Our Story

Paula Paisley started Paisley Solutions in 1996. However, from the time she was 10 years old, she wanted to be a carpenter. She helped her grandfather refurbish two rental units over and over again. In her teen-aged years, she helped “Pop-Pop” build a two-story addition that included a new kitchen.

What Paula liked about carpentry was the process. It starts with an idea, evolves into gathering the necessary materials and ends by putting together all the pieces in a logical order. Paula discovered that she loved how numbers fit together like a puzzle in a high school accounting class. When all the pieces are in, a picture is created that tells the story of the business.

In college, Paula worked as a bookkeeper with a family-owned construction business. After taking a course called “Small Business Management,” she was hooked on entrepreneurship.  She appreciated how all the functions (marketing, operations, accounting, etc…) had to work together for the business to be successful.

While working for a public accounting firm, she was exposed to many different business types. She was surprised to learn that many businesses’ books were a disaster, rarely up to date, inaccurate and poorly organized. She wondered how they would survive without knowing their true financial situation. In 1996, Paula discovered QuickBooks®. It became her destiny.

Paula wanted to help businesses succeed by designing bookkeeping systems that would be easy to manage and produce the information that owners needed.   It was not long before she realized that some businesses needed more. For a variety of reasons, they needed someone to either support their bookkeeper or simply do the books for them. It seemed to be a natural step to becoming a business owner herself.

Becoming a business owner was an exciting and scary proposition.  Not only is there the confidence needed to deliver services, but there are so many other pieces to manage.  How do you market?  What should you charge?  Where will you be located?  But, by far the biggest challenge was hiring the first employee.  Paula hired someone she had worked with before, which made the first step easier.  However, until that employee generates enough revenue to cover their cost, the owner has to sacrifice.

If Paula could go back and do things differently, she would have learned more about sales and marketing in the early years. She would also have done a better job of developing a business plan.

Paisley Solutions’ first client was an auto parts business with 4 locations. They were referred by an accountant. As it would turn out, referrals would be the cornerstone of the sales and marketing process. The work involved transitioning bookkeeping to QuickBooks® instead of sending paperwork to corporate headquarters and waiting 4 months for financial statements.  Having performed other software conversions, it seemed to be a good fit and a chance to educate the business on how to use QuickBooks®.  The auto parts company remained a client for many years until the business was sold.  Quickbooks® education continues to be the at the core of Paisley Solutions’ services.

We provide knowledgeable, well trained, trustworthy bookkeepers on an as-needed basis. Clients no longer have to worry about hiring, training or supervising a staffed bookkeeper. Not to mention repeating the process due to turnover. They could count on having accurate information and use it to make better business decisions. Removing the burden, giving them more time to focus on their business goals, Paisley Solutions helps them be more successful!

Twenty years later, Paula still loves her job. Over the years she has built bookkeeping systems and provided services for all types of businesses and non-profits. Working closely with owners and managers, Paisley Solutions helps put the pieces together to create a clear picture of their financial situation. We love the challenge. It feels great to see a dream become a reality. The numbers tell a story. Your story! Are you listening?