Not to brag, but this Love for Local is someone pretty special. Ryan Bohl is a number crunching machine that loves to help people get the most out of their business. He is someone who pays attention to detail to make sure whatever he does is as close to perfect as possible. Though, at home, I sometimes find this annoying, I know this is something that makes a great accountant. I am excited to introduce to you, my husband, Ryan Bohl.
Q; How long have you lived in Jefferson City?
A: I grew up Taos, but moved away to Springfield for about 6 years after college in 2007. My family and I then came back to Jeff City in 2012 to be closer to family for our kids and so my wonderful wife could start her new job at Blair Oaks! ☺
Q: What made you want to start this business?
A:I have wanted to be an entrepreneur since back in my college days when I spent a lot of time reading and listening to audiobooks on entrepreneurship. The thought of creating a company from nothing and trying to grow it into something that I could be proud of was a challenge that I knew I would like. Not to mention that the idea of being my own boss and the flexibility and potential opportunities associated with that had always intrigued and motivated me as well! As a business owner, you get to wear multiple hats in your business which keeps things interesting. I really enjoy the challenge and creativity associated with working on my business by looking for ways to improve our systems, training, and client service, but still get to work directly with my clients in my business and “crunch the numbers”, which I also enjoy!
Q: When people are seeking to a hire (your profession), what should people be looking for?
A: Focus on finding an accountant that you can trust and that will do more for you than just take the data you give to them and put it on a tax return. You want someone who can explain things to you in terms that you can understand and that will look for ways to improve your financial and tax situation proactively. Meaningful tax saving strategies are implemented throughout the year, not in February or March of the following year when it is time to get your taxes prepared. Find an accountant who will be around all year and encourages getting together before year-end to develop tax planning strategies that will truly save you money and make your investment in your accountant really pay off.
Q: What advice would you give to new entrepreneurs in our area who are wanting to start their own business?
“Spending the extra time on the front-end to get together a solid business plan and systems for your business will really pay off in the long run.”
A: Most entrepreneurs end up quitting their full-time job to create a business that is going to provide them with the income and freedom that they always dreamed of. What actually happens, is that they instead just create a new job for themselves (their business) that requires even more hours than they were working before and gives them less freedom and flexibility than they had at their old job...I speak from personal experience! Proper planning on the front-end can really help you to create a true business that can run without you (eventually), and not just a new job for yourself. First, educate yourself on owning and operating a business by reading books and listening to podcasts for entrepreneurs. The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber, for example, is a book that every business owner should read. Then, really map out ahead of time what you want your business to look like and your short and long-term goals for your business. Once you know what you want the business to look like and where you want to go, you can develop a plan of action on how you will get there. Spending the extra time on the front-end to get together a solid business plan and systems for your business will really pay off in the long run. Document everything from your business systems, processes and procedures, to your marketing plan, to your accounting system and management. Then once you start your business, set aside time each week to work on improving your business and not just spending all your time as a technician working in your business. Something else to do on the front-end: Start building a team of professionals and resources around you who can help you reach your goals even faster.
Q: Do you have any goals for your business in the near future? If so, what are they?
A: I believe goals are extremely important to have, both personally and for your business. We set business goals for our firm every year and present them to the staff in our annual year-end staff meeting. These range from financial goals to business process improvement goals and client service goals for the upcoming year. We are always striving to improve our firm both in the short-term and long-term. Some of our larger long-term goals over the next 5 years include expanding our firm to have an office in another market (we are currently just in Springfield and Jefferson City) and possibly acquiring or merging with another firm that we have common values and operational synergies with to grow that way as well.
Q: Where is your favorite place for a lunch meeting?
A: West Main Pizza! It is right next to my office and their pizza is excellent!
Q: Who are your biggest supporters?
A: My family has always supported me in all of my entrepreneurship endeavors, as there are other business and investments that I have outside of our accounting firm as well. My wife Sarah, though, has probably been my biggest supporter and also has that entrepreneurial mindset, which she is starting to explore more and more. She has been on board with pretty much any idea I have ever come up with and trusts me to make a good decision without trying to just talk me out of it…Even though there were some bad decisions made by me along the way, or learning experiences as I like to call them! Not once has she told me “You can’t do that” or “We can’t afford that” or “That’s too risky”. She instead tries to help me come up with ideas to make it even better and often encourages me to move forward. I sure hope she reads this blog post and realizes how much I love her and very much appreciate all of her support over the years! ☺ Having a strong support system in place is vital to a business owner as a fair amount of stress often comes with the territory of owning a business!