Holistic Business Guidance
Does your business feel good?
Does your business feel good?
Because
it
can.
Business can (and should) feel good. Believe it!
Getting to a place where business feels good is life-changing: everything feels better when your business feels good!
We designed our holistic business guidance process to adapt to the needs of each business owner we work with, to help them find the balance that feels right for their life.
How do we know it works? Because we’re working the process too.
Songbird exists because we were restless and unfulfilled in our CPA practice, and we needed a path to make our business more aligned with our lives. Using time-tested business principles, we developed our version of a strategic planning process – holistic business guidance – to address not just the functional aspects of our business, but also the human aspects too.
Read our story hereWhat we mean by ‘holistic’.
At Songbird, interconnectedness is one of our core values. In your business, your numbers reflect your priorities which reflect your values which reflect your life which reflects your purpose, which can be seen in your numbers. It’s all related, and it all works together.
That’s why we offer traditional accounting services like tax preparation, payroll, sales tax calculation, and bookkeeping as an optional part of the holistic business guidance process: because even the most mundane aspects of your business should align with your purpose.
We will earn your trust.
Having worked with large and small companies as a Certified Public Accountant for more than 10 years, we know how important trust is. Developing a relationship of trust requires vulnerability, courage and transparency, all attributes that we strive to center in our work with clients.
See what our clients sayOur process is simple: just take one step at a time.
The hardest part of anything is getting started. But here you are, and starting is just a click away. From there, we’re with you every step of the way.
If you're asking "Am I ready?" then the answer is yes.
Think of it this way: how much longer can you live in your business the way it is now? It’s never too late to take the steps to go from surviving to thriving and start feeling good in your business.
Reach outThe Benefits
You’re more engaged, productive, healthier and happier. You feel balanced and invigorated. You’re confident and grounded in your work and why you do it.
Your business success is balanced between profits and purpose, and aligns with your values. You're focused on the right numbers and feel empowered to create positive impact.
Your business is sustainable and resilient. It is a true reflection of not only you, but your potential: the best version of you. Your passion and professional ambition converge, making you perfectly positioned to create real positive change in your community and in the world.
Our Approach
We’ll help you go from
to feeling
good.
Phase 1
Align values, vision, and your why to find a solid foundation for every action you take.
Phase 2
Understand what the numbers are telling you about your business.
Phase 3
Bring it all together to get clarity about what’s important and figure out the next steps.
Phase 4
We commit to a relationship of accountability to make sure you achieve your goals.
1. Reach out by filling out this form so we can set up a time to talk
2. Get a fresh, outside perspective into why your business doesn’t feel good
3. Create and implement a plan that works—with regular accountability and hands-on guidance
Why Songbird
Ann C Brown
“As a first-time small-business owner, I quickly grew to trust Wes as he helped me launch my business accounting practices in a way that was easy and understandable. Wes’ work allowed me to get on with my business instead of becoming weighed down with accounting details. He also helps me assess my business from a broader perspective than simply an accounting viewpoint. He thinks through the logistics of my business based on the historical data so I can make strategic decisions, ensuring my resources are used wisely.”
Jason Brake
“The [holistic business guidance] process really gave me perspective about my business. I’m very passionate about my work, but the business side doesn’t come naturally; I typically avoid things I know I should be doing. Wes and I discussed and broke things down into what felt like doable steps for me to take. Having an outside voice gave fresh thoughts but also proved to be helpful with my accountability. Having Wes as a partner gave me incentive to approach my business with the same passion that I do my work. The best way I could sum up the process is to say that it’s like business therapy.”
Jimmy Wheeler
“Wes has given me peace of mind in running my business. He is always available, always professional and will figure out the answer to any tax or strategic planning question you have. Knowing that the taxes and books are in order, especially for someone without a tax background, lets me focus on my business and not the tax issues.”
Who We Are
We understand how unsettling it is when business doesn’t feel good—even when on the outside a lot of things appear to be going well.
Waking up each morning already bogged down with the million small things on your to-do list, feeling light years away from the reason you started your business in the first place. Working hard toward a vision that’s become blurred or irrelevant or out of reach. Feeling like your business is missing something essential, or just doesn’t align with your life.
We’ve been there… and literally made it our business to find and create a solution for ourselves and other business owners we knew.
Wes started out on his path to becoming a CPA over a decade ago not because he loved to crunch numbers, or prepare tax returns, or solve complex accounting puzzles. (Well, maybe that last one…a little bit) After completing his undergraduate work in business and entrepreneurship, he chose accounting with the specific purpose of pursuing a deep understanding of the thing that is most complex for business owners, so that he could use his skill to help his community thrive. He started off in accounting firms, but late one night when he found himself tiptoeing through piles of client files splayed on the office floor of a business-suit clad partner who maybe would sleep in his office that night, Wes knew that life would never be for him. He kept working at firms, dreaming about striking out on his own until opportunity came knocking: his friend and mentor told him she was looking for a buyer for her accounting business. And before he was really ready (if that’s a thing), Wes was a business owner himself.
That was 8 years ago, and the road since has been full of the twists and turns that are familiar to all business owners, including the ever-present feeling that what he was doing everyday– tax work, mainly – though he was good at it, and enjoyed his clients, just wasn’t aligning with the “why” of what led Wes to accounting in the first place. Through the years, he researched advisory-based accounting practices, seeking mentorship and guidance from some of the pioneers of the industry. He learned a lot, and along the way tested elements of advisory work with his business clients.
His vision for Songbird was taking shape, but knowing that accountability would be the lynchpin to the success of his vision, Wes hired Annie, a career non-profit program manager. Together, they began in earnest putting into practice the Holistic Business Guidance process Wes had been studying and cultivating for years. And it worked.
Or rather, it is working, everyday.
Songbird works because we’re working the process ourselves. We started by establishing our foundation – our values, vision, and why – and are using this foundation to set, measure, and evaluate actionable strategies. Every step we take in this business is rooted in this foundation, and is in service to creating the life we envision for ourselves.
We believe that the simplest solution is the best solution; that vulnerability and bravery lead to breakthroughs, and that business should be collaborative and joyful. We look forward to walking this path with you.
