…Who?

Hi there! I'm Matthew Zarder, and I've spent the last ten years building and running a remote bookkeeping firm in Central Texas named Cloud CFO. I graduated with a BBA in accounting in 2008 - arguably one of the worst years to look for an accounting job in the United States.

Some of the stories I hear about accounting layoffs and difficulties in landing a job that pays well in 2024 in this industry strikes a chord with me. My first accounting job out of college paid $11/hr, and was the villain origin story that planted the seed of entrepreneurship somewhere in me.

Since then I’ve worked in various accounting and finance positions, before finally deciding to take the leap into entrepreneurship in 2014.

Building my own bookkeeping and consulting business from the ground up has been an incredible journey with some hard won lessons. I've grown it organically and steadily each year until it wasn’t a side hustle any more and learned a ton along the way about what works (and what doesn't) when it comes to landing clients and keeping them for years.

Now, I help new firms in this space with battle tested practical advice to get where they want to go. I can go deep on marketing, sales, operations, and outsourcing; and can help you get your first paying client, or work through staff to reliably deliver high quality work to 30+ clients.

Getting this right is a worthwhile goal. Translating your existing accounting knowledge and skill into your own firm provides a wonderful work-life balance you can’t get in Public or Industry. It allows for extended travel, lots of family time, and places no cap on your income or advancement. You call the shots.

When I was in school, I loved tutoring accounting; and see this as an extension of that love of teaching, but with the entrepreneurial point of view that none of us were ever taught in college.