A trip to the accountant doesn’t usually create a “warm and fuzzy” feeling for most small business owners. In fact, it’s more likely to make them break out in a cold sweat. When starting a small business, or maintaining the daily operations of a company, the accounting tasks can sometimes get pushed down the list. When the shop or restaurant is finally closed for the night, or all the client needs have been addressed, then a business owner can finally sit down to look over the books. But often, it’s late – family duties call, soccer practices are starting, exhaustion sets in – and the accounting tasks get once again postponed to another day.
Sound familiar? According to Cynthia Hancock, owner of Precisely Right Accounting, it’s a story she hears again and again. “What I find is that money, numbers and bookkeeping is not only intimidating, but oftentimes embarrassing. They know they should have done it, they had a great idea, their business took off, and this one tiny piece in the back office got ignored, possibly for too long, and now they are in trouble and don’t know what to do.”
Precisely Right opened its doors in 2005 after Hancock’s graduation from Saint Martin’s University. She has grown from a one woman show out of her home to offices on Fourth Avenue in downtown Olympia and now to a new location on Sleater-Kinney in the same complex as Marshalls and Michael’s with plenty of parking and easy access.
Hancock and her team specialize in tailoring accounting solutions to fit a client’s needs. But more than that, they work hard to help their clients relax, take a deep breath, and know that it’s all going to be ok, a hard thing to do when a letter from the IRS arrives in the mail or the payroll is behind. “We just sit down and chat,” she shares. “I ask, ‘What can we do? How can I help you?’ and assure them that it’s really going to be ok.”
The first meeting with Hancock will likely change a business owner’s cold sweat to a feeling of confidence that the Precisely Right team will be able to help. “It’s just an opportunity for them to share, in a relaxed atmosphere, in cushy chairs,” says Hancock. “And by the time we are done they are saying, ‘That was easy. I’m so glad I met you and now I know everything is going to be fine.’”
Once a client gets started with Precisely Right, they tend to stay. Not only due to the comfort and reassurance they feel in the office, but from the accurate and professional accounting services they receive. Hancock is an expert at what she does and truly loves it. The group assists all types of small businesses with needs ranging from payroll to taxes to general bookkeeping. If it has to do with the nitty-gritty of running a small business, they can do it.
“The people that we work with are excellent at what they do – the creative work that goes into running a small business,” explains Hancock. “We are great at what we do and that makes us a terrific team with our clients. We let them focus on moving their business forward and leave the back office to us.”
Raised in Portland, Oregon, Hancock has lived in Lacey for most of her adult life. She is active in her community, both as a business professional and parent. Her two daughters are a big part of her life. The oldest is off to college this year after graduating from Northwest Christian High School and her youngest will begin her senior year at North Thurston High School, playing the bass drum in the marching band. Yes, her kids attend different schools, which was a conscious decision in their family. It’s an example of how Hancock honors individuality and tailors an experience to be the best for an individual, whether you are her child or her client.
“We don’t do any cookie cutter stuff – we sit down in the office and get a sense of what a client needs, what they can afford, and if it’s even a fit personality wise for us to work together. From there we tailor bookkeeping, accounting and tax preparation for that individual.”
Precisely Right Accounting is led by Hancock, but she could not do it without her capable and supportive team. Jennifer Beahan and Shannon Loiacono work together with Hancock exceptionally well. “I have had teams in the past, but our current team really supports the clients, supports each other, and works together every day to create results,” shares Hancock. “Both Jennifer and Shannon have a small business mentality and understanding. They don’t mind when a client is a bit late with paperwork or needs something explained more than once. They understand the heart and schedule of someone who runs their own shop.”
And understanding people and building relationships with them is truly at the heart of what Precisely Right Accounting is all about. Solving problems, creating solutions, and giving clients that “warm and fuzzy” feeling when they are done.
You can reach Hancock and Precisely Right Accounting by clicking here.
719 Sleater Kinney Rd. SE, Ste. 212
Lacey, WA 98503
Office: 360-352-6195
www.preciselyrightaccounting.com
