Kelli Hegsted sits down to talk about her business accounting services. One of the first statements she uses to describe her business is that she “has more fun than a typical accountant. I’m not the stereotypical accountant sitting behind a desk with no sense of humor.” The artsy tattoos and green sparkly fingernails are further evidence that working with Kelli will not be all number crunching.
Hegsted, operating as KDH Business Services, opened her accounting business three years ago. “It’s been a whirlwind. One day we opened…then bang, here we are three years later,” she says.
Drawing on her 20 years of accounting experience, Hegsted jumped on the opportunity to open her own consulting business. With a master’s in business administration, she knew that she could provide the technical accounting skills while also acting as a business consultant. She leveraged business contacts from her previous employment at the Thurston County Chamber.
The majority of Hegsted’s clients are small business owners in Thurston, Mason, Lewis, Pierce and Grays Harbor counties. In addition to herself, she employs one person and a virtual assistant who handles her scheduling.
“Most of my clients are small business owners that are really good at what they do but didn’t go into business to tackle accounting,” says Hegsted.
“I’m juggling multiple clients and never doing the same task over and over again. I enjoy the diversity of what’s going on in each business and being able to help a lot of different business owners,” she adds.
Small business owners hire Hegsted for a variety of accounting needs. “I’ll handle anything from a one-time clean-up to weekly tasks such as accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, collections and preparing financial statements,” she explains.
In addition, she can assist businesses with setting up appropriate policies and procedures to manage cash and ensure there are the necessary checks and balances within an organization. “Sometimes a business will call me after an employee has walked away with cash. I’ll set up cash handling policies and procedures for closing out the records at the end of each day,” says Hegsted when describing how she helps a business owner recovery from a financial loss.
Hegsted also serves as an enrolled IRS agent. She explains that this title was earned by passing IRS certification tests. “It puts me at the same level as a CPA or tax attorney when dealing with the IRS,” she adds. This certification permits her to represent a customer before the IRS.
“When a business owner receives the enraging IRS notice about overdue tax payments or potential fines, I can help get to the bottom of the letter and often get the fines dropped or reduced,” she says.
How do you know when it’s time to turn over the accounting tasks in your business? “I tell potential clients that it’s time to delegate or outsource your accounting when you are spending more time and money doing it yourself than it would cost to have someone else handle it,” describe Hegsted. “That’s how you know that it’s a good time to give it up.”
She adds that there is a common misconception that it’s too expensive to hire an outside accounting firm. She quickly dismisses this theory. “It may take you three hours to do payroll but I can do it much faster, thereby saving you money and time to focus on other more productive tasks for running your business,” says Hegsted.
Hegsted takes her client’s confidentiality seriously. While she will work onsite, she performs much of her tasks in her Lacey office. “My computers and electronic files are password protected behind a firewall. The cabinets and doors are locked each night before you leave. You can’t get much more secure without having a guard dog,” she says lightheartedly when explaining the serious measures she takes to secure privacy.
Hegsted’s easy going personality and broad based experience is a benefit for Thurston County area business owners. “If you are a client, then you are part of my family. I often consider myself a counselor in addition to handling someone’s books,” she summarizes.
To reach Kelli Hegsted and KDH Business Services, call 360.7854.9545 or visit www.kdhbusinessservices.com.
Services: small business bookkeeping, accounting, payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable, collections, internal audits, IRS enrolled agent
