For more than 10 years, Jennifer has provided expert accounting services to clients as diverse as restaurants, real estate companies, and manufacturing companies. Jennifer has worked in a variety of accounting and finance roles, starting as an accounting clerk, and working upwards and eventually moving into Senior Accountant and Controller.
At FOSS, Jennifer is responsible for managing work flows and overseeing bookkeeping operations. Please take a moment to learn a little more about our talented Controller.
Jennifer Hernan – Controller at FOSS Business Solutions
What inspired you to pursue a career in the accounting industry?
I took my first accounting course in high school and I loved it. Our end of the project was finishing the books for a pretend company and something just clicked for me and I knew this is what I wanted to do.
How would you describe your experience with Quickbooks?
I first used QB about 15 years ago when working for a small trucking company while finishing college. I found it very user friendly and not as complex as some of the other bigger accounting packages.
What trending changes do you see taking place in bookkeeping processes across industries?
The use of the cloud and technology is becoming more and more prevalent when it comes to the day to day bookkeeping tasks. For example many banks have the ability to sync with QuickBooks.
How do you define success when working with a new client?
When we get the client his/her first set of financial documents (P&L and Balance Sheet) and they are just thankful for the correct information. Most small business owners understand that they NEED these documents but they have no idea the importance of them or how to produce them. So when the work that I do can give them the knowledge they need to make sound business decisions it makes all the work worth it.
What accounting challenges do you see facing most small and medium businesses today?
Cash Flow as well as Growth are two of the biggest challenges I see when working with small and medium businesses. It is a double edge sword, they know they have to spend money to fund the growth but when they don't see enough cash coming in they are scared to make the decisions like hiring someone or spending money on marketing.
OK, you are an avid Browns fan. What are your predictions for the Cleveland Browns this season?
I am pretty hopeful that this year they will be 8-8. An improvement, yes?!
