Bernadette Johnson-Hairl Joins The Network
Posted by myideas1 on 14th March 2009
People You Need to Know (PYNTK) proudly welcomes Mrs. Bernadette Johnson-Hairl to the Network!
Mrs. Johnson-Hairl, President of By The Book Accounting is an honors graduate of Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, earning a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. She completed her MBA at the Keller Graduate School of Management and is a certified QuickBooks training specialist as well as a part-time adjunct Accounting professor.
After more than 14 years in accounting, over 90 percent of Bernadette Johnson-Hairl’s new clients are referrals. Confident in selling herself and her services, she says…
”I have diverse analytical skills, proven business sense and an innate ability to maximize an organization’s performance. I’m a skilled facilitator, financial consultant, and a multifaceted resource for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and women in the workplace. But my clients really appreciate that I can explain the books in PLAIN ENGLISH! That plays an integral part in the operational success of my clients’ organizations.”
She goes on to say, “Many people think I’m strange because I like accounting so much. I’ve always loved numbers and have always been very analytical. Growing up, I’ve always struggled with the objective subjects. One thing I like about Accounting is there’s only one answer! Although, I have a creative flair, in my industry…creativity can send you to jail.”
Prior to launching By The Book Accounting, she worked for public and private organizations to increase profitability and financial accuracy. She has supervised large and small accounting departments and her extensive experience in managing payables and receivables, cost accounting, corporate and individual tax preparation, as well as fiscal management strategies is top-notch. One of her most notable accomplishments includes spearheading the restructuring of county government’s accounts payable department that resulted in the diversion of a potential 8.5 million dollar loss.
Mrs. Johnson-Hairl brands her accounting practice – and herself as a speaker - as being different. She confides, “Not only am I a good accountant, but I’m a good accountant with a personality and sense of humor. My colleagues tend to be so stiff and rigid that when I tell a joke, they don’t get it. Don’t get me wrong, I have square tendencies and my analytical side shines when it comes to business but…I have what I call ’rounded edges.’”
She loves building relationships with her clients so she can get to know them as an individual and as business owners. By making sure her clients are more than just a folder or a tax return, she can advise them year round on business and accounting practices that can improve their bottom line and their tax returns.
Next to accounting, Mrs. Johnson-Hairl loves speaking and holding workshops. She says, “Part of that ‘personality’ is that I’m a ham and always have been. When I get the attention of an audience, I am in business. Speaking engagements and workshops are my opportunity to distinguish myself from all the other accountants in the phone book. It also addresses a third passion, which is teaching. When I see that “AHA” on a person’s face it’s golden for me. When I held my first workshop in 2003, there were three people in attendance and two of those were relatives. But that one other person is still my client today.”
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