Bookkeeping can be exciting
Meet Dave Kersting–a founder, CEO, bookkeeper, and visionary. He owns a bookkeeping and financial consulting firm based in Denver, Colorado, but serves clients across the country. He helps businesses with every aspect of their operations by working with a number of trusted partners in a unique relationship called “co-firming”. Keep on reading to learn how he successfully runs his business–and no less important–what inspires him, what his support system looks like, and what his golden tip for entrepreneurs is.
Who helped you in your journey as a business owner and how?
My most significant source of support has been from my business coach (turned friend) Richard Roppa-Roberts and the community of bookkeeping and accounting professionals he founded – Roundtable Labs.
“I was able to start believing that I could achieve what originally seemed like crazy fantasies.”
When I met Richard, things really started changing for me. Before then, I held a lot of self-limiting beliefs, doubt, insecurity, and imposter syndrome. Through working with Richard and my incredible group of peers in the Roundtable Labs community, I was able to start believing that I could achieve what originally seemed like crazy fantasies.
I’ve also received a lot of help from family and friends. My parents’ business was one of my first clients so I got to cut my teeth as a business owner with people I already knew. I’ve also learned so much from people working in different businesses and industries than my own. Taking the time to learn from the boots-on-the-ground people who do a job day in and day out is enlightening. If you want a business to be successful, I’ve learned that you have to think more about what the actual workers want and need, not just what a CEO says they want.
What does your typical day look like? What is the ideal workday for you?
A typical day at Capovario is a little crazier than I’d like it to be. But that’s life at any startup or growing business. Aside from the fires I have to put out from time to time, a typical day entails checking in with the team to understand what each person is focusing on and what we need to do to keep fires from breaking out in the first place. As the owner of the firm, I work long hours. But I also instilled in my team that the “life” part of “work-life balance” is really important and not to ignore it.
“I’d love to spend a lot more time working ‘on my business’ rather than ‘in my business’ because that’s where the next big idea will come from.”
An ideal day would include automating more tasks so they don’t need my or my team’s attention. It would also include more unstructured time for creativity and innovation. I’d love to spend a lot more time working “on my business” rather than “in my business” because that’s where the next big idea will come from.
Where do you see yourself in five years? What is your ultimate dream as a business owner?
Retired! Just kidding. I’ve got big goals for Capovario. In five years, I see us as a larger firm that offers more services to more business verticals. On a personal level, I see myself being the face of a company. I want to help my colleagues and other business owners in the bookkeeping and accounting world by speaking and teaching while the business runs itself. I have such a capable team, and we’re training young people to move into larger roles and grow with us. In five years I’ll be able to think less about the day-to-day and more about the big picture. For me, that is helping other business owners be successful.
Who are your inspirations business-wise? Why?
First of all, Oprah, because the empire she’s built is incredible. On top of that, I get inspiration from a lot of big name brands that focus on social issues, diversity/equity/inclusion, and human rights. It’s not enough for a company to make everything rainbow-colored during Pride Month. The businesses that inspire me are the ones I know are fighting for equality every day of the year.
“The businesses that inspire me are the ones I know are fighting for equality every day of the year.”
What advice would you give to your past self before opening your own business?
To trust myself and start my business sooner. If I had founded Capovario five years before I did, we’d be in a completely different place. There are some advantages to having started when I did. For example, there was a greater acceptance of remote work and it became possible to find the best talent regardless of geography. But still, I was my own biggest roadblock and I would definitely tell my past self to just take that first step a lot sooner.
I also would tell my past self to have been a little more prepared before starting my company. This entails anything from having a larger pool of savings to rely on during the first few years when things were just getting started, to getting involved in the professional community I’d be working with. I found myself reinventing the wheel for the first few months, which I could have avoided if I’d gotten some peer mentorship from the start.
“I was my own biggest roadblock and I would definitely tell my past self to just take that first step a lot sooner.”
The final thing I’d tell my past self is to beware of “shiny object syndrome.” I was enticed by every new app that promised it could solve my problems, and it took learning the hard way before I could realize what I actually needed and what was distracting me. Now I know that you need to focus on one or two of the largest pain points and find a tool or technique that’s a solid solution.
Dave Kersting is the founder and CEO of Capovario based in Denver, Colorado.
*The purpose of this page is solely to provide information and should not be considered as financial advice
**Melio does not provide legal, tax or accounting advice; you should consult a professional advisor before making any financial decisions.
