Lea Ann Sanford is #MadeForKnoxville.
Lea Ann doesn’t just believe in her own dreams, she helps her clients pursue theirs too.
“Accounting is 2% numbers and 98% people.” These words by Lea Ann’s grandmother have stuck with her, truly shaping the way she cares for her clients. Lea Ann is an accountant who takes pride in knowing each of her clients personally and helping them manage their finances in an individualized way.
Even before launching P&L Business Services, it was clear that Lea Ann’s passion for people would serve as an anchor in her business. She had cultivated client relationships over the years, which gave her confidence to pursue full-time business ownership. Since she took her own leap of faith, she is particularly equipped to help clients set realistic goals. She happily provides bookkeeping, accounting, and tax services for other business owners, which enables them to achieve their dreams in work, life, and beyond.
“Clients are real people, with families, hopes, dreams…”
In Their Own Words…
My passion has always been helping people. For most people, accounting isn’t exciting; for me, it is. Each day I sit down, it’s different. My clients all do different things and they are all people I actually know. For me, that’s the most important part: knowing my clients. Clients are real people, with families, hopes, dreams, and most of the time, they’ve thrown their entire heart and soul into their business; as a business owner myself, I know how terrifying this can be. I was told by my grandmother that accounting is 2% numbers and 98% people; if you take care of your people, the rest is easy. Customer service is my number 1 priority–I enjoy working with my clients, learning about them, their families, and their vision, seeing their successes and navigating the lessons.
My path to entrepreneurship:
In December of 2021, I lost my corporate job. Hurt, confused, and terrified, I sat in tears with my husband one night and he said to me, “Why not open your own firm, honey? It’s always been your dream, and you’ll never do it, if you don’t do it now.” He was right–I had dreamed of it, planned it, did all the calculations. After all, I already had my side hustle in place. All I needed to do was take it full time. I had clients I had done work for, for years–so, I looked for a place to rent and took the leap.
I have learned that entrepreneurship is a roller coaster. It’s soooo fun some days, and others, I scream. When the cars stop, I want to stay on it. The thing we need most is other passengers on our ride–they’ll comfort us on the big hills and cheer with us at the top!
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