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Balance Quest – Mission Accomplished!

Written by: Debbie Lessin

Article Overview: Debbie Lessin has been on a quest to balance her life since her business turned 10 and she was about to turn 40. Fast forward 15 years. D J Lessin & Associates, Inc celebrates it's 25 year business anniversary and Debbie is about to turn - well you do the math!. After her 15 year Balance Quest, much to her own surprise, this year during the hectic frenetic pace that is tax season, Debbie seems to have finally reached her goal of having a balanced life, at least for this year!

Balance Quest – Mission Accomplished!

I have been on a balance quest, a quest that began when my business turned 10 and I was about to turn 40. As an over-achieving successful entrepreneur I had seriously began questioning why I was working so hard.

For me, money was never my primary motivation, especially after I paid off the debt incurred to grow the business. In fact, over time I learned that for me, a bigger business was not necessarily a better business. I had grown my CPA practice from serving a handful of clients working out of my house to over 225 clients (both business and individual). At the apex of growth, I had several full time and part-time employees. I had a business but not a life, especially not a balance one.

So over the course of time, I downsized the business, 3 times in fact. The process included eliminating all my fulltime employees and learning to work with limited part-time help. In the third and final downsize (2000), I essentially handed the bookkeeping aspect of the business to my remaining full-time employee without any compensation. She was a reluctant entrepreneur at the time, not really understanding the gift that I had I given her. She was already doing the work. I simply wanted to focus on the professional aspects that required my brains without the busy work. I no longer wanted the responsibilities for anyone’s life but my own. The time spent managing and reviewing her work was time better spent billing or better yet, not working.

I redefined my client base which is a nice way of saying that I fired clients that I simply did not want to work with. The reasons varied from discomfort with their business practices to a real disconnect in our personalities. I had a core group of long-time clients that were loyal to me and me to them. If I took new business each year it was not because I sought it. It sought me. And the choice to take on new client obligations often was based on a gut instinct and a good referral from a current client.

I had come full circle – back to being a business of just me. I had some part-time administrative help during my busy season (February 1st – April 15th). But even over the last few years, I’ve found that my need for that help has waned. This year I was able to get by easily with a mere 2 days/10 hours/week. I’ve trained my clients to email first before calling. The email not only documents the file with the question (and answer) but saves my sanity from having to balance 225 clients and the phone. Talking on the phone is very overrated!

Nine years have passed since the final downsize/reorganization. If I reorganize again it would be to retire or sell the practice. Nine years in which I continued on my balance quest. Every year I’ve learned from the past, especially when something positive worked. To most, I have a very balanced life; especially when after my busy season ends on April 15thI choose to work as a CPA limited days the rest of the year. Once the frenetic 4/15 deadline passes, I take extreme measures to reset my body clock and go back to living my revised version of life.

So imagine my surprise when this year – my 25th business anniversary (March 1), my life felt balanced all during tax season. Yes I was working long inhumane hours. Yes, a normal night’s sleep was something that I yearned for. But it was clear early in February that the season was off to a slow start. Information was coming in slowly, partly because the investment firms had approval to delay certain reporting compliance for a few extra weeks to avoid continued amendments. Clients, who normally would submit their information in early or mid February, didn’t. To add insult to injury, no one wanted to look at their financial information for 2008 given the meltdown in the financial markets. Everyone lost money in 2008 and no one wanted to deal with it.

And so my February hours simply were not what they normally were. I couldn’t decide whether to be worried (were clients not coming back?) or gleeful (yeah I’m not at work at the crack of dawn). And so, ever the optimist, I chose gleeful.

Instead of heading to work, I was able to get on the treadmill in the morning on a regular consistent basis (if only for 18 - 20 minutes). This small gesture gave me more energy, both mental and physical. I made plans every Friday night to leave work early and do something social. I planned a 25th anniversary party for a dynamic group of 20 women that was one of the best evenings in recent memory. I celebrated the fact that life was good, despite the woes of the world around me. My hands which decided to have a mind of their own and protest the increase in work hours by becoming inflamed and swollen, this year did not!

But for the Monday morning March 23rd (yes I remember the exact date) when I came to work and there was no internet (equipment died between Saturday afternoon and Monday morning) and I had to scramble to find a new tech person (long sorry personal saga of friendship/loyalty pursuant to a divorce), the entire season was calm, cool and collected. Not even a spring infestation of ants at home or my car mysteriously not starting one cold winter morning (but miracle of miracles, fine upon my return that evening) rattled me. Perhaps it was nostalgia, but I found myself calling clients to tell them the results rather than sending an email. It was the “don’t call me but I can call you rule”. The extra personal connection was a pleasant surprise to both of us.

In the end, work caught up with itself and yet I didn’t increase the hours beyond what I chose to do: 7 AM- 7PM Monday – Thursday, leave a little early on Friday for good behavior and some fun and Saturday from 8:30ish to 3:30ish. Sundays I would take some administrative work home that I could do in my pajamas. In fact even on Saturdays I would only review or process returns. I did not start anything new on Saturday. I needed to let my brain which was on overdrive for 10 weeks. The pattern to the week had become so obvious in recent years – onslaught of new work to do on Monday and Tuesday as clients had done their part on the weekend. Quiet days as the week progressed, quiet yet productive for me.

In the end, I worked about 5% less than in years past during tax season. And yet, I have the rest of the year to make it up, or not. 5% less work for me created 100% more happiness. Thank you but I’ll take it.

25 years and I finally got it right. Balance quest accomplished! Now the goal is to keep the faith and stay the course. The balance quest never ends. But it’s really nice to know that you can in fact get there, step by step, slowly but surely, happily every after…or so I hope!! And the good news – I don’t hate my business this year. Sometimes after the grueling months of overwork, the last thing I want to do is go back to the office and start all over again. I dread going back to work, even if only for thee days a week.

But this year, my 25th, everything is as it should be. I survived tax season. I am grateful for having a steady secure business in this time of economic uncertainty. I am happy. I am balanced. And while I don’t want to sound smug or gloat, I’m ready to shout it from the mountains to anyone who is willing to listen. 25 years – it’s about time!!

Here’s to the 26th, may my dreams and goals of a balanced life continue!


April 23, 2009

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Article Tags: balanced life, business anniversary, lessin, life balance, small business



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Mission Mantra - Why don't we call it a mission mantra? It depends on the business and how much emphasis they put on a Mission Statement or Mantra. Most of the business I've dealt with don't really care to much about a Mission Statement and only believe they need one because everyone else has one.
Re: Sources of Cash - Thanks for the help. The items will be recorded in the Balance Sheet. But why does the Balance Sheet always balances. Is there a specific reason
Re: Essential Leadership skills - Vision Values Mission Strategic Thinking Decision Making Communication Team Bonding People Development Coaching / Mentoring / Guiding / Grooming Presentation Thanks Robert
Re: Sources of Cash - Thank you for guidance and direction. Is there a simpler way of understanding the Balance Sheet and all the components that are to be recorded.
Re: Getting *back* to the next step - Take time out to enjoy life, family, friends before you get back to the 'next step'. I know a lot of people can lose focus on the task at hand by taking a break, but balance is key. Balance is integral to maintaining overall success in business and life!


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