Tricia Kritzberg
Business Name: Kritzberg Consulting
Website URL: www.kritzbergcpa.com
Email Address: tricia@kritzbergcpa.com
Year Founded: 2013
Number of Employees: 1 (and collaboration with other firms)
What does your company do?: Kritzberg Consulting provides small businesses with accounting solutions, including part-time Controller/CFO functions that include assistance with cash flow management, forecasting, dashboards, financial statement compilation and presentation, and general oversight over small business financial matters. We also provide accounting system setup, maintenance and clean-up. Additionally, Tricia Kritzberg, the owner of Kritzberg Consulting, provides business valuations for 409A deferred compensation, litigation support and mergers & acquisitions.
Was there a specific turning point when you realized your business was moving to the next level?: After leaving my previous job as the top financial executive for a quasi-governmental company, I started helping out a few small nonprofits, attorneys and small businesses with accounting needs. I enjoyed working with these organizations so much, I stopped my search for the next step in my career because the next step found me.
What processes or procedures have you implemented that have helped grow your company?:
As any service provider will tell you, the most critical process or procedure to grow a company is networking. If folks out there don’t know you and trust you, they wont bring their business to you. Additionally, my volunteer activities on nonprofit boards, overseeing accounting operations in nonprofits and fundraising teaches me a lot about stepping outside of my comfort zone and taking on new challenges.
What is most rewarding about running your business?: The look on a client’s face when you help them solve a problem. Also, I enjoy the risk and freedom. There are few things that are comfortable about running a small business and my actions will either make it or break it. So, lets see what I can do next.
What challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them?: Selling doesn’t come easily to me, especially when I need to sell myself. My career has been interesting, diverse and exciting, but I was brought up to be humble about my accomplishments. I’m not sure I have overcome this challenge, but I try to take one bold step at a time. I experiment with different ways I can present myself and learn from each experience.
If you were starting over today, what would you do differently?: I suppose the one thing I would do differently is to keep in touch with my network better. It’s easy to let important relationships slip away when you are up to your ears in work and life.
What advice do you have for other business owners?: Start fresh each day with a new determination. Always work on learning something new so you can improve the services you provide. Most importantly, find a hobby or activity that will absorb you and clear your mind of all of the stresses of running a business.
Please list any favorite books, tools or resources (software, website, etc.) you would recommend for others: I’m getting ready to launch a charitable crowdfunding campaign and I am so grateful to have found the book by Devin Thorpe called Crowdfunding for Social Good; Financing Your Mark on the World.
I use the QuickBooks ProAdvisor website for a lot of useful information and advice from the QuickBooks community.
I’m a huge advocate for LinkedIn to help me stay up to date with my network.
I also enjoy CFO.com, Utah Business Magazine, and the internet in general.
What is something that people might be surprised to learn about you?: I’ve traveled to about 35 countries, but only one in Europe. I learn so much from people who live in underdeveloped or developing countries. It helps me appreciate how fortunate I have been in my life. Africa is my favorite place to go when I need to escape.
