By all accounts, Anna Locke shouldn’t be an accountant. Her DISC profile indicates that she’s far more people-oriented than she is numbers-oriented, yet her total accounting firm, A.T. Locke, is gearing up to celebrate its fifteenth anniversary. How? Anna relies on her team and leans on her personal strengths to take her business where it needs to go.
A.T. Locke didn’t become successful overnight. After some hard lessons learned and internal conflicts within the company, Anna is determined to be the best leader she can be for her team and her clients. Read on to discover what makes A.T. Locke, total accounting firm, so incredible.
What inspired you to start your company?
The one-word answer would be “curiosity.” To elaborate, I worked as an auditor within a regional CPA firm twenty years ago. We were responsible for verifying our clients' financial statements on an annual basis. As I advanced into a leadership role within the firm, leading auditor teams, I began to experience a growing curiosity about the inner workings of client businesses beyond the confines of year-end encounters when their financial data came to light.
As an individual, I value learning as well as engagement with other people. I was incredibly curious about what these companies did daily and how that impacted their finances. That’s why I was inspired to start a firm that focused specifically on outsourced management accounting, to get a holistic view of our clients’ companies to better keep their books and manage their finances.
Why choose A.T. Locke for your business name?
I wanted clients to see that it was named after me and that I was willing to put my name at risk for the work we do for their company.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your founder journey?
One of the most rewarding aspects of this business is that we’re able to help a company or an individual know where they stand financially and help them figure out what their future goals are. We work with our clients for anywhere from 2 years to 10 years. And so, we get to know the business, we get to know the management team, we celebrate birthdays, we celebrate when people have children–and we get to see them achieve their goals and milestones.
Any lessons learned that you would like to share?
This year, my focus is realizing that when I need help, I shouldn't just call a meeting and wait for decisions. Instead, I've learned to initiate progress toward a goal, demonstrate my progress, and encourage others to contribute further.
This approach contrasts with my tendency to spend excessive time in client meetings. Going by the DISC model, I am an Influencing/Inspiring type, which means I thrive with people. In contrast, I am not great with details. I've recognized the importance of partnering with a detail-oriented person, despite my thorough training in this industry and running a business centered on accounting services.
Our media company’s motto is: “Where aha! meets oh shit.”
Tell us about your biggest aha! moment.
I once brought in a DISC consultant. The consultant assessed the profile of everyone at the event, including me, and projected my DISC profile on the screen for everyone to see. The funny part? Without any knowledge of my industry, he took a look and said: “This person would never be the CFO of your company.”
I was the lone woman in an all-male business group. Every guy in the room turned their attention to me, waiting to see how I'd react.
The thing is, I was relieved. My DISC profile highlighted that my natural tendencies don't naturally gravitate toward diving into forecasts or spreadsheets headfirst. It doesn't mean I'm incapable–I’ve trained for years to be good at what I do. But what a weight off my shoulders! I had been carrying this unnecessary burden of never feeling adequate enough because I hadn't incorporated that particular skill set.
It wasn't about being right or wrong, good or bad. It simply offered an extra layer of insight. And the best part? I trusted it. Even though the guy's intention wasn't negative – he was merely teaching us about the different categories and their statistical inclinations – it was incredibly liberating. I stopped trying to be everything and do everything as a leader and started leaning on the strengths of my team to get things done.
Tell us about your biggest oh shit moment.
One of my biggest “oh shit” moments was being involved in a 50-50 contract without a tiebreaker. I learned the hard way that it doesn't matter who's involved or what the setup is, having something in writing is crucial in situations like that. It's like a roadmap for collaboration, especially for those moments when things aren't going smoothly or when it's time to untangle.
A while later, I acquired another business to assist someone with their exit plan. Just a week after we sealed the deal, he had a fall, got a concussion, and never returned to work. Thankfully, my contract came to the rescue. The lawyers who set it up did a good job of giving us a clear path forward in the midst of that really unfortunate situation.
Do you have a personal mantra or motto?
“Make a joyful noise." But now, I'm aiming for something beyond mere noise – I want to center on using my voice more effectively. You see, I'm a person of faith, a believer in God. While the phrase "Make a Joyful Noise and Be Glad" resonates with many songs, it's become apparent to me that in life, participation is key. So, I'm on the hunt for a revamped version of my motto that encompasses the idea of intentional action.
