From Anna Matsunaga, Team Momentum, Keller Williams Tacoma 253-353-2662
www.teammomentumrealestate.com
I will be highlighting local business people, businesses, attractions, parks, schools and so on, Treasures in the Tacoma. This is from a recent interview with Lisa Galoia of A.C.T.
A.C.T Professional Services Owner: Lisa Galoia
*Position: Accountant, Enrolled Agent, Owner of A.C.T Professional Services
*Time lived in area: Grew up in Washington and for the better part of last 20 years, in greater Tacoma area
*Favorite food: Thai and Italian
*Favorite part of her work: Helping people who come in "frazzled" or even in tears, with no idea what to do and often solving their entire issue through research, experience and knowledge; seeing them so relieved.
*Interesting fact about her: Even though she makes you feel comfortable from the moment you enter her office, she is nervous about public speaking.
*Services offered: Accounting for businesses and individuals; Payroll for anyone with 1 or more employees; tax preparation; consulting with businesses to help them be more profitable and with in tax guidelines as well; basic bookkeeping; quarterly reports preparation, Daily Money Management Services which assist the elderly and busy young professionals with their daily financial obligations like paying bills, banking, etc..
* My favorite quote from our interview: "Life is too short to be caught up in fear and worry and If I can bring some peace of mind, I have done my job."
One of the Treasures in the Tacoma area is ACT Professional Services. Its owner, Lisa Galoia., is not exactly your typical accountant. Like many people in the industry, she knew she enjoyed accounting very early in life. And Like many in the industry, Lisa loves her work...but that is likely where the similarities end. If you expect to find her dressed in a "Corporate" suit you'll be disappointed. If you want a very boring, sterile-looking office, again, you will be disappointed. If you want quality work, or are looking for someone who is passionate about doing the best for her clients, and you want the help of someone who has a knack for finding things others miss then you will be glad you hired Lisa and ACT as your accounting firm. If you appreciate working with a real pro who is also a real person, you'll find Lisa's approach refreshing and honest and ultimately it may be one of the keys to why your business is successful.
Who is Lisa Galoia? A passionate and interesting woman, I intended to interview her for just 40 minutes or so and found myself still with her after an hour and a half. She is a person who's been shaped by tragedy and found a way to make herself a better person. When Lisa lost both her child and her fiancé to death within 60 days of each other, she reevaluated her life. At the time it included working from 6am to 10pm almost every day. She never lost her competitive drive but the shock made her reorganize her life to include time for her real priorities, her daughter who was 5 at the time, and later to include an adopted son who joined her family when he was also 5. Lisa is devoted to her family while being devoted to her clients as well. She clearly cares deeply about both and has the energy to take good care of both. Of course her recent move to her new location @ 7610 40th St W in University Place, close to home, has made this easier for her. Today she has this interview with me followed by a client appointment. Lunch with her kids followed by 2 more clients finishing up at work before going home to dinner with her family.
The balance Lisa maintains in her life impressed me a great deal. Even more impressive is the fact that she is also clearly in love with the work she does and really wants to make a difference for her clients. Lisa works with all types of clients, but her very favorite is the local business client. Lisa specializes in helping businesses improve their bottom line while also keeping them informed and educated so they do not create liability for themselves. Lisa's gift is finding things that "don't quite add up" that others have missed and doing research to solve problems.
Lisa also is known for rescuing people who are in deep trouble with large amounts of taxes owed. Her face became animated as she told me a story about a client recently who had been slapped with an over $50,000.00 tax bill. This client came to her and with some research and working with IRS's Legal Department, they were able to legally reduce this liability to about $1800. I think she was as excited as the client was! From our conversation it is clear this is a common theme with the clients she has helped....in fact so much that one of her clients dedicated a book to her after she helped him. It's clear she is also on a mission to make it so that when these clients in trouble come to her she teaches them enough that they don't get in this situation again as well....educating her clients may make it so that they don't need her as much once she straightens things out, but likely is a huge part of the reason so much of her business comes from referrals.
Lisa has lived in Washington most of her life and has lived in the greater Tacoma area for the better part of the last 20 years. She says she doesn't "have much of a life" but the reality is, she has the life so many people dream of. She has a company that is growing with work she loves doing. Lisa has her priorities in order and even with her successful career she still finds time for the simple pleasures of taking time with her family. She is able to manage her time so she can take quick little snatches of time away with her kids (like an impromptu picnic during the week, time outdoors just being together) She is able to arrange her work so that she never misses one of her children's games (she gets to go to lots of volleyball and basketball games). She also enjoys camping close by and out of the area. As her children are getting older and her business getting stable, she also enjoys taking trips to California to visit Sea World, Disneyland or just the beach and sun as well as one of many Tacoman's favorite destinations, Ocean Shores. A life definitely!
When she is just enjoying time out with friends and family her taste is definitely on the spicy side, with her favorite local restaurant being Thai Bistro in Fircrest. The story of how she found her favorite Italian restaurant in Seattle left me in stitches. She and her family went to a performance of The Nutcracker and after they were starved and wanted Italian food, they found their usual haunt with a line that seemed to go all the way to the Space Needle so they decided to find a new place. They stopped for gas... and decided to ask the biggest guy there where a good place for Italian was. He told them "Mikey's". They went there and almost turned around when they saw it, it did NOT have the atmosphere the sold out restaurant had....it was more of a "hole in the wall." But when they went in, they found that the owner cooked a special meal for each patron (no menus!) and served them all himself. The food was so amazing they now use every excuse they can find to go there.
What are Lisa's recommendations for someone who wants to start a business? Get educated because knowledge is power. You must know about so much more than just "what you do" for your business. What about someone already in business? Don't get stuck in a rut. Keep in mind everything changes and that you must keep up with laws, rules, and technology so you can do all you can to work smart and not get stuck. Lisa clearly has taken both of these things into account in her own business. On the day I met with her she was excitedly flying out the next day for more training.
Lisa's next move? She will soon be adding in classes to help educate business owners. She thinks it will be a stretch because she is nervous about public speaking (she said speech class in school made her sick). But the fact she has thought about it despite her fears confirms how committed she is in helping out businesses avoid incurring liability. I am sure the classes will be great! ( likely even quite fun!)
Services offered through A.C.T Professional Services (ACT stands for Accounting, Consulting, Taxes) include business consulting, tax preparation for individuals and businesses, day-to-day accounting for businesses, payroll services, and other related services. Lisa especially enjoys working with small businesses and she is gratified to find that even with recent downturns in the economy, none of her business clients have closed doors (which I attribute in part to the soundness of Lisa's advice and expertise)
So who needs ACT Professional Services? Any business that wants to have a good handle on their business operations in order to increase profits and decrease expenses. Even if a business has only independent contractors, they may still need to consult with her because there are legal requirements that must be complied with prior to the deadline of tax filing that if missed, will create a big headache for the business. Anyone who needs monthly bookkeeping (which costs as little as $100 a month) or quarterly accounting. A thought to consider is that with Lisa's knowledge and expertise, a little expense at present will save you a lot in the near future. Lisa G and her ACT Professional Services: truly a Tacoma Treasure.
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