Insightful Accountant's Women in Accounting Wednesdays segment consists of contributed articles from women in the accounting, finance, bookkeeping and business advisory professions dealing with everything from careers to home life. We believe our readers can not only learn from, but enjoy, hearing about how successful women in these professions have managed to 'get it together' and accomplish so much for those they work for in both arenas.
Caren Schwartz
For the last few years I have been able to count on Caren Schwartz to always respond with a resounding 'yes' when it came to any request I made of her to write an article on some topic or to review some software product. This time she jumped at the opportunity of contributing for this series after we began distributing questionnaires following the publication of our first article in this series.
In describing her 'professional practice' Caren told us, "I don't know how well I fit into this series since I don't do any 'accounting' but I do consider myself a business advisor because I work with legal and professional service firms helping them find the right software to manage their practices. This involves understanding their needs to help pick the billing, accounting and practice management solution that will work best for them. Once the software is chosen, I help with installation, customization, training, integration and support.
Many of my clients already have software solutions and in those cases I assist in finding ways to use the software to move the business forward, understanding the information in the software and fixing when something breaks or explaining when it doesn’t give the expected results. Since most firms tend to only use 10 – 20% of the capability of their software, I strive to boost their utilization so that the firm has better information by which to operate and improve."
I can't begin to tell you how many times I have called Caren with a question concerning the software she supports, and she has always had the answer. (Murph)
Insightful Accountant asked Caren to select two words that best describe what daily life is like in relationship to family or home life. Caren responded, "this has changed for me in the past 6 months as both of my children found jobs out of the area and have moved; therefore I have more time to spend on the business so I have to make sure I take time for personal. Since my office is in my house I have to make sure I stop working and do other things, otherwise I could stay at my desk more than I should as productivity actually deteriorates over time."
Since the vast majority of Insightful Accountant readers are in these same professions (accounting, bookkeeping, consulting, etc.) it seems that a lot of them are interested in what apps, devices or techy stuff carry-over between work and family in helping stay-on-top of a busy life. Caren told us, "my calendar which is on my computer and my cell phone is probably the number one 'app'. I use a program called PracticeMaster to manage my schedule for both business and personal. It synchronizes with my iPhone, which I can’t live without. I am part of a consulting group and we use Skype and Slack as communication tools as well as Zen Desk for tracking and ScreenConnect to work with clients remotely. All of these keep me going and organized. But, I will admit that I sometimes resort to paper to-do lists!"
Hey, what would any of us do without 'sticky notes' to remind of us things we should do? (Murph)
Our initial two participants in this series created one question that I must admit I thought odd at first, but it seems to have 'hit the nail on the head' with our readers and respondents... so I just had to include it in our standardized questions. Tell us what life-hacks or short-cuts help give you time to devote to your daily demands at work and home? Caren responded, "We don’t do fancy meals at my house. My husband is trying to watch his blood sugar so we eat a lot of vegetables. He does most of the dinner preparation. It’s not gourmet and it’s not what I would do or how I would do it, but it’s good food, and after all, 'he is fixing it.' Another thing that some people don't think about is buying clothes that don’t need ironing.
Really there are so many things; if I have things I need to do I try to combine so that I make fewer trips. Even something like mailing packages is made easier by going at off-hours and using the machine at our post office that let me do everything I need including purchasing the correct postage. Reducing waiting in line wherever saves time for other more important things.
But one of the most important things is that I have come to realize what I am good at, and what I should not do, and then delegate the work I should to others. That really takes a load off."
Insightful Accountant also found out from our initial contributions to this series that readers want to know what our women are doing to help maintain their own health. Caren told us, "a few years ago I joined a golf league. It’s a 9-hole par-three course so playing is relatively quick but during the warmer months it gets me out with fresh air and exercise. I also joined a gym and try to attend exercise classes to improve my fitness.
Caren and daughter horseback
From another health perspective I joined a book group where I read books I might not normally select and then discuss them with some very smart women. I also play bridge with my husband and friends and play Mahjong. Over the last 5 or so years I have also become a regular attendee at Friday evening services. It is social and spiritual and gets me to stop working and take a deep breath and appreciate the world."
Of course, one of the most important questions we ask our contributors about is their motivations in meeting the demands of work and family, because we view this as one of the keys to their all around success. Caren shared with us, "I started my business over 25 years ago when my children were small. Even thought I had a 'nanny' then I knew I still didn’t want to work in an office every day from 9 to 5 plus commuting and overtime. Starting a business gave me the flexibility for my family, so I could go on field trips or to events with my children. Today, with kids grown that flexibility means I can take time for myself and things I like to do like a Hebrew class or early morning golf.
That same flexibility also means I can more easily work with clients all over the country, and take their calls later in the day when they are in California or Alaska. I can adjust my time in a way that meets my needs and those of my clients, but most importantly I can adjust my time to meet the needs of my family, whatever comes up. Just because your children have grown-up and moved out of the house, or perhaps across the country, doesn't mean they still don't need your attention."
Our Women in Accounting Wednesday series has been warmly received, and Caren is another great example of someone who has shared her heart, mind and soul with our readers.
But don't think just because we have had some success attracting some women to participate in this series that we don't need you. We are still looking for contributors because 52-weeks are a lot of stories to share.
I once again want to encourage you to simply post 'Count me in' within the comment section of this, or any future Women in Accounting Wednesday article.
Your comment will record your email address in confidence, and we will then reach out to you with our Women in Accounting Wednesday's questionnaire, making it easy for you to share your work, home and life experiences with our readers.
I'm confident that our readers will want to hear your story, and we are eager to tell it.