Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrice.
Hi Patrice, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started my own bookkeeping business by helping one restaurant owner manage his books and checks. I was also teaching piano at the same time. I did this for about 10 years and then decided bookkeeping was much easier (and more lucrtive) than teaching piano, so I started networking and joining groups and my business started growing. This was during the financial crash in 2009, and my fellow networkers felt like a band of brothers as we slogged through the trenches trying to grow our businesses.
Meanwhile, my husband and I were trying to figure out where to live. We traversed much of the US looking for the perfect place – with room, affordability, and a home we could fix up. We landed in Houston, and then Fort Worth, and then finally settled in Spring Branch (in between San Antonio and Austin). We were extremely lucky to find land, and a wonderful contractor who built our dream home.
Along the way my clients came with me (virtually), and I picked up new clients in each new town we moved to. Today I have a full client base with many varieties of businesses
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In the beginning it was very hard. Networking, going to Chamber meetings, joining a BNI group – it was like a second job. I had to keep feeding the fire in hopes of securing one client, and then two, and then three. Once the momentum got going, it wasn’t bad. I also changed my bookkeeping structure – from going to owner’s offices to mainly working out of my home. Some businesses were not fun, and some owners were not very nice, but I learned something from each one. And I have grown in confidence with all the added knowledge and different scenarios I encountered along the way.
We’ve been impressed with Patrice Diana Bookkeeping, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business model is changing – I am no longer just providing bookkeeping services, and I will soon not be including that in my name. What I do is build relationships with business owners. I use the numbers from their financial statements to help them see where growth is blocked, and I help them strategize a way to get positive cash flow. I feel I am an intergral part of their business, and I want to help them succeed.
I am known for my follow-through – if I say I am going to do something, it gets done. I am detail oriented and I like to sovle puzzles. If I see something that is not right, I need to fix it. I delve deeper into the books than most bookkeepers, and I don’t like to leave something if it isn’t done right. I am most proud of my business because it has been successful – it has provided me with my own time, freedom to do other things outside of work, and I think my clients always feel better after we work together. I have a very positive mentality, and I think that helps them.
Your readers should know that when they work with me, they get ME. A dedicated partner on their team, who is rooting for their success.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Don’t stay in a job where you are unhappy
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pdbookkeeping.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrice-diana-399a773/
Image Credits
Headshots by Zesty Orange Photography (Austin, TX). The other pictures are mine – and represent things that are important to me: Travel, a good, strong latte, my cat (Kitty), the deer around our home, and cooking (my homemade bread recipe from when I had my own bread baking business in 5th grade).