I'm actually a musician. I've got piano skills and even played instruments in my high school band. But what's been on my mind lately is my early start in singing – I got into it so young that I could master the tunes and tones of numerous hymns, yet somehow missed the essence of their lyrics.
I'm making an effort to ensure that if I do speak, I'm well aware of the messages I'm endorsing from someone else's creation. Because it's not just about the audible aspect, right? It's not merely about wanting my voice to be heard. What I truly desire is that if I'm putting forth a sound or using my voice, it carries significance, serves a purpose, and lends a helping hand.
If you could hit rewind, is there anything you would do differently?
Looking back, if I had the chance, I'd definitely have reconsidered keeping all the team members reporting to me for as long as I did. On the organizational chart, we had distinct job roles and teams functioning together. However, for the first 13 years of the business, I was the go-to person for all employment and performance-related matters. As a result, my views on their work held significant weight. This inadvertently shaped the dynamics.
Here's where we fell short – we didn't adequately establish the practices necessary for handling multiple leaders within the same company. There were subtle battles for leadership happening around me, often indirectly, because those who didn't want to compromise their standing with me didn't want to engage in direct conflict. Despite discussing leadership and the organizational structure, our actions didn't align with the discussions. Even the absence of action loomed large and became a glaring issue.
This stark reality hit us during a dedicated training session designed exclusively for our team. With just our group and a facilitator in the room, you could cut the tension in the room with a knife. The facilitator picked up on this undercurrent and adjusted the session to address the problems bubbling to the surface.
It certainly wasn't pleasant, but I do find a silver lining in acknowledging that we recognized the need for assistance. As a company, we sought guidance from that facilitator. We might not have fully comprehended the lessons awaiting us, but we were open to learning. Soon after, some turnover did occur, and conversations about a somewhat toxic culture began. Emotions were hurt, and while I wasn't privy to all the details, I was aware of certain aspects.
So, in hindsight, I would have put more effort into building a robust leadership team early on. This could have potentially prevented many of the issues we eventually faced.
Did you have any “game-changing” resources or tools that helped you start or grow? Why was that resource a game-changer for you?
I hold a CPA license in South Carolina, which means I have to complete 40 hours of training annually to maintain my active license status. I'm quite used to continuous learning, and honestly, I enjoy it.
This led me to discover Vistage International, a business advisory group that offered me a monthly training opportunity, along with access to a business coach and, essentially, a board of advisors. When I initially became a member, I was the only female in a group predominantly composed of men, many of whom were 15 to 20 years my senior–but they still treated me with respect at the table.
Thinking about the local entrepreneurial community or ecosystem, what do you believe is working well? What do you think is missing or a gap that needs to be filled?
I believe we're still navigating the aftermath of the pandemic. The dynamics of face-to-face networking have shifted from what they were a decade or two ago, and it's quite understandable. But that being said, there's a unique entrepreneurial spirit in the Upstate that’s thrived longer than in many other places in South Carolina. This could be attributed to the diversity here, as well as the general welcoming attitude towards newcomers.
Recently, I attended a networking event in Greer where I had the pleasure of meeting two gentlemen who had recently relocated to South Carolina. What struck me was their
comment about the way I approached them. My willingness to sit down and have a genuine conversation, listen to their stories, and be open to their ventures, really stood out to them. They shared that they hadn't quite encountered that level of openness in the cities they had left behind.
Of course, this doesn't mean that Greenville is devoid of competition. Just like any other place, we have our moments of intense rivalry. With numerous entrepreneurial incubators vying for attention and nonprofits springing up all around, there are times when we compete for the same resources and opportunities. It's a positive challenge, given the abundance of possibilities.
What do you want A.T. Locke to look like a year from now?
In the next two years, our goal is to hire two to three new team members, expanding our client reach. Once we do that, I can step back a little bit from the day-to-day details–which I mentioned earlier I would’ve done sooner.
I temporarily filled in for a team member who took a week off for paternity leave. Now, we're gradually transitioning to a point where another day-to-day accounting advisor can step in and pick up that workload instead of me having to step in.
We're already drafting up the training calendar. Admittedly, during the peak of the COVID crisis, the training calendar took a backseat due to the constantly changing landscape. The pandemic had us immersed in adapting to evolving requirements, like PPP loans. As things settle, we're resuming our proactive stance, focusing on refining our expertise to enhance client service.