Growing up, I never really thought about getting into the accounting realm and becoming a bookkeeper. Instead, I had thought I would end up being a teacher or a veterinarian. However, it seems that life had other ideas for me…
Shortly after graduating from high school, I started working for a company that publishes newspapers around the St. Cloud, MN area. Initially I was doing only general office work, but gradually I took on all of the bookkeeping responsibilities. I found that I really enjoyed all the tasks that came with bookkeeping.
When my husband, Rob Shurtleff, and I moved to the Minneapolis area, the Realtor who helped us find our house was starting her own company. She hired me as her bookkeeper. The great thing about the world of real estate and mortgage is that it is filled with independent contractors. Through the years I worked there, I had many requests from individuals to help them with their bookkeeping needs. Finally, it just made sense to start my own bookkeeping company and on February 24, 2004, Common Cents Bookkeeping Services Incorporated was born.
It has been an absolute pleasure to own our own company. I love the ability to make our own business decisions and the flexibility we have with our time. It’s been exciting to watch the company grow, meet new people and learn the nuances of each company we work with.
I love working with QuickBooks and I am a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor. Having used the program since 1995, I know it like the back of my hand. Some of the nicknames I have been given over the years by people I have done QuickBooks training with have been "QuickBooks Queen, QuickBooks Guru and the Yoda of QuickBooks."
On the personal side, I grew up on a dairy farm near Long Prairie, MN. Now, I am the mother of an 11-year-old boy, who is an absolute blessing. I also love animals. We, as a family, have 2 horses, 2 dogs and 2 cats.
In a nutshell, I feel very blessed with where my life has ended up thus far. Moreover, it’s great to say that I love what I do…helping you make sense of your cents!