Synergy Accounting Systems dedicated to helping small businesses succeed

 By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Johanna Greenfield knows what it’s like to start a small business and keep it running smoothly. That’s why Synergy Accounting Systems LLC is dedicated to helping guide local entrepreneurs to success.
    “Instead of simply providing ‘after the fact’ reporting services, we use the wealth of information in their financials to keep them on the right path,” said Greenfield. “We’re dedicated to helping small businesses succeed.”

Observer photo/Mike Lange
JOHANNA GREENFIELD

    Greenfield opened her office on West Main Street in January after working out of her home and for other companies for the past 23 years. “I started taking an interest in accounting in high school. My mom, Nancy Danforth, had a small business in our home and I helped out with general ledgers.”
    After graduating from Foxcroft Academy, Greenfield attended Beal College and the University of Maine at Augusta to study all phases of accounting.
    Today, Synergy Accounting Systems offers bookkeeping, payroll and income tax services as well as business plans for startup and existing companies. “We’ve built personal relationships with many clients, some for as long as 20 years,” she said.
    In addition, Greenfield offers business coaching and free consultation. “We help businesses to use their financial information to determine their health and guide them to a higher level of profitability,” she explained.
    Greenfield cited several scenarios that can lead to a businesses’ success or failure. “Some open up without enough cash reserves to take them through slow times,” she said. “Others don’t keep track of their spending. For example, you don’t invest in new equipment and furnishings unless you can justify the expense.”
    Greenfield concedes that many business owners “aren’t very good at bookkeeping. That’s where we come in. We can assess their finances and help them turn things around before it’s too late.”
    While Greenfield and her mother – who works part-time – are the only Synergy Accounting Systems employees, the firm has clients all over the country. “Thanks to virtual (online) services, I have access to many resources from other highly-successful entrepreneurs that I can use to help my local clients. It’s a bigger ‘tool box.’”
    Greenfield would like to expand her business eventually, but said that her office – located next to the self-service car wash on West Main Street – suits her fine for now.
    “It’s the right size and very convenient for my clients,” she explained. “There’s enough room for a tractor-trailer to park here if they want to.”
    In addition to running her own business, Greenfield is treasurer of the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce and is running unopposed for the Piscataquis County treasurer – a part-time position – in the November general election.
    She and her husband, Lucas, have three daughters: Molly, 13; Abigail, 5; and Rebecca, 4.
    So how did she select the name Synergy Accounting Systems? A sign on her office wall offers an explanation: The increased effectiveness that results when two or more people or businesses work together.
    “That’s the key,” Greenfield explained. “By working as partners with our clients, we can guide them on the path to success.”
    For more information about Synergy Accounting Systems’ services, call 564-2222, email them at sasyllc@gmail.com and find them on Facebook.

Synergy: The increased effectiveness that results when two or more people or businesses work together.