Today we’d like to introduce you to Dondrea Owens.
Hi Dondrea, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always loved numbers! I spent a decade in public accounting at one of the national firms in Atlanta, but I wanted a career that would allow me to have more flexibility with my schedule as our family was growing. At the same time, I was designing wedding invitations and meeting so many creatives who didn’t have a handle on their finances. I guess you could say that I spoke their language, and that allowed me to merge my two passions – creativity and numbers – to form The Creative’s CFO in 2017.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I mean, is entrepreneurship ever really a smooth road? Lol. It’s certainly come with its challenges, but we continue to push through those challenges because the reward of serving women entrepreneurs is so fulfilling. I’d say our biggest challenges over the years have been refining our systems and hiring. Refining our systems and internal processes when we more than tripled our client load during the pandemic was a task, especially when trying to implement it during our busy season, but we always focus on automation before we outsource. It saves time and money! With hiring, we found out very early that we needed to create a process for ensuring candidates were not only skilled but excited about the work we do for our clients. It’s not just a requirement of The Creative’s CFO; our clients have come to expect it. And it really helps us do our job better!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The Creative’s CFO is a concierge accounting firm founded in 2017 by Dondrea Owens, CPA. My team and I focus on helping women entrepreneurs know their numbers and grow their profits so that they can take home more pay and live the life of their dreams. Our clients are creatives, consultants, and community builders with an online presence. Our mission is to educate and empower – because we know that with proper financial education, business owners make better financial decisions. We want women entrepreneurs to feel more confident and more in charge of their business finances. Our services include bookkeeping, accounting, and CFO services for businesses in the six-figure sales range and beyond. We have two levels of service: The Money Manager and The Virtual CFO. I’m most proud of the community we’ve built on Instagram and the resources on our blog. Having those two outlets helps us to continue serving the creative community even as business grows and our time becomes limited.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
The apps I use most are Spotify, Google Calendar, ClickUp, Superhuman, and Instagram (of course!). My favorite podcasts are Systems Saved Me (for business) and The Suga (for girl talk). I’m an avid reader of black romance novels – it’s my favorite way to unwind.
Pricing:
- The Money Manager – $1,000 per month
- The Virtual CFO – $3,000 per month
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@thecreativescfo.com
- Website: https://www.thecreativescfo.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecreativescfo/
Image Credits
All Images: Sarah Cothran Photography
