My Story

Greetings!

 

My name is Tom Powers, I'd like to share a little bit about myself.

 

Coming from very humble beginnings, I was raised in a rural setting in upstate New York in a family of seven boys. Mom was a stay-at-home mom until we were all in school and then worked for over 30 years as a legal secretary, my dad worked hard as a blue-collar diesel mechanic who worked second shift. Times were tough, money was always tight, and we lived simply. Hand-me-down clothes, home haircuts, and cheap meals that made a lot were the norm for us. We had our share of battles, but learned how to get along and banded together when we needed to. We rode our bikes, swam in the “crick”, camped in the woods, and did a lot of just plain “boy” things.  My parents were very practical and believed in teaching us all about self-reliance, working hard, and about how to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing world.

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As a shy kid at the age of 18, I joined the U.S. Air Force, spent six years of active duty working in Accounting and Finance, then finished out my 20-year military career in the Air National Guard as a Personnel Specialist, Administrative Specialist, Accounting Specialist, and Training Specialist. While learning and performing these many roles in the National Guard, I was also selected to work as a GS-11 Personnel Management Specialist for the federal government.  I retired from both positions in 2002.

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Upon this retirement from military and federal service, I accepted a position with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania - Department of Public Welfare as a Computer Programmer.  After a few years in this position, I decided to follow my dream of owning my own business, and opened a bed and breakfast in Hershey, PA.  After learning the ropes of business ownership the hard way with little guidance, and through trial and error, I was able to streamline operations, maximize revenue, and effectively advertise to grow my business.  My hard work and diligence paid off, as I had eventually become one of the premier lodging locations in Hershey.

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In 2011, I decided to sell the business and move to a warmer climate, North Carolina.  Upon arriving here, I sought out positions where I could work with entrepreneurs and their small businesses, where I could offer the many skills that I learned while running my own business.  While working as an Office Manager and Operations Manager, I was able to build on my prior military and civilian experience, and hone my organizational, administrative and bookkeeping skills. 

 

After working for an accounting firm as a Bookkeeping Manager, I came to realize just how many small businesses actually struggle, as I did, with "managing" the finances, paperwork and regulatory requirements of running your own business.  They all knew their craft, but few of them had the knowledge, or the desire to handle the daunting and tedious paperwork side of things.  This is where I come in.

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It is my passion to share what I know about business setup, management, administration and bookkeeping to help my clients in achieving success!

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Contact me below if you wish to schedule a free consultation.  Thank you.