Lara Pieper

Owner, Bloom Bookkeeping

Age: 36

Lara Pieper never thought she would own her own business. In fact, she imagined herself as a corporate girl, managing accounting departments or perhaps reaching the CFO level. But never on her own.

“I didn’t think I had the skill set,” Pieper says. “Turns out I do. I offer services that no one else does, focusing strictly on managerial accounting.”

Pieper is a single mom to three boys and started Bloom Bookkeeping in the fall of 2016 to offer her family a different kind of life. “I wanted to be more involved with my children’s school and spend more than an hour with them at night,” Pieper says, “and that wasn’t possible while working a typical job.”

Before starting Bloom, Pieper spent nine years as COO of The MacXprts Network, a computer services business where she learned the difference between managerial accounting and the tax accounting. She realized she liked managerial accounting and was good at it, so she opted to get her MBA.

“All the numbers fit together like a puzzle and it all made sense,” Pieper says.

At Bloom’s first anniversary last year, Pieper set the goal to double the revenue of her business. She surpassed this goal by increasing sales by 212 percent over the year and increasing her monthly recurring client list from 17 to 30. Throughout the summer, she closed bookkeeping contracts with a new client every week. In addition to that, she was able to hire her first employee.

“My services are being sought after because no one in Columbia offers what I can,” Pieper explains. “This is more than a bookkeeping service. I am a CFO for hire who is here to help business owners be the most successful they can be.”

Amanda Quick, owner of The Hatchery, is one such business owner. Bookkeeping was not her strength, and when she met Pieper, Quick was at a pivotal point in her business where she needed the expertise. “Lara should be recognized because she is helping so many small businesses start off with a solid financial foundation and then holding their hand through the daily financial details,” she says.

Fun Fact: Lara has an identical twin sister who lives in Colorado.

Get to know the other class members here.