7. Naming, Branding, and Becoming Official: A Detailed Look Into How We Started Our Firms

• Transcript

  Welcome back to The Accounting Edit Podcast.

  I'm Leah McCool with Orca Accounting.

  And I'm Aminder Mann with Sequoia CPA.

  Yay, so we are back here with a podcast that we're just calling Naming, Branding, and Becoming Official.

  And what our goal is for this podcast is to really just tell our story of how did we go through this process of starting an accounting firm, and there's a lot of administrative stuff that we had to do, but also a lot of it is fun and creative, like branding.

  And so we're just going to chat through a couple topics here today.

  Yeah, and I'm super excited for this, Leah, because I know when I started off, it was just an idea, and I think that's what most folks start off with is that idea of I want a business.

  I want to start my accounting firm, but what are the steps?

  And we've kind of gone through it, we've learned from it, so I'm excited to share all the findings that we have along the way.

  Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

  So, because I think that really a lot of the ideas that we had were really just the beginnings of what our vision for our firms was.

  I mean, I think that because we both came from a corporate environment and we saw the creativity that was possible, it's so fun to just kind of have this idea and have it form into choosing a name, just branding basics about how that translates into logos and brand voice and all things that we definitely didn't cover in accounting school, but it's just still so relevant to owning a business.

  So yeah, so for choosing a name, that's the first topic we'll cover.

  How did you decide on Sequoia CPA and how was that process unfolded?

  How has it been?

  Yeah, I think choosing a name took longer than I expected.

  It was, I think, the first thing I did.

  So I knew I wanted to start my firm.

  But then the next step was, okay, what do I want to name it?

  And most people in our industry end up picking their name.

  So the option was Aminder Man's like comma CPA, and that could have been my company name.

  But I wanted something that was more personal, had a business name, that I could build a brand around.

  And so I started brainstorming on what are things I enjoy in my life.

  And so being in nature, being outdoors, I live in Redmond and we have a huge tree canopy.

  And it's one of my most favorite things about living in this area is just the tree foliage.

  And so then I went down the path of, okay, let's list out all the tree names out there.

  And I ended up really liking Sequoia.

  There were a couple of different trees that I really liked.

  I ended up settling on Sequoia.

  I love the look of them.

  They're really grand.

  They feel like they align well with what I wanted in terms of vision for my company as well, being well grounded, longevity, growth.

  And so I ended up incorporating that name.

  And it took a lot longer on picking that name, but I think the process allowed for a lot of creativity and putting that thought behind what feelings I want it to evoke, what type of brand do I want to build around it.

  And so it felt really perfect once I picked the name, that yes, that like I could look at my logo, I could look at my brand all day and I won't get sick of it.

  I love the outdoors.

  I love nature.

  So it aligned.

  I love your name, the Sequoia.

  And I didn't know actually that that was where it originated from, was the Redmond Tree canopy.

  Because now that makes so much sense that you see it so often, so naturally, that's what inspired you.

  Because it's I love and I think that that's one thing when you first reached out to me, I loved the name Sequoia CPA because it just resonates so much with people who live in the Pacific Northwest and love nature too.

  So yeah, I definitely I love I love your name.

  It's really nice.

  Thank you.

  How about yourself?

  Like you picked Orca Accounting.

  Where did that name?

  Where did that seed germinate from?

  Yeah, I was kind of came from the same perspective as you, where I was thinking I could just name it my last name and then put accounting after it.

  And I just thought that was boring.

  Like I just I just wanted something a little bit more fun.

  And I'm the same way I love nature and I love just walking down the street and seeing different yoga studios or doctors offices that have some creative element to it.

  It just makes me more interested in checking it out and it's just more memorable.

  And so, but I was the same way.

  I really didn't know what to settle on because I didn't want to choose something that I thought was stupid in a few years.

  And everybody always says that you can rebrand super easily and it's, you know, it's it's natural and it happens.

  But I just wanted to try and avoid that as much as possible.

  And so I finally just settled, finally settled on Orca.

  My husband likes to say that it's because I'm from California, but I live in Oregon, so it's like ORCA.

  Oh, interesting.

  Okay.

  But then like I also just didn't love that background as its story.

  And so ultimately, I just really liked, I really like Orcas and just the presence that they have on the Oregon coast here.

