We had the good fortune of connecting with Shelly Hamler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shelly, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

In early 2017, I was trying to figure out what life would be like when our first child was born. I was lucky enough to already have a full-time work from home position and my plan was to work full time while taking care of an infant. I thought I would have enough time to put in my hours and take care of our baby and when needed I could pull in help from our family who live in the area. Babies mostly sleep all day anyway, right?! I didn’t have any interest in working full time to pay someone else to take care of my baby full time, so I needed to make it all work!

After my maternity leave, it took me about 2 weeks to realize it was unsustainable. For the next two months I worked on coming up with a plan. After many hours of thinking about my options and producing a plan, I took my husband out to dinner and served him my idea. I was going to pass up my 60k salary and start my own bookkeeping business! I was convinced that my years of back-office management and financial experience paired with my “get-er-done” attitude would make it all possible. My husband gracefully digested my ideas and offered his support. It was a done deal! By July 2017 I officially resigned, filed for my LLC, and had my first client.

I cannot say the thought process behind starting my business was fulfilling a lifelong dream, per se, but when the time came, it was as if my entire life’s experience gave me just what I needed to be successful!

What should our readers know about your business?

My business has been many things over the past 5 years. There were times in the beginning when I had to find ways to pull in other income to help support the family – ride share driving, babysitting, art making, etc. In the end though, my business has evolved into a lucrative bookkeeping operation.

My favorite part about my business is that it is operated 100% by moms! I work with three other moms in the area who were after the same thing as me – A way to provide for their families without having to sacrifice family time. I am so proud that I have my business in place to help them achieve this!

Overall, being a business owner is not easy. You must dedicate the time and energy to get it up and running, and even more time and energy into growing it and keeping it growing. You have to resist the urge to give up or to fall into the trap of imposter syndrome. You always need to operate with the mindset that there is no one to take the fall but you. It can be a scary place… But on the other hand, it is exciting. I am excited to get to work each day because it is mine! I have been able to maintain, for the most part, the work life balance of my dreams so each time I sit down at my desk I am ready and energized to get things done.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

Charlottesville has a lot to offer to anyone wanting to visit. If I were to set up the itinerary, the first stop would be Potter’s Cider. It’s a lovely family-friendly cidery on a cleared hilltop surrounded by woods. The vibe and the cider are magical. Also on the itinerary would be some local favorites: The Downtown Mall for shopping and people watching, Carter Mountain Orchard for apple picking and the view, as well as a trip to Ix Art park to enjoy some of their endless vendor markets and fantastic art events. 

Food stops would definitely include Bodo’s Bagels, TEN Sushi, The Local, and Marco and Luca’s Dumplings. But there is so much delicious food to each here that we could just spend the whole trip eating. For the history buffs, there is Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, James Monroe’s Highland, and the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, which are certainly worth your time!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

My husband Scott is my biggest cheerleader! When I had the crazy idea to let go of all of the security and shoot for something bigger, he didn’t bat an eye. His belief in me gave me the confidence I needed to take the leap.

There is also my brother, Caleb – I don’t know if I would have actually followed through with my business idea without his support and encouragement. Caleb is a CPA, who owns his own business, and he gave me the push I needed when I was worried that I would be in over my head. He offered his expertise if I should need it. Without that I think the imposter syndrome would have been too much to overcome.

There are many others along my path that have been there to support, mentor, and love me. I am thankful for them all.

Website: www.countingshells.com

Facebook: facebook.com/countingshells

Image Credits
Scott Hamler (Husband)

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