Nayo Carter-Gray of 1st Step Accounting
This interview is part of theWellstruck Lady Boss Series
Nayo Carter-Gray, EA, of 1st Step Accounting is co-hosting Wellstruck Lady Boss on October 17, 2017 at Artifact Coffee in Baltimore.
Let's get to know her
Q: What's your current guilty pleasure?
A: Binge watching The Arrow on Netflix.
Q: What are you listening to lately?
A: 2 Chainz — Pretty Girls Like Trap Music (don't judge me lol).
Q: What's your favorite app or resource of the moment?
A: Trelloforbusiness.com is a wonderful course on how to use Trello to maximize your productivity.
Q: Who are you crushing on?
A: My hubby — Mr. Gray. He is super supportive (he is an entrepreneur also) and is a great sounding board when I need to bounce ideas or get feedback to make sure I'm not going off the rails and running myself ragged trying to grow my business.
Q: Current mantra (or phrase, or affirmation...)?
A: "Do. Or do not. There is no try." —Yoda
Nayo + Mr. Gray. We love when bosses share pictures of their life outside of business!
What makes her a boss
Q: Tell us about your business.
A: 1st Step Accounting is a virtual accounting and tax preparation firm. I partner with small business owners to fill their bookkeeping, payroll and tax preparation needs.
Q: What accomplishment are you celebrating right now?
A: My goal was to create more videos to teach complex accounting and tax topics in a fun way for my Facebook community so I put out a few videos that have gone over pretty well in the last month. The latest video I posted got over 1000 views in less than 12 hours which was AWESOME to me. [Editors note: You gotta check out Nayo's video — we learned something AND she had us cracking up!]
Q: What keeps you motivated?
A: My love for small businesses. As far as I can remember back I have been an entrepreneur. I used to sell finger paints to my dad when I was around three years old because I understood early on that I had to trade something to earn money. So I believe in the dream of entrepreneurship. What I find is that most small business owners are passionate about the products they sell or the service they offer but they don't take the back-end and financial side of their business seriously. They forget that they are running a business and not a hobby. And ignoring this side of the business can be detrimental. My goal is and has always been to be a champion for these business owners and to teach them to not neglect the financial aspect of their business. The goal should be to do what you love AND make money to take care of the people you love and I try to emphasize that always.
Q: What's one tip you want to share with other entrepreneurs?
A: Consult with an accountant / tax preparer BEFORE the end of the year preferably around mid October. This consultation could help you save on taxes before its too late to do anything about that tax bill.
Q: Why should others join us for lady boss?
A: Working for yourself can be isolating sometimes. Lady Boss is a good way to connect with others who are on similar journey. Come out, meet some women who are working hard like you, enjoy some great conversation, and maybe make a new friend or two.