  And I just think they're really beautiful animals.

  And also it fit with the vibe that I was trying to go with too for my practice, which was just very, not so much black and white, but just very minimalistic.

  I loved thinking about brand colors and just the whole entire feel of this is, this is not like an East Coast firm, this is a West Coast firm.

  And so just trying to kind of bring that sort of West Coast sort of feel to just like very, very modern, very clean, very oriented towards Western coastal businesses for the most part.

  And just kind of inviting that sort of business owner and who would resonate with that.

  And so, so long story short, yeah, I just I ended up really liking the name Orca, and I just felt like it was simple and easy, and it was easy for people to say and recognize.

  And so, yeah, so then it ended up working out really well.

  I honestly love your name.

  I remember seeing it the first time, checking out like your website and it was perfect.

  It like evokes all the Pacific Northwest vibes.

  And so I was like, oh, this is amazing.

  Versus like if you ended up picking like just your name or something, right?

  You can see the contrast.

  So I'm so glad and I'm so excited that you picked Orca.

  And like I think both of our brands, I think align with that Pacific Northwest vibe, which I really, really love.

  And it's such a change away from what accounting is.

  If you look at most accounting company names, they're around like some sort of financial aspect or they're around a specific like individual versus I love that both of us have a brand that evokes different feelings around the Pacific Northwest.

  It's like really localized to our businesses, like the small businesses that we're working with.

  Yeah, I know.

  I 100% agree.

  I didn't want to be boring, just finding another financial firm because there's so and there's nothing wrong with that.

  But I do think, though, because we do appreciate nature so much, like that's something that definitely people, if you have a conversation with them at a networking event, yeah, you would think that you would connect over it and that they would resonate with that and really just it would you would stick in their mind as someone that understands you, understands what you're passionate about.

  And it really is there's a degree of localness to it, where as if it was just like another, you know, like, Liam McCool financial, it just doesn't really sound as excited.

  Like I would not personally enjoy learning more.

  Or at least I wouldn't, it wouldn't stand out to me as much as something nature related.

  So it's fun.

  It's fun seeing the direction that, because it really does leave it so open ended too, with all the creative aspects that nature provides for just continued branding and everything.

  And it becomes so much more memorable, I feel like.

  I still know what your website looks like, even though it's been a while since I visited it.

  I know what Orca Accounting is, and I know the feelings it evokes, versus I feel like in other ways, you wouldn't be able to do that.

  So it's super interesting that we both picked going down this nature branded path.

  Yes.

  Oh, absolutely.

  And it's going to be so fun just to see, I mean, I talk about your Instagram all the time, I think on this part, or maybe I just talked about it, yes, last episode, but I tell you a lot about it off of the podcast specifically.

  But your Instagram, I mean, it just makes it so easy for you to make it beautiful because there's so much imagery about Sequoias and the Pacific Northwest that just, I'm sure, make it so easy to build posts and just engaging content around.

  And it's so, yeah, I'm definitely, I always say to Aminder, off of the podcast, I'm like, I need to get my Instagram up to part to where yours is because it's so pretty and it just is inspiring.

  And a lot of that is because of the names that you chose.

  Yeah, exactly.

  Yeah.

  It gives you that guided path to lean into.

  Like you can lean heavily into the brand.

  You don't have to come up with all these novel ideas.

  You can just lean into, yep, I'm based my brand around nature.

  It is something that I value.

  And so it kind of makes the branding a lot easier when you're moving into the branding piece of it.

  And I know one of the first things that we did end up doing after we picked our names and kind of aligning on the vision was checking availability.

  And I think this is a big step that most people don't think about, is when you do pick a name, you need to make sure it's available, not only on the legal name front, so checking all the registry to make sure the legal name is available, but also I think making sure there's a website domain.

  I think that's such an important piece so that you have a website that's memorable.

  And then also, I didn't think about this, it just ended up working out, but the Instagram handle, you want to make sure that you have a handle that you can use, especially if you're going to use Instagram quite a bit or any social platform that you're going to use quite a bit for marketing purposes.

  Did you kind of think about the same areas or did you kind of just land on it as you went?

  No, okay, so funny.

  I actually, and you reminded me of this when you were talking about choosing your name and having it be based on a tree.

