Brittany Sanchez, Founder, Books By Brittany (Accounting & Tax Strategy), based in Surprise, AZ. (Image provided.)
CPAs & AI Bookkeepers:
How Brittany Sanchez is Redefining What Small Businesses Really Need from an Accountant
Mystery Returns
Years ago, my wife and business partner, Brittany Sanchez, handled the books for our physical product business. Every year, we found ourselves dealing with a different accountant. And every year, we were left in the dark. Deadlines were a mystery, rates fluctuated wildly for identical operating years, and communication was nonexistent.
Brittany realized other small businesses were experiencing the exact same treatment. They were simply “Ghosted, looked over, misunderstood”. We were so frustrated that she began joking about going back to school to handle our taxes herself. But one day, she stopped joking and asked, “What if I really did it, though? What if I go back to school?”
My answer was immediate: Yes. Absolutely. 100%
Corporate Mismatch
A widespread cultural misconception exists in the small-business world about the title “CPA.” Most SMB owners default to hiring a CPA simply because they are unaware of other accounting specialties.
But as Brittany began her formal accounting education, she quickly identified the root of our past frustrations. She learned that a CPA certification is actually designed to train professionals for publicly traded companies. That is an entirely different financial world focused on increasing shareholder value through complex corporate maneuvering.
Brittany realized that because CPAs are trained to operate within a corporate framework, they are fundamentally mismatched for the day-to-day needs of a local mom-and-pop shop. This disconnect is exactly why so many small business owners receive terrible customer service from detached CPAs. It is also the exact reason Brittany chose to build her firm specifically for the local operator.
RESEARCH INSIGHT
In the financial services industry, the primary driver of client churn is a lack of proactive communication and personalized advisory. Small business owners routinely leave CPAs because they feel treated as a transactional burden rather than a priority.
The False Confidence Epidemic
On the other side of the coin is a new, equally dangerous trend. The market is currently flooded with untrained bookkeepers and tax preparers relying entirely on artificial intelligence. Over the last two years, Brittany has reviewed countless tax returns where it is painfully obvious the preparer had no actual clue what they were doing.
The problem is that AI provides an illusion of competence. It is only as good as the person prompting it. By design, AI models tend to lean slightly toward validation and encouragement rather than delivering the objective, cold, hard truth. When dealing with numbers, the coldest and most unforgiving subject of all, that validation can be financially lethal.
Brittany closes this gap from both ends with a combination that is rare in the industry today. She brings over a decade of real-world experience owning and managing a small business and its books, backed by a formal accounting education.
No Perfect Timing
Saying you will go back to school to solve a massive operational problem sounds great on paper. The reality is a grind.
While taking on early bookkeeping gigs to gain additional real-world experience, Brittany was also dog-sitting to help make ends meet.
Our first business was struggling, and our daughter was only two years old. Brittany spent her days balancing a toddler, managing dogs for extra cash, helping me with our company’s email marketing, and packing the physical orders.
Brittany Sanchez is sitting with her oldest daughter, Lydia Sanchez. (Image provided.)
“My husband and my first business was struggling. I was dog sitting at the time for extra money to help our family and he was pursuing another career. So, I thought to myself, ‘What is there for me to do then? What am I good at or passionate about?” Brittany Sanchez
She began answering that question by opening her laptop in bed at 8:00 PM, immediately following a long day and a two-hour toddler bedtime routine, to study.
Fighting Scared
Even today, as she runs her successful firm, Books By Brittany, she is transparent about facing imposter syndrome.
Early on, she joined industry Facebook groups and watched other brilliant women face the same self-doubt. They were graduating with accounting degrees, getting hired, feeling unqualified, and freezing up. But instead of giving up, they found support, leaned on others, and kept going.
Rather than letting imposter syndrome paralyze her, Brittany weaponizes it. I often remind her of a famous Joe Frazier interview in which the legendary boxer admitted he was scared before every fight. He also noted that “the best fighters fight scared.”
That is exactly how Brittany operates. I hope she never loses that imposter syndrome, because it means she is handling her clients’ accounting and tax needs with a level of hyper-vigilance that a comfortable, complacent CPA will never match.
Standard of Care
When selling non-essential physical products, as we did for many years, customer service had to be flawless to secure a sale. If Brittany was willing to be that helpful just to sell a $200 wall plaque, imagine the standard of care she now applies to her clients’ livelihoods.
That standard is also rooted in her Christian faith. She operates in a constant state of prayer, bringing genuine empathy to client relationships. Her day-to-day work ethic is anchored by Romans 12:11, which instructs, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” Brittany’s clients can rest easy knowing she ultimately answers to a higher Boss. One with particular expectations for her integrity and ethical decisions.
Her ultimate goal is for the local small business community to know:
“they have someone they can count on and trust.” Brittany Sanchez
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Schedule and intro call with Brittany by visiting the official Books By Brittany website.
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