Lawrence Fox: the best accountant and bookkeeper for Canadian freelancers
I'm Lawrence Fox CMA, CPA.
Why is this accountant different from all other accountants?
Are you a freelancer, coach, consultant or creative?
Do you have a successful business doing what you love BUT you DON’T want to do your bookkeeping?
Does this sound like you?
- “Nobody likes me on bookkeeping day. Hell, I don’t like me on bookkeeping day.”
- “When I’m supposed to be doing the books, I want to stay in bed and pull the covers over my head.”
- “This SO not something I want to do on my weekends when I want to relax and recharge.”
This will be YOU when I do your books
Imagine feeling this joyful because...
- You’ve got peace of mind about your bookkeeping and accounting.
- Not worrying about calls from CRA—I've got your back.
- Your HST is filed correctly, and on time.
Lawrence has taken the stress and guesswork out of my bookkeeping!
I was looking for someone to help me set up systems so I could manage and stay up to date with my bookkeeping. Lawrence has done that! He takes the time to listen and understand, remembers all the details, and responds to my questions punctually. Lawrence has taken the stress and guesswork out of my bookkeeping and increased my confidence as well!Hi! I'm Lawrence Fox, the CPA who loves bookkeeping and accounting.
- I have a B.Comm from the University of Toronto.
- I earned my Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation and became a CPA when the accounting designations in Ontario were amalgamated.
- I’ve got 30+ years of working in and for small businesses under my belt.
I’m the witty, bow tie-wearing, fountain pen-wielding CPA who loves to do bookkeeping and accounting. I’m the the go-to guy for coaches, consultants and creatives.
My mission? To help you beat that feeling of overwhelm about your books that’s keeping you from having peace of mind about them.
I’m not your typical, dull, gray or boring accountant/bookkeeper.
The one thing I don’t do? Taxes.
I have a weird and twisted sense of humour, love bad puns (are there any good ones?), and my son despairs of my collection of “Dad jokes”. Raised by a miniature Schnauzer, I am now owned by cat(s), the quantity of which is often changing, that being the nature of cats.
What's my story?
Once upon a time, in a galaxy, far, far away… no? You don’t think so? Not very original I know.
Fine, So you see, here I was on a high-school field trip when I was bitten by a radio-active spreadsheet… oh, you’ve heard that one before too.
OK, here’s the truth (not as exciting, though):
I was born in Toronto and raised in the wilds of North York before there was a mega-city. Denied my high-school ambition to be a starship captain (only because we don’t have any—yet), I headed off UofT for a business degree. But I didn’t get bitten by the “tax bug” as many of my classmates were; I really wasn’t interested in toiling in a big accounting firm, doing taxes and audits, hoping to make it to partner one day. Or in the punishing hours of the dreaded “tax season”.
(That’s Dad and me. On the back Mom wrote “5 wks”.)
After graduation, I worked for my Dad for a few years at the family business, washing cars, pumping gas (back in the days of full-service gas stations!) and doing the books (pen and ink in ledger books!) after hours or on rainy days when things were slow.
Then I spent a few years working in a succession of small businesses in the accounting department while getting my CMA designation at night.
My last “in-house” job, I was the #2 guy in the accounting department, and I was the entire IT department. But I was getting bored—too many days of “same stuff, different day”, and a job that was fun and challenging had become routine and stressful.
(That’s me on the left, my Dad in the middle, and my brother on the right at the gas station. I’ve lost some weight—and some hair—since then.)
In 1994 I went out on my own in my first solo business (ComputerWizard Consulting), doing database design, development and maintenance for those small businesses. I was one of the leading experts in North America in developing DataEase applications. I also created tools for other developers to use around the world. In the leadup to Y2K, I was really busy, but then things in that space slowed down to nothing.
My son was born in 2001, and I was having too much fun being a dad to notice how slow things got! (Until I started running out of money, that is). In late 2002, I called a former employer and mentor just to chat, and he invited me out for lunch. While we were eating, he said “The world doesn’t always need great database developers. But the people you love to work with will always need a great bookkeeper”. And so, AccountingWizard Solutions was born and I went back to my bookkeeping and accounting roots.
