Today we’d like to introduce you to Keisha Le’Obia Rondeno.
Keisha, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My career started two weeks after I graduated from The University of Louisiana of Lafayette with a degree in Accounting. I worked as a Cost Accountant and later a Revenue Accountant at Coca Cola Enterprises in New Orleans, LA. being right out of college, both of these positions helped me understand two very important numbers on the Financial Statement, which is Revenue and Cost of Goods Sold. I didn’t realize it at the time, but working in these areas provided me valuable knowledge I would use later in my career. It was at Coca Cola that I obtained my CPA certification. After working with Coca Cola for five years, I accepted a position with the Department of Defense (DOD) as an auditor.
After one year of working with the DOD in New Orleans, my family and I was forced to relocate to Houston, TX, due to Hurricane Katrina, where I continued to work as an auditor. Although I had done several internal audit tasks at Coca Cola, being an auditor for the DOD was different. Auditing subcontractors for the U.S. government allowed me to review Accounting records and Tax filing for small businesses. It was through this auditing position that I learned a wealth of information about businesses and compliance. This is where my love for Taxes and Accounting grew. I loved accounting so much I obtained my Masters of Accounting (MSA) degree with an emphasis on taxation from Prairie View University.
In 2016, I started my firm Keisha L. Rondeno, CPA, PLLC. When I originally started, I focused mainly on Tax Compliance for Businesses, but shortly afterward, I moved into the area of Bookkeeping and Accounting as well. When preparing Tax Filings for clients, I realized many were not consistent or accurate with their financial reporting. Many times, I needed to prepare Accounting files before starting their Tax filings, so at the time, it appeared to be a no brainer to incorporate these tasks into my list of services.
Has it been a smooth road?
Once I incorporated Accounting and Bookkeeping with my Tax Compliance work, this became a challenge because I was taking on all clients and providing all services. I was trying to do it all. Accounting and Tax is often seen as a general profession. Every business needs tax and accounting services, but each business is different. With each new client, I had to learn their business, their industry and create a plan to service them. It was quite challenging and I was all over the place. In 2018, I decided to focus on a niche. Focusing on a niche allows me the opportunity to specialize in the part of tax and accounting that I really love to do and it gives me the chance to work with the same type of clients, which allows me to service them better.
Another challenge I have experienced in the past is balancing work and family life. As a business owner, your hours are not just 9-5. You work many different hours of the day. Sometimes it can be challenging to balance it all. My husband and I have a 14 and 10-year-old that are both very active in school and extra-curricular activities. My goal is to be present for all activities. The way I now manage is that I always schedule family time and “me” time. As far as “me” time, I start every morning with a workout. I create a schedule of what needs to be accomplished for the day and I make sure my workout is the first task to accomplish before I start my day. For family time, we plan a trip every summer and every February, my husband and I plan a trip to celebrate our anniversary. My goal is to work hard and play hard. As long as I can see a break in the future, it allows me to work hard to accomplish my goals of servicing clients.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Today, my firm’s primary focus is Tax Planning and Tax Compliance for Businesses and Real Estate Professionals, including Investors, Developers, and Agents. I implement Tax strategies that help them save money and increase their cash flow while generating wealth and growing their business.
Real Estate is a niche that I fell into. Being a real estate investor myself for 12 years and being a member of several Real Estate organizations, I started to meet several RE investors that didn’t know how to manage their finances, investments and didn’t know how to file their taxes. My goal is to help them organize their finances so they can deduct more, invest smarter, and, most of all, legally pay less to the IRS. Focusing on Small Businesses and Real Estate Professionals allows me to study and understand the Tax challenges they experience. I help them overcome those challenges.
What sets me apart from other CPAs is that I make sure my clients know and understand the matter. They are not just a number, but they are a valuable client and I treat them as such. I make each client feel like they count. They are not just a number. The fact that I focus on Tax Savings for businesses and work with Real Estate Professionals has allowed me to become an expert in this area. It allows me to speak their language, understand the details of their work and efficiently solve their problems at a high level. By having knowledge of a specific industry, I offer strong support to my clients by being an advisor every step of the way.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I am expecting greatness in the Tax and Accounting industry for the future. Tax and Accounting will forever be a needed service for businesses that wish to be successful. Tax and Accounting professionals help businesses make high-level business and tax decisions that contribute to their operations and success. I also don’t see Real Estate slowing down either. Since Real Estate is an activity that can be done in conjunction with other business activities, I believe we will see a consistent increase over the next 5-10 years.
Contact Info:
- Address: 118 Vintage Park Blvd
Ste W-700 - Website: www.klrondenocpa.com and www.RealEstateTaxCPA.com
- Phone: (832) 532-4254
- Email: keisha@klrondenocpa.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RealEstateCPA
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KLRondenoCPA
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CPA_RealEstate
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