Small Business Saturday: Insight from the Owners of Stratlign Inc.

We are huge supporters of small and local businesses! Well, because:

1. They help the economy by creating a great number of job opportunities.
2. Not only does shopping small help the community, but also benefit you by getting to enjoy the more personal experience.
3. Being business owners ourselves, we appreciate the courageous leap of starting your own business.We understand the challenges and how much work it is. We appreciate all of the support we receive from our clients, friends and family and want to pass it on to other businesses.

We have recently started dedicating Saturdays to the stories of local and client businesses. It is such fun hearing from other owners, learning about their journeys, and getting insight of advice they have for someone thinking of starting their own business.

A huge part of our job is helping business owners, whether it is with accounting and payroll services, taxes, or coaching them through their growth to develop their business. Since we work to guide businesses through their own path of growth and success, why not share our business’s story. Every business journey is unique. Here is a closer insight into Stratlign’s journey.

1. What inspired us to open our business?The freedom you have as a business owner or self-employed person vs. being an employee.  Nobody is telling us where to be, what to do, etc.Although, there is a stereotype that business owners can come and go as they please. That really is not true unless you’ve put significant time into your business to create an environment where that’s actually possible.
2. Is there anything special or new happening at Stratlign?We’re hoping to add different types of service lines as technology, small business, and accounting continue to change. We always want to stay ahead of new trends in our industry.We’re implementing Profit First now with clients and we should have a bunch of us certified as ‘Profit Advisors” in the next several months.  I think that’s the missing link for our industry.  Meaning, we should be helping clients not only with their tax situations and accounting, but growing their businesses, becoming profitable, and helping with implementing systems and processes that allow owners to determine what their version of success is for themselves and their business.
3. What has been our biggest success to date? We’ve gone from zero employees to over 10 in a few short years.  Our business has grown dramatically over the last two years and we want to continue that for as long as possible. Creating a 7-8 figure business is in the works.
4. If we were to give advice to someone starting a business of their own, what would it be?

•  Define what your goals and vision are for your business long-term, which can be difficult to think about.
•  Establish systems and processes from day one to drive scalability for the business and increase productivity.
•  Be intentional with everything you do.
•  Don’t let other people and their opinions get in the way of your goals and dreams.
•  Be willing to outsource work, tasks, duties, etc. to maximize your time as an owner to focus on the most important       things in your business to create long term success.