Jensen Stromberg Chartered Professional Accountants

This firm has been doing my accounting work for many years. Every year they do an amazing job of keeping me up to speed on my business numbers.
Apr 2nd, 2018

Jeff Stromberg of Jensen Stromberg Chartered Accountants is a rare find. As an entrepreneur, over 4 businesses, over about 30 years, Ive observed a number of accountants in their role. During my latest entrepreneurial sojourn which lasted almost 20 years until I sold it, I went through a series of accountants who were just more money than they were worth. I wouldnt have begrudged the money, but I do begrudge the worth part of the equation. And after a decade of this, I didnt realize there was another kind of accountant until Jeff took over and crystallized my observation that so many accountants are simply disconnected with the entrepreneurs who they work for. The accountants who Ive known seem to exist occupationally in a box where they organize numbers to live up to accounting practices and avoid taxes. They work retrospectively, and rather impersonally. You dont see them much, they rarely come to see you at the business, and they dont know the day to day of your business challenges. They generally look backward on your performance from a monetary perspective, not necessarily offering pragmatic suggestions or other management advice to facilitate the entrepreneur. They didint seem to involve themselves, rather they were passive. They lacked drive to effect change, progress toward enjoyment of a successful company making decent money. In my experience, I dont recall that any one of them took a more proactive, prospective role in improving numbers from a management point of view, until Jeff came along. Jeff is out of the box. He is personable and he was always at the ready anytime I needed over the years. He is an energetic quick thinking man works and thinks quickly. Entrepreneurship is very challenging, long hours the rule, while the pay is often less than minimum and obstacles regularly present themselves to frustrate the owner. Some say entrepreneurship is harder than ever, with ever more competitive more forces to reckon with, at a fast pace. Jeff is sensitive to these realities, always ready to find time to put heads together, at my office. He had no hesitation about missing dinner to talk to me, as long as he could make the soccer game for his children. He would open my Quickbooks and away wed go, spending an hour or so analyzing numbers and business operations, considering other ideas that might streamline, reduce costs, or increase revenue. We put our heads together to resolve issues that do crop up regularly in every entrepreneurs experience. He called upon his extensive knowledge of the Saskatoon in Canada small business experience that hed drawn from so many others for whom he did the same thing. Hed always bolster my confidence and pass advice all in the same sentence! What a positive fellow! One of the best things he ever advised me was to recruit my spouse to do my book keeping. It worked like a charm. Unlike the book keeper for hire, the spouse cares and over a few years, with guidance from Jeff and his meticulous junior accountant, Trevor, the accounts were clean, costs were down, and discounts or bonuses were never forgotten. And with every brain storming session, Jeff left me with other goals to live up to, which I certainly did. Now a decade after Jeff started, Ive seen the company grow busier and healthier, until my happy dream materialized as a fair offer to purchase became reality. Now I have transitioned to another time, after a successful exit, with thanks in great part to Jeff for his big role in helping me succeed through the hard years of entrepreneurship.
Mar 2nd, 2019