How Paula Field keeps a finger on the pulse of what matters most

Paula Field is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Texas. She leads a team of 10, who are passionate about serving the accounting needs of their clients.

Business in her genes

Since she was young, business has been part of Paula’s life. She began her career working in the family Hallmark store, which her mother opened when Paula was 13. At the same time, her father was running a separate business. 

“I used to get off the bus and go to work with mom after school. Then at home, I'd sit at the dinner table with mom and dad and we’d talk shop. That was my life growing up,” Paula says.

“I got to do everything that mom didn’t want to do. She was artistic but had no interest in things like accounting. So I took that on, and I loved it.”

As she helped that single Hallmark store grow to a chain of seven, Paula discovered her passion for accounting and helping others. She earned a business management degree and realized that she was born for numbers and business.

“Mom and I ran the business together. We managed the opening of more stores and grew to 120 employees.”

But Paula recalls that it wasn’t always smooth sailing. “We were always stressed out about making payroll, paying rent or attending to our inventory bill,” she says.

After 20 years of up and downs, Paula and her mother made the tough decision to close the family business.

A unique perspective

Going through the challenges that come with running a small business, combined with a love of numbers, put Paula in a unique position. So after the closure of the family stores, she was determined to help others avoid the same pain she experienced.

She earned her Master’s Degree in Accounting and Certified Public Accountant designation. She then established Paula Field, CPA, PLLC so that she could help others learn from her own experiences.

“I've experienced a business full circle. So my mentality has always been from the perspective of a business owner, not from an accountant,” Paula says. “I understand why people get into business in the first place and their pain points.”

“When I ran the family business I wanted real-time information. I know how important it is to be making decisions for tomorrow based on yesterday. Not decisions for next year based on what happened last year.”

“Everything we do today is based around providing that level of service to our clients.”

Geared towards technology

To make it possible to deliver the service she knows her clients need, Paula and her team embrace technology.

“We're geared towards technology and we're geared towards real-time information,” says Operations Manager, Karen Standefer. “The technology allows us to give clients the product that Paula is wanting to deliver.” 

“Our use of technology has become a differentiator for us. We’re giving clients insight into their business that they never had before.”

Paula believes that if they can give clients visibility of real-time information, they will also provide them with greater peace of mind. 

“They are paying us to do a job, so they need to see that it’s getting done,” she says. “We use technology to benefit the client, to benefit the workflow, to benefit the employees, and to benefit the business. We embrace it and take full advantage.”

Rising above the chaos

A core part of their tech stack is Karbon, which they use to manage their workflow and communication. Paula says that every aspect of their business has benefitted.

“Karbon has improved our workflow immensely,” she says. “We don't have this chaotic environment anymore and there is less cursing!”

The visibility that Karbon provides also helps them achieve their top priority of providing world-class service to clients.

“A lot of the things that we work on can be life-changing for clients, so it’s so important that we are on top of every email and all communication across the team,” says Karen. “Karbon gives us the visibility we need across internal and external communication.”

“Any of us can get into a work item or contact and see an email that anybody has sent. This is priceless for us.”

“We have one place to find what we need. That means we are not duplicating communication or asking things that have already been answered. It also results in a quicker turnaround for our clients.”

They are now turning around client tax returns in less than two weeks.  

Paula agrees that Karbon has made them more efficient. “Clients answer a question and it feeds right into the work item in Karbon,” she says. “We don’t need to check another email or ask another person. It’s all there and accessible to who needs it, which cuts down any delay.”

“Karbon removes a lot of manual work for us, which makes us more efficient and enhances our level of service.”

The icing on the cake

The team is excited about the prospect of syncing their Karbon data with Lacerte® Tax, using Intuit Practice Management powered by Karbon.

“It won’t mean avoiding double entry, it will mean avoiding quadruple entry,” says Business Manager Sandra Michaels. “The combination of syncing Karbon and Lacerte is going to be the icing on the cake for us.”

“Updating a work item in Karbon will update in Lacerte,” says Paula. “When we’re using Lacerte in the delivery process, the status is so important. I’m really excited for the software to work together.”

Karbon and Lacerte working closer together will provide Paula’s team with even more visibility over specific tax returns and the high-level workflow needed to make macro decisions.

“We’ll have at least two sets of eyes on everything,” she says. “We can be sure that work is being accomplished on time, extensions are getting filed, and nothing is falling through the cracks.”

Still a family business

Much of what she learned working in her mother’s company many years ago is still being utilized by Paula today. This is especially evident by the fact that her team today is like a family.

“Paula is so invested in our learning and individual growth within the firm,” says Karen. “This is the rainbow unicorn of places to work. I have amazing opportunities, can learn and continually grow, and still be the mom that I need to be. I love every minute of it.”

Despite doubling in size in the last two years, Paula ensures that the client experience remains their top priority. “Tools like Karbon have allowed us to serve more clients and be more efficient, while still improving the product that we provide to them,” she says.

“I always come back to the numbers, but at the same time, I love people. I love helping their businesses and the relationships that come with that.”

Key results

• Doubled in size over 2 years

• Automated workflow and processes

• Visibility of client work for the entire team