Practice making differences inside-out

Tanya Hilts, CEO & Founder, Cloud Accounting Professional, Impactful Advisor, and Educator, founded Cloud Business Services out of her desire to support and aid small businesses in growing using cloud technology. Tanya recognized the potential of the cloud to change small enterprises and wanted to be involved in their path to success.

Cloud Business Services provided Tanya with the ideal opportunity to combine her passion for empowering small businesses and educating them about the positive impact of the cloud. She also wanted a career that would allow her to be flexible for her child while making a meaningful difference. Above all, she is driven to constantly learn and is dedicated to helping others. She believes that mentors have played a crucial role in her success and believes in giving back by mentoring others. She sets aside a specific amount of time for pro-bono work, including volunteering as a mentor for entrepreneurs and the community, and goes beyond just that. She also volunteers for educational events and is a member of various committees for CPB Canada. In addition, Tanya is passionate about philanthropy and supports the Beagle Freedom Project, even though she recently lost her own beagle. They raise awareness for the cause through industry sponsors and donate instead of taking referral fees from clients.

Tanya believes she handles team issues fairly and acknowledges that they spend more time at work than with their families. Trust in the team and their leader is crucial. While considering business concerns, she believes in being empathetic and finding ways to better support team members and prevent issues from recurring. As a leader, it is her responsibility to ensure this. Rather than providing answers, Tanya encourages her team to express their thoughts and guides them through their thinking process.

Tanya values suggestions from her team and hires individuals who can challenge her perspectives. The support of her team enables her to be an effective leader. As Tanya suggests, leaders should embody the qualities they admire in a leader and encourage their team members to also act as leaders. She values her team's input and involves them in discussions regarding changes and decisions. By practicing what they preach and surrounding themselves with honest individuals who offer differing opinions, leaders can stay ahead. Additionally, it is important for leaders to consider what their team members value and customize their benefits accordingly, such as flexible work hours or remote working. This personalized approach is highly valuable to team members. She is confident in sharing that she has maintained good communication with her team members and views them as her support system rather than just employees. She is understanding and compassionate when dealing with personal or sensitive matters, which has contributed to a loyal and long-lasting team.

To assist others in developing their ideas, self-esteem, and leadership abilities, Tanya emphasizes the good and provides constructive criticism. Tanya does not conduct reviews for her team; instead, they evaluate themselves, and she provides her agreement or disagreement, highlighting any instances where she disagrees. This approach fosters an open and honest working relationship. Besides, she encourages the importance of continuing education, which helps individuals realize what they don't know and enables them to share their knowledge with others for their benefit.

Tanya, as the owner of the company, makes decisions that benefit the business, herself, and her team. She generally feels confident in her decision-making abilities but acknowledges that there are occasions when she lacks the necessary information. She takes responsibility for these instances and recognizes the importance of seeking input from others. If she fails to do so and things go wrong, she reflects on what went wrong and holds a meeting with individuals or the team to figure out how to prevent similar mistakes in the future.

Their team consistently receives recognition and awards from both the industry and the local community, which is a clear testament to their collaborative approach. One of their most prestigious achievements was winning the Intuit Global Firm of the Future in 2018, which was the final year of the competition. They competed against thousands of accounting firms worldwide and were chosen as the country winner for Canada. They then competed against winners from England, Australia, India, and the United States. The winner was determined based on various aspects of their business, such as social media presence, client reputation, services provided, and teamwork. Winning this award was a great honor for them, and they can still proudly claim the title of Global Firm of the Future.

Currently, they are working on launching online training for the accounting industry and have plans to expand it to small and medium-sized businesses outside of the accounting industry.