Today, I get to work with talented and creative people like you. And you can stop feeling overwhelmed about your bookkeeping.
Who says accountants are dull, gray and boring? Not me!
Food…
I once spent an entire summer living on pizza (because I was living with a friend who was a vegetarian). The guy at the pizza shop used to wave at us and just hand us our usual slice when we walked in.“I’m Terrific…”
I have survived both testicular cancer and a near-fatal heart attack (followed by a quad bypass). Now you know two of the reasons why when you ask “How are you?”, I say “Terrific”. I’ve seen the alternative up close and in person.I’m an analogue guy in a digital world…
I wear real self-tied bowties, a pocket watch and write with a fountain pen. (I’ve amassed quite a collection of vintage and modern ones. And I use them. Some people collect cats. I collect pens. (Truth to tell, I collect both).Drinks…
I like my vodka martinis shaken, not stirred. (Thank you James Bond). But I’m not averse to a sweet martini or just some Campari and Perrier.Watercolours
When not wrangling numbers, I attempt to create art by painting in watercolour, exercising the right side of my brain, and proving that I can be a “creative accountant” without landing myself or my clients in jail.
Yes, I do spend some of my spare time watching paint dry. I’m not boring, but I’m not always exciting. What do I watch?
TV? Top Chef (US and Canada) and Alone are my TV-watching guilty pleasures. Do not interrupt me when they’re on. I will snap at you like Tom Colicchio when he’s forced to eat okra. Movie? I will drop everything and sit down to watch the 1938 Errol Flynn version of Robin Hood. Every single time. Without fail.Who would I be?
If I were a character in the Princess Bride, I’d say “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed your cash flow. Prepare to DEBIT”. Sometimes I do sign an email with “PS: Have fun storming the castle!”Have you seen my…
I didn’t get a smartphone until I lost my dumbphone in the winter of 2014. True. Fell out of my pocket somewhere in a snow filled parking lot in Thornhill and was never found again. Kinda like the wristwatch my wife bought me for a birthday present years before that. Only God knows where that is, but it ain’t in this house. Please don’t tell Her (my wife, that is. I’m pretty sure God knows I lost the watch).If you’re saying “Yes! Yes! OMG Yes! I want to work with you!” then...
We’re a hot match if:
- You're in Canada and a solo coach, consultant, or creative on the road to (or at) a six-figure income
- You run a full time biz and KNOW that bookkeeping and accounting is crucial to a successful and sustainable business
- You're ready to let a professional work with yout/do it FOR you
- You love working virtually to get all of your accounting done and dusted. Quickbooks Online and Zoom will be our best buddies!
You are ready to build your professional support team because you know you can’t do it all yourself.
You want to add a trusted advisor to your team who can turn the numbers into useful information, so you can develop your business and plan for the future.
You are a professional and willing to invest in yourself and try new things because every business must change in order to grow—and you’re ready to do just that.
And, you must, must, must have a great sense of humour because, well, that’s absolutely required when working with me.
Isn't afraid to tell me when I'm wasting money
I needed Lawrence to help maintain our books, advise on structuring them, and help cleanup some messes from previous years. He did all that. He's very easy-going, professional, knowledgeable and efficient. He's a stickler for process and efficiency, and isn't afraid to tell me if I'm wasting time or money. Best thing about working with him? The jokes in the office have definitely improved! I definitely recommend him.
So now that you know why this CPA is different from all other CPAs* -- what's the next step?
Let’s shmooze.
You’re thinking “You sound good, Lawrence, but I’m not so sure”.
That’s OK.
Let’s have a short 30-minute virtual shmooze over coffee (or tea) to start getting acquainted. If we’re on the same wavelength and you want to take the next step, we’ll book a complimentary, no-obligation “Getting to Know You” consultation. That’s when we’ll talk for 45-60 minutes (and I’ll ask lots of questions about you and your business, and you can ask me all of yours) and we’ll see if we’re a good fit.
*10 points to Hufflepuff if you know the original source of that question. Email me (info©accounting-wizard•com) if you do!
Book your Shmooze and Coffee below. Pick the day and time that fits your schedule. (so nu? What are you waiting for?)
