Stacy I. Kildal – 2015 Most Powerful Women in Accounting

What advice would you give to female college students about the opportunities for women in the accounting profession?

Be yourself, and make your own opportunities. Remember that being confident and speaking your mind isn’t being bitchy, no matter what anyone says. Those are two entirely different things, and people that cannot recognize this are not worth your time.


What advice would you give accounting firms on ways in which they can better retain and advance more qualified female staff?  

I would rather encourage more women to start their own practices – whether they are CPA firms, bookkeeping firms or consulting practices – and tell them to not to be afraid to invest put some money into education, hiring and technology.

What is the name of one book that has been a great influence to you?  

I recently read John Krakauer’s Missoula, and while this has no direct relationship with business or accounting, it should be required reading for anyone that’s old enough to date. Bill Nye’s Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation is pretty awesome too. I just finished that one 🙂


In what ways do you participate in the professional community to change/improve the accounting profession?

I try to make sure I stand up for my peers when I see that others in the community aren’t treating them with respect. People that know me well know that they can talk to me and everything stays in the vault… But when I see a pattern emerge among them, I feel compelled to be the voice that sees their issues are addressed, rather than watching them continue to be stressed out or deal with something they shouldn’t have to deal with on a professional, or possibly personal, level.

Seth David and I recently launched Appasaurus Rex, which is a very low cost monthly subscription program so accounting folks don’t have to test every app to see what’s good for their clients. (But really, anyone can join!)
I also participate in as many online forums as I can, and am pretty active on social media; not just promoting myself but also HELPING other accounting professionals (and small business owners) by answering questions, offering assistance where I am able, and promoting my peers.


In what ways do you participate in your local community to help others?  

I donate quite a bit to both of my kids’ schools, whether it’s for general supplies, to help pay for a few extra kids to go to 5th grade or band camp or bringing in pop for teacher development days.

What changes do you foresee in the accounting profession of the near future (3-5 years)?

I won’t make predictions, but as a 100% QuickBooks firm, I’m hoping to see 100% feature parity between QuickBooks Online and Pro/Premier, (so close right now!!). With the proliferation of fantastic apps, I already see the gap closing for Enterprise; although I know I don’t see a need for any of these desktop programs to be  going away any time in the near future. I’m hoping to see hosting costs drop so that the businesses that are choosing desktop software over SaaS will have an online option that’s close to SaaS, if they just need a few users and no add-ons.

How do you see yourself participating in shaping the future of the accounting profession?

I don’t think I set out to do this, but what I’ve found over the last few years is that because I don’t look like the typical accounting professional, many women feel that they’re being given “permission” to, as I mentioned in an article in 2014, let their Freak Flag fly. In 2012, when I was presenting at conferences and live events, I was the ONLY person with bright color in my hair.

In November 2014, at Sleeter, I counted  6 women blue, purple, pink, turquoise. By summer of 2015, at Scaling New Heights, there was no less than 15 of us there.  The point here isn’t the hair color – the point is that these women are accounting professionals that are now confident enough to go accounting conferences with this color in their hair. Which means OVERALL, they’re confidence level has risen. There are almost 50 million hits when you search for “women workplace confidence”, so it’s sort of A Thing.

I see my part in shaping the accounting industry as helping anyone – male or female, build their confidence in running their practice . If part of this comes from helping my fellow accounting chicks feel comfortable showing their individual style, then that’s swell,  but I think it’s more about giving anyone tools to vet clients before they take them on, get rid of the ones that suck, and finding ways to find a healthy work/life integration.
I’ve always said that I don’t see other ProAdvisors as competition, like some others do. I think there’s enough work out there for all of us, and we should really be looking to each other as resources and referrals – both to and from. We’ll all become better if we work together to get there!

Describe one person who has been an important mentor to you and how that person helped shape the direction or focus of your professional life.

There is no way that I can pick one person. Looking back this year, I have to say it’s the trainers that I’ve had the pleasure to work with and learn from: Gregg Bossen, MB Raimondi, Laura Madeira. The people at Intuit that have given me feedback to make me better at what I do: Dan Lowell, Donna Ohman, Donna Duncan, Chris Repetto, Kim Ambsaugh. The strong women in the industry that kick so much ass like Edi Osbourne, Geni Whitehouse, Michelle Golden, Amy Vetter. Awesome CEOs that always take time to share their experiences and set the standards for what a great company looks like – people like Matt Rissell, Rene Lacerte and Brad Smith. My friends in the industry that inspire me every day and have no problem telling me to sit down SHUT UP when I need to: Cathy Iconis, Kerri Kutlenios, Dawn Brolin, Bryce Forney, Woody Adams, Kaydee Peterson, Seth David, Richard Roppa.

 

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Click here to see the other honorees of the 2015
“Most Powerful Women in Accounting” awards.
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