  I was looking, because I was the same way.

  I used to live in an area of Portland where there was just gigantic Douglas fir trees everywhere, like just evergreen trees, and I loved them.

  And I mean, I still love them, but it really made me want to name my firm something to do with evergreen, like evergreen accounting or evergreen bookkeeping.

  And I was looking through the domains, whether it was just the official legal name or the domain name on Instagram or a website.

  And it was so oversaturated already with the name evergreen.

  And I realized like, okay, this is something where there's already a lot of players that are naming themselves based on this tree that I love.

  And so that was part of it was me piecing through, I was part of my naming process was piecing through what hasn't been taken yet.

  And so I definitely think if I were to start another brand or if I were starting an accounting firm tomorrow, then that would be one of the first things that I would do is just type in the registry of, okay, what is the business name idea that I have?

  Let me just like check all of my bases first to see what's available, what's not.

  Even if it's something that's like not related to what you are at all or like in the same area geographically, but sometimes like Google search results will just kind of confuse your brand, even if it's the only, you know, Orca Accounting in Oregon or the United States or whatever, but it might pull up results that are out of the country or whatever.

  So that's something that I would definitely caution people to think about.

  Yeah.

  Definitely do the checks on that side, even though you may find a name that you think is perfect.

  You kind of have to find that balance of how does it align with what's available out there?

  And then how is it viewed when people are looking for it?

  And I know like SEO comes into play here as well on in terms of your ranking in Google.

  And we'll cover that in, I'm sure in a different episode.

  Another episode on the line where we have time to talk about the intricacies of SEO.

  Yes.

  But I think it's so important to make sure you balance both.

  You don't want to just pick a name and then you forgot to do all the checks, and then you go and register it already, and then you realize, oh, shoot, there's no domain available, and then you have to kind of compromise on your domain, and that's going to be out there.

  And so you want to make sure holistically you've looked at most of the areas where your footprint is going to be, and make sure it's going to appear the way you want it to.

  Yeah, absolutely.

  And that kind of also, so let's say you've done all those checks.

  You found a name, whether you were just kind of lucky slash intentional, probably a mixture of both with us, but once you've established that your name is available, you've landed on it, you love it, then the next step of what you do when building your brand, your website is really just considered around your branding basics.

  Like what are, what's your logo gonna look like?

  What's the feel of your brand beyond just the name?

  And there's also other aspects like brand voice.

  Are you building your website and your branding tools, like your logo, all this stuff?

  Are you doing that yourself or are you hiring it out?

  And like what tools are you using?

  So just to like get started, I guess just an intro question.

  I use Canva.

  What do you, do you use Canva for all of your design elements?

  Like tell me about that.

  Yeah.

  So I lean heavily into Canva.

  In the beginning, I was a little bit unsure what to use.

  So I kind of played around with a couple of different tools.

  Even for my logo, I hired someone off of Upwork, but I didn't end up loving anything.

  What I ended up landing on in terms of my logo was what I ended up designing in Canva.

  So I love Canva.

  I lean heavily into it.

  It allows you to build out your brand.

  So there's a tab where you can have your brand colors, your brand logos, and your font.

  And really, essentially, that's what you mean for your branding to be consistent.

  So on your website, on any social media platforms where you're posting, mainly for me, Instagram and LinkedIn, but you want to be consistent in the colors you use.

  And so Canva does a great job.

  It makes it super easy.

  You can apply your brand template, and it'll create, help you create social media content without as much work into thinking on, Oh, what font was it that I used?

  Because when you don't have that font consistency, you think it's a small thing.

  But on social media, when you have a number of posts and the font changes so drastically from post to post, it's not memorable anymore.

  And so what you're really trying to do is build a brand that people remember.

  And what they'll remember is the same repetitive feel of your brand.

  And so that's what I heavily lean into in Canva, is just all the tools in terms of templates.

  There's elements you can add.

  It allows you to really use your creativity, which I didn't, as an accountant, I didn't think I would lean so heavily into wanting to do all this creative marketing, but it's actually fun.

  It allows me to balance that analytical side where I'm working on client's books, but then also work on the marketing side, which is like the fun creative side.

  For anyone that has not checked out Aminder's Instagram, it's at Sequoia CPA, and it's beautiful.

