“As an accountant, tax preparation is a necessary evil and it is how I was able to launch a new career,” noted Morhet. “For me, however, it’s more of a starting point in working with my clients.” Because few people plan ahead when running a small business, Morhet is often contacted by overwhelmed business owners who need help fixing a specific problem and frequently are just calling about prices. Morhet, however, does not bill hourly. Because her clients are small business owners, she offers a flat rate and takes the time to determine exactly what each individual client needs. “Many times, clients call me thinking they need someone to address a specific problem, when really, they need something else,” Morhet explained. “I take the time to go over each client’s individual situation to determine the root of their problem. Sometimes, the answer is not what they thought they needed in the first place. I try to educate my clients, based on my own experience, about the best ways to not only fix whatever problems they currently have, but how to move beyond them and grow their business going forward. Ideally, a client would contact me before something needs to be fixed, but sometimes clients have different ideas about what they have and don’t have and their decisions are based entirely on budgetary constraints.” Many small business owners consider an accountant as an expense that they can’t afford, but as Morhet explained, the truth is that you can’t afford not to have one. “By educating small business owners, I am arming them with the knowledge they need to grow their business,” continued Morhet. “I ensure that I never treat my clients like individual transactions, but rather as a partner in their success.”