It’s a new Dawn: This accounting firm helps you do business

What was your dream when you started your business?

My dream was to have a small firm where I could get to know each client individually, understand how their business works, and provide tailored advice to help them succeed. I wanted to take the time to solve problems, answer questions whenever they arose, and be a trusted advisor as much as an accountant.
I started Virtually DAWN because I saw a need for more personalized accounting services for small businesses in my community. Many of the existing firms were focused on volume and were less interested in developing relationships with their clients.

What was your main goal when starting DAWN?

My goal was, and still remains, to help every small business client thrive through thoughtful, caring service.

How did you start your business?

After leaving my position as a full-time CFO to spend more time with family, a former colleague approached me for help getting her small business’ books in order, as nothing had been done for the previous 10 months. As I worked closely with her that fall, I realized there was a greater need for hands-on, customized accounting and advisory services among small and medium-sized businesses in my community. Drawing on my experience as a CFO, I founded Virtually DAWN in 2013 to provide boutique-style bookkeeping, payroll, accounting, and business strategy services to SMBs who were not having their needs met by larger, less personal firms. It’s very rewarding to now work closely advising a small roster of clients.

What is the competitive advantage you have compared to others?

We specialize in providing personalized bookkeeping, accounting, payroll, and advisory services to small and medium-sized service-based businesses nationally. With our virtual business model, we can operate efficiently while still developing close working relationships with each of our clients. We take pride in understanding the unique needs of every business we work with.

What do you wish you’d known before you started your business?

While expertise in bookkeeping and financial advisory services gave me confidence in opening my boutique firm, I quickly realized that being skilled at my job itself wasn’t enough.
I wish I’d known that constant effort must be put into marketing, networking, and developing the business side each day, not just serving existing clients. In today’s social media-heavy environment, finding new SMB customers organically is challenging despite rave reviews from current clients.

If I could go back, I would tell myself to invest earlier in branding, search optimization, content creation, and leveraging platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn to reach prospective clients, not relying on word-of-mouth alone.

“Constant effort must be put into marketing, networking, and developing the business side each day, not just serving existing clients.”

Can you name two things that helped you in the beginning?

When first starting, I took on part-time work for another experienced bookkeeper in my area, earning less than my college job but valuing the opportunity to learn from someone already successful in running her own practice. Shadowing and handling some of her client work provided indispensable hands-on training beyond my degree. Additionally, I invested early on in attending industry conferences and joining a support organization called Bookkeeping Buds to connect with fellow professionals across the country. Having a community to lean on and conferences to continually develop my expertise gave me confidence and skills to apply in serving my own clients.

“Having a community to lean on and conferences to continually develop my expertise gave me confidence and skills to apply in serving my own clients.”

What advice would you give to your past self before opening your own business?

What advice would you give to your past self before opening your own business? While your financial experience will serve you well in helping SMB clients, know that running a successful firm requires just as much effort in building your brand and finding new customers. Don’t make the mistake of assuming word-of-mouth referrals alone will be sufficient. From day one, invest time and money into areas like your website, search optimization, social media, and content creation to consistently attract clients. Also, make sure to construct a reasonable timeline and budget. Expand at a pace sustainable for your work-life balance. Finally, don’t isolate yourself! Seek mentorship from fellow professionals like through Bookkeeping Buds and keep attending conferences to continue developing skills. If you give mindshare to growing the business, not just doing great work, you’ll thrive.

Dawn M. Slokan founder of DAWN, a bookkeeping and advisory firm, located in PA.