Meet Jessica Fox, Owner of Florida Virtual Bookkeeper LLC, an accounting firm that offers cloud-based bookkeeping services to small service-based businesses and nonprofit organizations.
Jessica Fox left a potential career in diplomacy to start her own bookkeeping firm. She found her calling in accounting, bookkeeping, and financial controls while she was holding a temporary position in a nonprofit. She volunteered to fill the position in the organization, and as it turned out, she discovered she was actually good at it. Fox was mentored by an auditor, and soon she got a permanent job in the field. This temporary assignment led to a full-time position and multiple promotions until I parted ways with the organization after having reached CFO level, she says. But with time, Jessica wanted to stay home and care for her kids whilst also being able to provide for them. She started working as a freelance bookkeeper and doing projects. Finally, in 2015, she launched Florida Virtual Bookkeeper LLC.
Jessica grew up in Puerto Rico and belongs to the Hispanic community. She was an introverted child who did well academically but wasn’t able to interact with kids her age. She moved to the United States for college as there were no institutions in the city offering a major in International relations. She currently resides in Florida leading her company wherein she is using her skills to help small businesses succeed. She is a thought leader in the bookkeeping industry and now provides training, mentoring, and support to other bookkeepers. She has been featured in a variety of podcasts, webinars, and keynote speeches for accounting industry events.
Talking about her business, she says, “My firm offers virtual bookkeeping to small service-based businesses in the United States. Small business owners often start trying to do their own books because they feel they can’t afford a professional and quickly discover that they are in over their head so the bookkeeping gets neglected. I offer customized service solutions to take this burden off their shoulders so they can focus on growing their business and become empowered around their finances.”
As a minority woman in a predominantly male environment, she struggled with the gender pay gap. Like most women, she had to work harder to prove her worth and be the best at all times. According to her, the hill has always been steeper for women and there is no room for mistakes for them. However, with determination and hard work, she made it to the executive position after all the years. Currently, she is always trying to figure out new ways to run and market the business. She is an introvert who found it difficult initially, but once she developed an “I have to sell” mindset, she was able to create systems and processes to market to the right client.
Although the business growth has not been as fast due to the pandemic, she considers herself fortunate to get through it. The customer response has been quite positive where the clients appreciate the work and refer them to other businesses like them.
Jessica was able to grow her business when she created her own style to run it whilst offering quality services to her clients. She inspires us to remain authentic to our work rather than having a herd mentality. You need to be unique in your approach in order to stand out from the crowd. Leaving a motivating message for the readers, she says, “Evaluate and find out that doesn’t work. Use trial and error until you get it right. Follow your passion while being authentic and remaining flexible so you can pivot and adapt”.