Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Sheffield.
Carrie, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story starts as a young girl living in the West End of Louisville, KY, where redlining forced African American families to settle after fleeing poor working conditions during the Jim Crow era. On this side of town, abandoned homes, frequent homicides and random drug busts were commonplace. However, my parents kept me busy in extracurricular activities on the opposite side of town which exposed me to different lifestyles and children with parents who were business owners and C-level executives.
While participating in these activities and realizing other lifestyles, I yearned to learn more about business and how others obtained success. Ironically, I was already enrolled in a traditional grade school providing a wide range of programs with a challenging curriculum in a highly structured environment. Therefore, I was able to enroll in my first Accounting course which scratched my itch to learn more about business and paved the way for me to earn a Bachelors in Accounting, a Masters of Business Administration with Specialization in Accounting and start my career as a Corporate Financial Accountant at the tender age of 23.
Ten years later, I moved to Houston for a fresh start and soon thereafter legally formed Total Financial Firm to share my knowledge and help small business owners.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road has been smooth for the most part, but yes, I’ve faced obstacles with every transitional phase in my life.
First and foremost, I can be my own worst critic. I always strive for excellence in all that I do which has led me to constantly evaluate my progress toward goals in the past. I learned constant assessment can often be counterproductive. I overcome my own criticism by establishing realistic timelines toward goal achievements, then assessing my progress with each milestone on the timeline. I also have a mentor who has been pivotal in helping me establish a pathway to excellence and Standard Operating Procedures for my business.
Most importantly, I’ve learned to ask God to lead, guide and direct my path. I firmly believe I will not fail if God is the core of all I do.
Please tell us about Total Financial Firm.
I formed Total Financial Firm to help small business owners reach profitability goals by understanding their financial statements and tax liabilities. Total Financial Firm provides virtual accounting, payroll, business/personal tax filing and planning services. I also help legally form businesses. Since services are offered virtually, I am able to serve businesses across the United States, not just in Houston,TX.
I chose the healthcare industry as my niche since most of my corporate accounting career is in healthcare. However, I do have clients in other industries. The fundamentals of accounting never change, so I typically can help any small business owner if I familiarize myself with their industry through research.
I pride myself on holding periodic financial review calls with every client, which is not common for many bookkeeping services. The calls allow me to nurture a personal relationship with every client and most importantly, help them meet financial goals and remain compliant with municipal, state and federal tax laws. Nothing makes me cringe more than seeing people pay too much in taxes because they were misinformed or uninformed.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
According to the US Small Business Administration, Houston had 2.6 Million Small Businesses in 2018 with nearly 8% of them in the healthcare sector. Each of those businesses needs to understand their financial performance.
So yes, Houston is absolutely a great place for my business to thrive and I encourage other business owners to start right here where the economy is thriving!
Contact Info:
- Website: totalfinancialfirm.com
- Phone: (832) 384-9080
- Email: carrie@totalfinancialfirm.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/totalfinancialfirm/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/totalfinancialfirm/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/carrie_yourfinancediva/
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