  It's so, it's so beautiful to look at.

  And there's the content, the consistency that you have on there with your content is just so cool.

  So I've always just, and at first I thought that you were using one of those companies that gives you templates and it like prepares.

  I remember I asked you that and you were like, no, I just do it myself.

  Yeah, I was like, what?

  That's so beautiful.

  But no, that's where Canva really helps is like, as long as you've built out your brand template, you can apply it to anything and it feels consistent and it feels like, oh yeah, this is my brand.

  And you can always change it.

  Like in the beginning, what I was posting is, it's changed a little bit in how it looks and feels, but you can experiment, play around, and as you learn about social media and engagement, it'll evolve and that's okay.

  Yeah, and it's so nice too, because as you're developing your colors, like say you have your name, but you don't really know what direction you want your colors to go into.

  There's something that I just found or I've known about it, but it's so cool.

  You can be searching on Pinterest for different photos that kind of relate to the name that you chose and what it inspires.

  And you can basically use that photo and its colors, drop it into Canva, and that branding tool will kind of pull those exact colors from whatever picture that you've put into it.

  And it'll almost kind of helpfully guide your branding colors based on the color picker tool.

  There's some way that it does it, but it auto generates the colors of that picture.

  And so that's something that I always just love about, okay, if I'm designing something, what colors, what kind of vibe do I want from it?

  And so that's an element where it helps if you're indecisive like me and don't know exactly what colors you want.

  Yeah, that's amazing.

  Because a lot of times when you're starting off, you really don't have an idea.

  And I think this is going back to the name, leaning into a theme for your name helps with this aspect of finding the branding for your company.

  Like for us, it's nature based.

  We can kind of lean into like yours is Orca.

  It's very black and white like your Instagram.

  And I love it because it gives that minimalistic feel, but it still has that warmth because you're on there.

  You can see your face.

  For me, I'm more based on a tree.

  So there's a lot more browns and earthy tones.

  But again, having that name allowed me to kind of lean into that versus if I had used my name, I think I would be a little bit lost on what do I want to represent as the brand of my company beyond just who I am.

  And so it's been good to have a name with a theme.

  Yeah, absolutely.

  And really, I mean, just to reemphasize, some people say, a common thing that people say in this accounting firm space, when you're starting a firm, a lot of people will just say, just throw a one-page website up there.

  Branding doesn't matter.

  Like, just get your name out there.

  And I do think that there is a time and place for that.

  I think definitely if you're just working on your website and your branding colors, like if all you're doing is working on this marketing branding aspect, then yeah, of course, it might be more productive to kind of call it good as, good enough and to just get your name out there.

  But on the flip side of that, I think that so many of my clients have resonated with the branding that I set up in the very beginning and that I spent time developing.

  And it really does make it so easy now to, or if I was back in the beginning, pick the name, it leads, it's the first step into having that creative process start for, okay, what do I want my logo to look like?

  What do I want the overall feel to evoke?

  What do I, how am I going to make that look in Canva or whatever other tool that you're using?

  And so it really is just like that crucial first step that makes it so much easier to build off of as you go.

  So I always say like, the best investment of my time was developing my brand because that's really what people are going to remember.

  Yeah.

  And just, you mentioned your website, Leah, and I just think about all the accounting websites out there.

  It's a really easy way with your brand to differentiate.

  I think most accounting websites that are out there, I think as accountants, we think very analytically.

  We want to just present information.

  We're not thinking deeply about the look and feel of our website, but having the theme, the brand allows you to differentiate yourself.

  And in a market where there's a lot of accountants or there's a lot of accounting firms out there, you can draw your brand distinction.

  And like you said, it becomes memorable versus just another accounting website that just lists all the things that they do.

  And yes, they have credentials and yes, they have testimonials, but it's just that look and feel like I don't remember any of the accounting firm websites I've gone to other than yours, because it's just evoked that emotion, that feeling that stays with you rather than just absorbing content and material.

  And so I think it's super important.

  Like you said, pick that name, but invest in that brand voice and theme and lean in and spend time on that website.

  Even if it's just a one page, use the theme and feel of it.

  Absolutely.

