S5E11: An Accounting Firm that YOU Should Hire with Courtney DeRonde

“It's really about understanding what is your way that you uniquely contribute to your business, and most of the time, it's not going to be where you're spending most of your time.” Courtney DeRonde My guest today is Courtney DeRonde, who's a CPA and managing partner of TDT CPAs and Advisors— the boutique advisory and accounting firm for small businesses and nonprofit organizations. The company helps overwhelmed successful leaders understand and maximize financial information, so that they can achieve better results and move the organizations to the next level. As the owner of a firm and managing partner, she also has first-hand experience running and scaling a small business. Courtney understands the need to help and teach their clients the importance of being more financially literate. When TDT take on clients, they learn more about their business with an aim of becoming a better partner, not just for a transaction. The first question that successful business owners ask is, “how does my business make money?” As businesses grow and scale, you get that there is increased activity which you're not directly involved with anymore. The mindset shift therefore is having a look at good information that tells you where your business is really making money. The second question is about cashflow and it is a shift from how much I have, to what is flowing in and out of the business over the next few weeks. Continuously looking at that helps you to eliminate surprises, because most financial surprises are not usually positive. This mind shift helps you to be prepared and take-action if things don't look good in the near future and not just look at where you stand today. Our approach with our clients is very much from an educational standpoint, and the goal is to empower them to understand and use the information that we give them to make decisions. The third question is about determining the highest leverage of time and talents. It's really about understanding what is your way that you uniquely contribute to your business. M