Heard It On Main St. with Darell Brown, Owner of ProProject Bookkeeping

We sat with Darell of New York’s ProProject Bookkeeping to hear how she launched her digital bookkeeping business and lived out the work-from-anywhere dream after pivoting from a Media Studies degree in college.

Darell Brown

Owner and Lead BookkeepHer at ProProject Bookkeeping

All business owners know that the start of a new year means closing out the previous one, so I’m grateful you were able to take time out of your busy client schedule to chat. Let’s start with learning a bit about the business and how long you've been in the accounting world.

DB: Absolutely. I officially started the business in January 2017 after a year of freelancing. Originally, I started under the business name Darell Brown LLC and worked with a wide range of clients, but after a while, I realized I needed to create structure. I connected with a Business Coach to help with that work, and eventually took on the DBA ProProject Bookkeeping and niched down to serving creative agencies.

What was the thing that made you go out and find a Business Coach? And how did you find the right fit?

DB: I realized I was beginning to burn out, I had a bunch of clients with a bunch of different accounting needs and it was just getting to a point where I couldn’t be pulled in any more directions. I went on LinkedIn and filled out a form with information about what I was looking for in a Business Coach. From there, I received 5-6 leads and after reviewing, had 2 that I really liked. I ended up going with a Coach out of Brooklyn, near where I lived, that I jived well with.

I find it so inspiring that you realized the work was becoming untenable and took action to make changes. Most new business owners assume that once you start your business, you have to take any and all clients that come your way - even if it means burning yourself out. Taking a step back and restructuring is wonderful.

Now, going back a bit further, how did you first get your start in the bookkeeping industry?

DB: I went to school for media of all things, and was in school for several years studying to be a creative. After my second internship in the creative industry, I realized I didn’t want to go the media route. From there, I pivoted over to taking business and accounting courses and took on another internship where I fell into the accounting department.

When I left college, I ended up working in the accounting department for a New York-based movie studio for about seven years. I worked directly with the CFO to help manage accounting for the various arms of the business.

Pivot

Instead of working as a creative, Darell pivoted her career to working alongside creatives.

In navigating the creation of ProProject Bookkeeping, what did your day-to-day look like?

DB: Early on, I didn’t have anyone helping me. Actually, my business coach was surprised to hear that I didn't have any assistance with the business setup when she and I first started working together.

The business started in a grassroots way. I was answering people’s questions from the movie studio outside of work hours and assisting local businesses that in turn paid me in their services and products. At that point, once I had a few clients going, I decided to LLC.

Within 3 months of doing freelance work, I surpassed my full-time salary.

What was unexpected about starting your business?

DB: I think structure and client niching were the biggest hurdles back then. I also originally started the business doing hourly work and that wasn't a sustainable way to work at all.

Understanding how to vet clients was also a hurdle. In my first 3 months, I had my best client and my worst client, and the worst client taught me so much more about what I need to do to vet someone before taking them on. It also taught me that I needed to structure my contracts with safeguards. Initially, I had a boilerplate contract that I got from an online platform, and that burned me a couple of times. Eventually, I went to a lawyer friend of mine and had them formally structure my contract.

What strategies have worked well in bringing customers, clients, and audiences "through" your front door?

DB: A lot of it has been through word of mouth more than anything else. My first client, back in 2016, was a fractional CFO who still refers clients to me. She’s given me referrals through the pandemic and continues to share glowing reviews of my work. I also joined a women’s networking group and got to know the founder there. She was nice enough to send referrals my way as well. Keeping my eyes open, seeing what’s out there, and following up with mutual connections is really important.

I’m still trying to figure out the digital and social media aspects of things, but word of mouth and reciprocal referrals have worked well.

That’s amazing. It’s so important, especially for digital businesses, to have a network of people who provide consistent support and will say your name in a room of opportunities.

On a similar note, what's been the most gratifying aspect of owning your own business?

DB: Flexibility in my schedule is the number one thing for me. Especially in the first year when I was freelancing, I had the flexibility to travel and work from anywhere. I would constantly check JetBlue flight deals. I went to Savannah, GA, I don’t know how many times. Me and my wife ended up getting engaged in Savannah because I talked it up so much after visiting a bunch of times.

I also like to explore things, I attend classes and workshops to ensure I’m enriching myself and gaining new information so I’m useful for my clients.

Time is really important to me since we only have a finite amount of it.

Poolside

Darell on one of her many Savannah trips taking advantage of work-from-rooftop-pool #freelancerlife

Best advice you'd give to someone starting their own business? Or your most impactful ah-ha moment as a business owner?

DB: For me when I look back, I was terrified to put in notice at my last full-time job - I was terrified because I wasn't leaving to go to another job, I was leaving to start my business. So it’s interesting to look back at that person and see how nervous and scared I was. Then, three months later, I was succeeding and couldn’t believe it took me so long to go off on my own.

As far as advice I would give - don’t be so fixated on planning. Do research, but don't be afraid to just go out there and test. Don't over-plan. I’ve seen so many people over the past 6+ years with elaborate business plans, and various rounds for funding, and end up not having a ton of traction from then until now. Don't be afraid to test out and plan as you go.

What’s your hype song?

DB: DJ Khaled - All I Do Is Win

Listen to Darell’s and all previous biz owner interviewees’ hype songs on the Heard It On Main St. playlist on Spotify

ProProject Bookkeeping, New York-based Virtual business serving NYC, Westchester, & beyond

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