Business
Ledger Ally
Elena Herrera
About Elena
Elena Herrera is the owner of Ledger Ally. A company that handles all the bookkeeping nightmares so you can enjoy growing your business.
Elena was born & raised in Lansing, where she & her fiance are raising their blended family of 4 children. She comes from a family of entrepreneurs. Her father, siblings, and extended family are all proud owners of successful businesses.
Elena is committed to helping small businesses thrive through providing an accurate scope of its financials, critical to its growth. Having previously co-owned a small produce store, Elena knows firsthand the frustrations of wearing so many hats. The company she has since created is based on the need for affordable bookkeeping and prioritizing the little guys. Accounts are viewed as valued partnerships, no matter the size of business.
What inspired you to start a business?
The inspiration for starting Ledger Ally goes all the way back to my childhood, watching my father start his wholesale business. He worked around the clock running and expanding his business. When I began my first year at Olivet College I started preparing his invoices for him. Over time I started handling more paperwork and very organically became his bookkeeper.
When I graduated with my Bachelors degree in business administration my father, brother and I opened a produce store. Over the course of 3 years I was my dad’s bookkeeper, the bookkeeper for our produce store, the cashier, stocker, janitor, created social media content, prepared fruit bowls and salads for resale. There was always an endless list of duties. Needless to say, I was always stressed out when it was time to gather documents to file our business taxes.
Between my dad igniting the entrepreneurial spark in me and experiencing the struggles of running a business while trying to keep the financials organized, I found my passion. I knew that it wasn’t just my dad or our family business that was trying to make their own source of income. I knew that other businesses out there needed help organizing their financials. I wanted other entrepreneurs to focus on the growth of their business as opposed to being stressed out with the paperwork. I wanted to give other business owners that sigh of relief like I was able to with my dad.
What is your vision for the future of your business?
Being a bookkeeper allows me to have a flexible work schedule. This flexibility allows for me to have a source of income while also working around my 4 children’s schedules. I vision growing my business to a capacity where I am able to employ other parents who too need that flexibility.
In time, I will add other services that small businesses can utilize outside of bookkeeping and payroll. I will have an office outside of my home. I will expand outside of Lansing.
What goals do you hope the Ascend program will help you achieve?
By the end of the program, I hope to have achieved the goal of hiring my first employee. With that, I would be able to expand my business and take on more accounts. The vision is brick and mortar and the goal is to take the consultation I received to make that vision a reality.