By Lea Ann Sanford | P&L Business Services
(Picture is my FIRST day in the office)
Let’s get real.
I’m going to write about a little something different this time—let’s talk about what MY journey to becoming a small business owner REALLY looked like.
As I’ve been out and about around town, I have the reputation I’ve worked hard for 💪 and have had many entrepreneurs ask me how it’s so easy for me and so hard for them…well, it appears I’ve gotten good at acting—because I’m F’n exhausted, frazzled, overweight, overwhelmed, and SO damn grateful!
📚 From Ledgers to Late Nights
I’ve worked in the accounting industry for well over 2 decades, and to say I’ve seen a lot of shit would be an understatement. When I first started out, we did it with ledger paper and pencils ✏️. Now, I’m not as old as that sounds—but keep in mind, the internet came out the year I graduated high school…damn it, maybe I AM as old as it sounds 😅.
I take the hard way in life. It’s incredibly irritating and has really created a friggin’ headache for me over the years. Luckily, I wasn’t that way with work. I figured out very young that being a dumbass in my personal life AND at home wasn’t going to work out well, so I used work as my escape from the stupid shit I created in my personal life.
🍔 My First Job: McDonald’s Park Ranger
I busted my ass from the time I was old enough to get my first job at McDonald’s as their very first “Park Ranger” in Lakewood NY. Imagine me, 16, in the most hideous gray (pleated) knee-length shorts with the burgundy and gray striped mid-‘90s uniform…on the playground, pulling little kids out of the hamburgerler’s head because they were too scared to come down on their own. Now that you’ve laughed 😂, on to the real point of all this.
👶 Becoming a Mom-time to get my shit together
Fast forward 6 years or so and I’m living in Tennessee holding my newborn baby while being in a relationship I knew I shouldn’t be in. Most women will say the first time they meet their first baby, things change. Well, that’s no lie. I was still a dumbass messy kid, but I knew I wouldn’t be forever.
At the time I was working for a timeshare resort. The instant I got back from maternity leave, I put my plan in motion: move up, make enough to live on my own and support my kid. A short time later, I was living on my own and moving into the home I had just purchased 🏡.
🎓 College at 27, Chaos All Around
Now, you’d think I was good from there, but like I said above, I had to take the hard way. About the time of my second (and last) kiddo’s 1st birthday 🎂, I realized I had done it again. This time, I decided school was the only way I was going to be able to get ahead and stay there—or at a minimum, learn how not to be a dumbass.
So, at 27, I enrolled in college 🎓.
Those years were a blur. I worked full-time, managed to get my schoolwork done, while I had a kid playing football (IYKYK), a toddler, and was trying to navigate life as a single mom…again.
💼 Climbing the Ladder, One Job at a Time
Over the years I worked my way up in various positions—from operations in timeshare, buy-here-pay-here car lots, public accounting, manufacturing, even a stint with a massive corporation—and frankly, everything else in between. I never stepped back, always up.
💔 The Leap Into Entrepreneurship
In December 2021, I lost my job. I was heartbroken 💔, embarrassed, and a little pissed. My husband begged me not to go find another “job.” By this time I’d gotten my Master’s Degree, and the easier thing would have been to grab another six-figure gig and wait on that direct deposit to show up every couple weeks or so. It had always been a dream of mine to own my own business…there was no way I could do that…right?
🙏 The Support That Made It Possible
Now this is the part where I have a list of people to thank. I think as small business owners, none of us really have the courage on our own to jump in. If you did, good for you—‘cuz I sure as hell didn’t.
If not for support from my husband, kids, Alicia and Kim, I wouldn’t have done this, not in a million years. On December 22nd, I signed a 3-year lease for $1,200 a month, which was terrifying 😱, and my husband and I got to work on renovations.
Most of you that know me have heard me say “Smarter people buy firms.” Not me…again, I took the hard path, I pounded the pavement: Chambers, networking groups, social media—anything I could think of—I did it to get clients.
🏆 Where I Am Now
Now, there’s a lot of stuff I’m missing in this story, and if anyone is interested, I’ll write more about it. But fast forward almost 4 years and here we are. I have staff, almost 200 clients, and what I’ve been told is a successful business 🏆.
You see, I live with imposter syndrome. I find it hard to believe that I’m here, because half the time I have zero money and a knot of nerves wound so tight I can hardly breathe.
In the background, what no one else (but my husband at this point) sees are the sleepless nights, the very early mornings, long hours, the tears, frustration, and a mountain of anxiety. Each decision I make is with my staff, their families, my clients, and our community in mind—always second guessing if I’m doing the right thing.
Even as I type this blog post, I’m thinking about the tax returns I “should” be doing (that I know I can’t because I don’t have all of what I need yet), worrying about whether I’ll be able to collect enough cash this month to cover payroll and rent, or if I’ll say something stupid in front of someone and ruin my hard-earned reputation…and… is this blog too much…too personal?
💯 Final Thoughts
So the moral of this story is this: while you wonder if you can do this too, I promise, you can 💯. All you need is a couple cheerleaders, thick skin, and a dream. When you want it bad enough, the work doesn’t feel as hard. You’ll sleep when you die and maybe you’ll learn along the way that you are a really great actor 🎭
Lea Ann Sanford, MAcc
Owner, P&L Business Services
Your Numbers. Our Passion. 😴📊
📞 Call us at 865.294.4792
📧 Email Info@PandLBusinessServices.com
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