Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra Koeneke.
Hi Alexandra, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It took me a while to find the right career path for me. I started off as an elementary school teacher fresh from receiving my undergrad at the University of Houston. Teaching was rewarding and I valued the relationships I developed with my students; however, it was physically and mentally exhausting. I found my health and well-being drastically declining in the two years I spent in the classroom. It was difficult walking away from something I had always planned on and dreamed of doing, but reflecting back now – I can say it was for the best. With no direction, I took on a job a friend recommended as an Office Manager for a trucking company. This is where I was introduced to bookkeeping. My tasks started off small and I learned more as the years carried on. Though this job was wonderful; it lacked something important to me from my teaching days: the value of contributing to something greater. I also aspired to find a work/life balance that allowed me to perform at my best. The idea of starting my own business originally was a resounding “No Way!” But overtime (and with the gentle, continued encouragement from a loved one), the idea carried more and more appeal. I decided I wanted to try, but explored a few different options before settling on bookkeeping. I’m surprised, thinking back, that it took me so long to put two and two together. I started building the business on the side, as well as completing additional training and education to prepare. I officially started AK’s Simplified Business Solutions in 2022, and am so pleased with the growth, work and clients I’ve experienced in the last 3 years. I’ve had the pleasure of serving small businesses from a number of industries all across the United States. AK’s Simplified currently serves over 30 businesses. I can now say that I love what I do! I love helping alleviate clients’ pain points. I love working remotely with a flexible schedule. I’ve found the right balance that allows me to serve others at peak performance.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest struggle for me was the journey of discovering that this is what I needed to do! However, there have been other small bumps along the way. Getting started was really hard. As a brand new business owner, you need clients desperately as there is no income flowing, but you also have the least experience, no ratings or reviews, and face imposter syndrome (or at least I did!). I’d get butterflies in my stomach before contacting a client for a discovery call. It took a lot of courage to move forward with tasks that felt uncomfortable and scary. It took perseverance to keep going and trying. It also took faith that I had the knowledge and good intentions to do good bookkeeping work that would help businesses turn their situations around. Despite the hurdles – people saw that, put their trust in me and gave me the chance. Hard work pays off.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about AK’s Simplified Business Solutions?
AK’s Simplified Business Solutions provides virtual training, clean up and catch up services, ongoing monthly bookkeeping, accounts receivable support, accounts payable support, sales and franchise tax assistance across multiple states, job costing, receipt tracking, payroll, 1099 issuance, inventory tracking, and more.
We currently have experience with Quickbooks Desktop, Quickbooks Online, Quickbooks Payroll, ADP, Gusto, Wave, Tiller and Xero. The majority of our clients use Quickbooks Online products, which we have the Advanced Quickbooks Online and Quickbooks Payroll certifications for.
What I love about our pricing is that it is customized and personal. Every business has completely different needs. What a business may want help with can vary depending on their current staff situation, pain points, complexity, growth and size. Why pay for more than you need, or just pick a package that just comes “the closest” to suiting you? That’s why the first step with every potential client is to hop on the phone and just talk about what they’re needing help with. From there, I take into considersation the needs and perform a diagnostic review (check up) of the current books, if any, to provide a variety of packages that deliver answers to direct pain points.
I also love that AK’s Simplified is flexible and willing to get creative. Even untraditional needs are considered, and if it is a fit, we deliver. I’ve personally helped count inventory in personal wine cellars to prepare a couple for auction, assisted with fixing payroll form and payment debacles, filed IFTAs and HVUTs forms, as well as help track personal spending for retirees.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I’ve had so much support creating and maintaining this business! Firstly, I’m really grateful to all of my current clients. I genuinely love them and feel so lucky to have connected with such great people. They are all just so kind, which is an important trait to me.
I’m also really grateful to my family and friends. Everyone has always been excited and happy for my success, and helped contribute to it through word of mouth referrals, sharing posts on social media, and sending potential clients my way!
Lastly, I couldn’t have done this without my partner Steven. He’s the one who saw what I was capable of in the first place and encouraged me to start my own business. He’s the one who has helped shape the business into what it is now with incredible feedback and ideas. He’s even the first person I’ve outsourced tasks to as AK’s Simplified has grown.
Pricing:
- Virtual Training starts at $150 an hour (2 hour minimum)
- Clean Up Packages start at $250 per month
- Catch Up Packages start at $75 per month
- Quickbooks Online Set Up Packages start at $150
- Ongoing Monthly Bookkeeping Services start at $200 a month
Contact Info:
- Website: www.akssimplified.com
- Instagram: @akssimplified
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AKsSimplified/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ak-s-simplified-business-solutions-llc/
- Other: https://calendly.com/bookkeepingbyak
Image Credits
All photos taken by Harlen J Photography
