I have some things to say about Kaleigh Canavan and the team at Canavan, Syddall & Associates…read more
First, disclosures:
Since October 1st, 2018 (that was 14 *business days ago) I have been employed full-time at Canavan, Syddall & Associates as their receptionist. Before that, Kaleigh was my business coach as I established and ran my own small business endeavor. Before that, she was my friend, before that, my accountant, and before that, an impressive woman who I really, really wanted to hang out with.
Now, the story:
When Kaleigh was my accountant, starting in 2012, she taught me expectations to have for my employer and my colleagues in terms of asking for the compensation I deserved at work. She brought assets to my attention that I allowed to lapse and taught me more than I'd ever known before about being ready for the tax man. She illuminated much of the logic of tax law (which is NOT the same as regular logic) at the state and Federal level. She grew her business by focusing on the community she comes from, which is the live music industry in Denver. She continues to support this community by providing free tax workshops for creatives and affordable rates for straightforward tax returns. Soon, she was my friend, the accountant.
As her business grew, Kaleigh became more than an accountant. She merged her business with GS Accounting and gained capacity for bookkeeping and business advising. This was in the nick of time for me as I left my job and flung myself into the wilderness of small business ownership. My first year was wildly successful and insanely upsetting and when, at my lowest, I truly thought I would give up and fall over face first onto the floor, instead I asked the most successful small business owner I knew for help and she took me in and helped. She let me cry about it (privately, thanks) and then she shook me a little (metaphorically) and told me to put my big girl pants on and own the life I wanted. Her advice was practical: honest without being brutal, sensitive without being pitying, and encouraging without losing touch with the realities of my situation. I was reinvigorated, focused and intent again, and finally able to shake off my paralyzing fear of failure and go forward. I would not have been able to do that without her guidance, advice, and earned & learned expertise. I understand why business advising is Kaleigh's favorite part of her work.
Even with the new energy, the facts are: my business is highly seasonal and still young, we're aging like everyone does, and we own property in the USA, therefore we need reliable income and health insurance while we chase our dreams. So, when Kaleigh began looking for a new receptionist so as to provide training and career growth for her current receptionist (an amazing and rare boss move), it seemed like an ideal fit and so far, is.
So, for those of you keeping track at home, in the past 6 years Kaleigh Canavan and Canavan, Syddall & Associates has provided me with: accurate tax filing, stability, business advice, life advice, friendship, an excellent and deeply respectful work environment with the flexibility and freedom to continue developing my own way in the world, new professional relationships with remarkable humans, and a sense of place in a world where I felt placeless for long enough to scare me. Kaleigh's guiding principles are spaced evenly and immovably around her moral compass and they guide all her decision-making. She is wise, funny, authentic, efficient, educated, and realistic. I'm grateful to have her as a boss, a friend, and a mentor and anyone in need of help with taxes, business advising, bookkeeping, and/or payroll would be well-advised to reach out to her.
And hey! When you call, I'll answer the phone!
