point of exhaustion. That’s when you must take a step back. You need to take care of yourself to be fully present for your team and clients.
What is the story that best describes how you help your clients?
I think the most gratifying part of what we offer as accountants is the ability to see past the numbers and have a beneficial effect on our clients lives. That is a guiding principal behind why I named my firm Beyond Your Books. There are so many great stories to tell, like 25 years ago saving a new client after discovering fraud siphoning off much of its profitability, or this year helping a fitness center survive though an unexpected crisis.
What I’m most excited about is the niche we announced this year for summer camps. Summer camps provide extraordinary opportunities and life altering experiences for our youth and, in the process, create a positive societal impact for generations to come. My own camp experience is the reason I’m an accountant and help run a camp today. We’re here to help foster that opportunity for children.
How do you create balance in your work and personal life?
Okay, so maybe I should admit I’m still working on this. But it is top of mind. For my team, we create a flexible working environment where everyone works from home and sets their own hours. We are also careful to not overload anyone, so we can be at our best for both our families and clients. I’ve had some success, too, as I’ve learned to delegate more responsibility. In fact, this year I’m taking my first vacation in 15 years.
What's on your to-do list the rest of 2017?
Continue building and refining systems we have in place to ensure unwavering perfection of client deliverables. Continue delegating, educating, and empowering my team, getting more off my plate in the process. And to go to Australia, my first vacation in 15 years, and reflect on how blessed I truly am.
Special thanks to our program sponsors, including Canon imageFORMULA Document Scanners, ADP, Finagraph, "Scaling New Heights" and Intuit's QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program.