Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lori Sunderman, Owner of LGS Consulting, located in Calgary, AB, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

LGS Consulting is a full-service public accounting firm providing bookkeeping, controller/CFO consulting, financial statements, and income tax preparation. My staff and I love working with purpose-driven entrepreneurs. Our mission is to empower business owners and entrepreneurs to start, build and grow their businesses strategically. Our customers are from a broad range of industries and sizes, from solopreneurs to small-medium-sized multi-location corporations; however, they all have one thing in common, a passion for their business, employees, and customers. Most importantly, we aim to inspire our clients and ourselves to make a positive difference in the world.

Tell us about yourself

Hi, my name is Lori Sunderman. I am a designated professional accountant (CPA) with over 20 years of experience in business and accounting. While I was articling in a public accounting firm, I soon realized that I was different from the typical “normal” accountant. I had an entrepreneurial mindset and wanted to make a difference. I came to realize early on that to be successful in business takes a lot more than what people think. I desired to do more for my clients than just prepare their year-end financial statements and file their tax returns. I wanted to help set them up for success and be a guide throughout the whole year. As a result, I set out to learn all I could about what made a business successful and now pass that knowledge on to my clients.

Over 17 years ago, I started my firm and grew it into an organization with a mission to strengthen the entrepreneur within all our clients. We support, educate, and empower entrepreneurs by providing valuable knowledge, planning, and expertise so they can be successful in their businesses. I found that most people that start a business are terrified of numbers and are intimidated by having to deal with the accounting side of their operations. We love this stuff, so we take the stress and worry away from them, teach them what they need to know, and handle what they cannot do themselves; we do the high-level accounting expertise.

At LGS Consulting, we are motivated and love stepping up to the challenge of learning about our client’s businesses, determining how to provide value-added services, and seeking solutions to all they face daily. We have candid and open conversations with our clients that can have significant results and change their entire outlook and mindset.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Our clients are important to us, and we are invested in their success. In return, they support us to be successful as much as we support them. Most of our clients are from referrals only, rarely leaving to seek other consultants or accountants. We have been instrumental in turning around companies on the brink of bankruptcy, surviving the COVID-19 pandemic, and helping some restart their businesses when things have gone wrong. Whatever the situation, we are always there for our clients. To me, this is more important and more meaningful than any awards or accolades could ever be.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest thing in business is keeping your mindset in a positive and growing perspective. This is such a difficult thing to do, especially when starting your business, because many times, it seems like everything is going against you and that you will never succeed. Keeping the faith that you will make it through the difficult times, challenging situations, and stressful days is so hard. Being able to stay on course, prioritize through all the demands coming at you, and keeping yourself and your employees going towards your goals and objectives is the key to success, and yet it is so hard to achieve.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Strategically plan – Take the time out of your business schedule to plan your next steps and the directions you want to take. Be clear in your objectives and goals, focusing on only two or three at a time. Take courses to help you to be able to do this, read books on it, network in your industry, develop key accountability relationships and even get a mentor. This is key to being able to grow and thrive.
  2. Prioritization – Weekly plan out your days, schedule in time to do the tasks for your big two or three key objectives/goals first, then plan everything else around it. Plan the night before how your day will be and what will take priority on the following day. This way, you know exactly what to start with and when to get to work for the day and don’t have to think about it. Schedule only a specific time to check your emails; otherwise, it could consume your entire day.
  3. Take time out for yourself – Since you are the guiding light for your business, if you don’t take time to recuperate and be able to think clearly, you will not be able to keep your business on track. We are all human beings, and we need time to rest and relax to perform at our highest level. What happens to us (our health, our personal lives, and our relationships) all impact our business and how it performs.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Most of all, have fun! If you don’t love what you do and enjoy doing it, it makes life hard. When you love what you do and are passionate, you are open to more opportunities, amazing events occur seemingly randomly, incredible people come into your life, and life just becomes easier.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.lgsconsulting.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BizInfoFromLori
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lgsconsulting/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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