  Well, I appreciate that, because I am so, I do love, I do love my website and just really, I think what you said about people resonating with a feeling that it gives them, at the end of the day, if you take a marketing class or if you kind of dive into brand voice or what marketing, what the point of marketing is supposed to be, I think what I've remembered is that marketing is supposed to leave people with a feeling, whether that's a feeling of scarcity in some brands or just a feeling of them wanting to be a part of whatever you are selling or the brand that you are evoking.

  I think that what I love about just building a brand and the branding aspect, that is so funny that we love it so much.

  It's because we're accountants.

  That's not the side of the brain that we, yeah, exactly.

  But it is really, it's almost, it is an extension of ourselves.

  And so because we get to show up in this professional but also creative way, it's really interesting to just look inward and see, what do I want to communicate to people?

  What do I want them to remember about me?

  How do I want them to feel when they're working with me?

  And just that part of building a website, building a client portal, which is another fun process that you're going through right now and that I went through, and just making it almost feel as though, because you don't have a physical storefront, if because we're operating primarily virtually in terms of the services that we provide, we don't have storefronts where people can walk in, that is something where when we can almost make that experience hospitable and kind of enhance the hospitality that our brand can create through a virtual format, our front door, our storefront is our website and our Instagram and whatever clients come into contact with.

  So it's just a further extension of that into a client portal or anything about how they interact with us.

  Business cards even, I think it's just a fun, creative way for them to get involved.

  So that's so fun.

  Yeah, it is.

  I think branding, even just the basics, after you've kind of gone through this, you've picked your name, you've developed your brand and now you're going to make it official.

  What were the steps that you took that after all that was done, what is like the legal steps now that you have to take to like start doing business?

  Oh gosh.

  So this is actually interesting because a lot of people don't know what the process is and so it can kind of seem overwhelming.

  But when I was researching, okay, how do I do this?

  A lot of people will say that you need to open up a business bank account and get an EIN and then start posting or whatever.

  But initially, it is just filing those articles of incorporation and getting your business registered.

  Every city, every state has the registry website that you need to go into.

  And that's also probably where you can check to see if your legal business name is available.

  But then once you go through that process, that is actually what allows you to get an EIN from the state and from the IRS and get that EIN so that you can then open up the business bank account.

  So it really is that step one, two, three of, okay, register your business, get the EIN, and then you can get your business bank account.

  And that'll allow you to set up your accounting software and just all other things that are more state related.

  And then you can finally put yourself out there.

  So was that the same process that you went through in terms of just organizing it step by step?

  Yeah, I think for me, it was similar.

  One step in here was determining the type of entity I wanted to use.

  I know most accounting firms, LLC, PLLC, PLC, just professional limited liability, are the two types.

  I did consult with a lawyer to get understanding of a little bit of more technicality on that side of things.

  But from there, like you said, the articles in corporation is the first step.

  And for me, I think that's like the Washington Securities website.

  And they have like a page that walks you through.

  These are all the things you need.

  And if you're unsure on doing this entirely yourself, there are like law firms that will register you.

  But if you're a little bit tech savvy and us being in startups, where we kind of lean in to the unknown, we kind of just want to go and do it.

  I think you and I ended up doing it ourselves.

  But there are folks that will do it for you if you're feeling uncomfortable with, I don't know precisely what to put in my application and make sure it's all good to go.

  There are folks that will do it.

  But I just went in, got those articles in corporation, got the EIN with the IRS.

  And again, the IRS tells you, you need the articles of incorporation before, or the UBS number I think it is, before you can even get an EIN.

  So there's caveats that stop you along the way.

  Like if you go to a bank and say, I want to open a business bank account, they'll say, okay, well, these are the two pieces you need.

  And if you don't have them, it kind of cycles you back to the first step.

  So those were definitely the steps.

  And then also here in Washington, with the Department of Revenue, there are certain registrations.

  So again, depending on where you're registering, I had to register for city registrations here in Redmond.

  But if you're doing business in other cities or counties, there may be different requirements.

  So just something to keep in mind.

  In Washington, they make it easy.

  They make it part of the same application.

  You just have to mark, oh, I'm registering in this city as well.

  But I think different cities are a little bit different.

  So just something to watch out for.

  Yeah, absolutely.

  And it's also just circling back to that legal part of it.

  I definitely think that a lot of people get kind of freaked out when they start to see titles like PLLC or LLC or S-Corp or anything like that.

  So that is definitely a more legal area of who could advise you on that.

  Like we are not, we are not.

  Or at least that is not what we're going to cover here.

  But I do think, though, that say you are anticipating that you're going to make above a certain revenue amount.

  These are questions where seeing, okay, is an S-Corp more better suited for what your business is going to be?

  And also, it's, talking to a lawyer might sound really scary.

  And I think that in your community, if you don't know of anyone in person that you can go chat with, or if they're really expensive, there are websites out there like LegalZoom, or I'm trying to think of another one right now, but that's the first one that comes to mind.

  And so it can be affordable and just getting that advice if you really are just nervous about taking that first step.

  Yeah.

  And just a caveat on the registration, there's the legal type of entity, right?

  And so LLC being the legal type.

  And then you also have the tax entity that you'll need when you register for the EIN with the IRS.

  And both differ.

  And so it's good to understand on the legal side, what type of entity are you setting up?

  And then also on your tax side, what are you setting up as?

  And Leah, you mentioned the S Corp being one of the type of entities, but you could be an LLC single member.

  You could be a partnership if you're working with someone.

  So you really look into what type of tax entity makes sense for your situation.

  And again, you can talk to someone about this too, if you're unsure.

  As accountants, I think we were a little already aware with what our tax situation is.

  So we kind of just ended up setting that up.

  But if you're not, it's okay to reach out to an accountant and say, okay, I want to set up my entity, but I don't know what what type to use.

  And depending on your financial situation, it'll vary.

  Yeah, 100 percent.

  I love that.

  So hopefully this was a good overview of kind of where we started from, starting with just choosing a name once we had our idea and just kind of give a good overview of what that process looks like from there, choosing a name, the basics of branding, and then also just making it official and really just making your business set up for success on the administrative and legal and tax side.

  So yeah, thank you.

  Thank you all for listening.

  This has been, I loved this episode.

  This was fun.

  I love sharing all this.

  So see you next time.

  Perfect.

  Thank you for listening.

  Bye.

  You've been listening to The Accounting Edit, a podcast by Aminder Man of Sequoia CPA and Leah McCool of Orca Accounting.

  And if you're enjoying the show, don't forget to follow us so you don't miss an episode.

  And if you have any feedback or thoughts, we'd love it if you left us a review.

  It really helps us out and we'd love to hear what you think.

  Does your business need help on the accounting side of things?

  We would love to help you.

  You can find Aminder at sequoia.cpa.com or on Instagram at Sequoia CPA.

  You can find me, Leah, at orcaaccounting.com or on Instagram at Orca Accounting.

  We'll be posting new episodes every other week, so be sure to follow so you don't miss out.

Welcome to Episode 6 of The Accounting Edit podcast!

In this episode, Leah and Aminder walk through the journey of naming their firms, building meaningful brands, and making their businesses official. They share personal stories behind the names Orca Accounting and Sequoia CPA, talk about how branding goes far beyond logos, and break down the legal steps every business owner needs to take when getting started. If you’re launching your firm or rebranding an existing one, this episode is packed with insights and inspiration.

Takeaways

• A meaningful business name can create emotional connection and stand out in the market.

• Nature-inspired names helped both hosts reflect their values and local roots.

• Branding includes visuals, voice, tone, and client experience, not just a logo.

• Canva is a powerful tool for building brand consistency and creating content.

• Checking name availability for legal use, domains, and social handles is essential.

• Investing in your website and brand from the start can differentiate your firm.

• Your website is your storefront, so make it feel welcoming and aligned with your brand.

• Legal steps include forming an LLC or PLLC, filing Articles of Incorporation, and getting an EIN.

• Business registration requirements vary by city and state.

• It’s okay to ask for help from a lawyer or accountant when setting up your firm.

We can’t wait to hear what you think!! Thanks for listening.

— Leah & Aminder

Contact

Website: TheAccountingEdit.com

Leah’s Links:

• Website: orca-accounting.com

• Instagram: @orcaaccounting

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/leahmccool

Aminder's Links:

• Website: sequoia-cpa.com

• Instagram: @sequoiacpa

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sequoia-cpa