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I’m a CPA who specializes in cloud technology and the co-host of the Cloud Accounting Podcast, a weekly news update for accountants and bookkeepers. Enterprise Get your team aligned with all the tools you need on one secure, reliable video platform. Today, Blake continues to work hard while spending time with his family. But because my work is virtual, we can go anywhere,” he says. “We could move up to Seattle where my parents live. Or we could go to a smaller town – we’ve always wanted to raise a family in a small town. As long as they have broadband internet, we’re good!
In July of 2015, Cloudsourced Accounting was acquired by HPC, an online CPA firm. I helped part-time and online accounting and finance professionals work on exciting projects, find their ideal clients, and manage their growing practices through technology tools. areer in accounting can sometimes start unexpectedly. Blake Oliver was a talented cellist working as a music store manager when he discovered an interest in bookkeeping. Together with school friend Maria Sentic, Blake co-foundedCloudsourced Accounting, a bookkeeping and cloud integration firm that helps transition small businesses to the cloud. The company offers online bookkeeping services to small business owners through cloud-based technology.
Maybe it’s a technology, maybe it’s a new strategy. If you can get out in front, that will put you and your firm on the radar of dozens of new prospects. PitchBook is a financial technology company that provides data on the capital markets.
Cloudsourced Accounting Overview
However, he soon discovered he could make a good hourly rate even without a CPA qualification. So he put his studies on hold and focused on building his career in accounting. I started off in the commercial real estate industry, but always remembered those few accounting courses I took in college and how much I liked them . So, while on maternity leave I went back to school to complete the requirements to sit for the CPA exam, and later passed all 4 sections on my first attempt. “I’m a musician at heart,” Blake says. “I might have given up on music completely if I was working in an office somewhere – but thanks to the flexibility of the cloud, I don’t have to.”
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Cloudsourced Accounting
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Cloudsourced Accounting helps traditional accounting and bookkeeping professionals with their move to the cloud. Blake says that in order to reap the benefits of the cloud, accounting professionals must make a wholehearted commitment to it. It didn’t take Blake long to see there had to be a better way to do accounting. Much of his day was spent in Los Angeles traffic, driving between client offices. This was preventing him from taking on additional clients and increasing revenue.
His business sense, vast technical knowledge, and domain expertise have helped bridge the gap between developers, small business owners, and accountants. His unique style and impressive network have influenced and helped shape the new generation of accounting professionals. Now, I bring that experience and knowledge to small and medium sized companies to provide outsourced accounting, business process automation, and strategic consulting that can help their businesses thrive. Although Blake’s life took a turn away from the cello and toward a career in accounting, his love for music hasn’t faded.
It was a hurdle that needed to be overcome in order for his business to recognize its full potential. David Leary is an innovative and influential force in the small business accounting world. With over 22 years of QuickBooks experience, David has provided many small businesses, accountants, and developers with technical tools, deep industry knowledge, strategy, and solutions.
For the next four years, Blake developed his cello performance skills alongside other elite musicians. He believes the experience helped shape him into the entrepreneur he is today. Blake didn’t always plan for a career in accounting. He excelled at playing the cello from an early age, and dreamed of being in an orchestra. Blake grew up in Sacramento, and commuted to San Francisco on weekends to participate in the youth symphony. Think about how you can become a first mover in the industry.
He also worked as an office manager for a tutoring company. It was in these jobs that he was first introduced to the idea of a career in accounting. Cloudsourced Accounting is an online outsourced bookkeeping and accounting company leveraging technology to best service the SMB market. Cloudsourced Accounting was acquired by Aprio Cloud, in 2015.
Cloudsourced Accounting Valuation & Funding
Before that, I was a Manager in the Outsourced Finance & Accounting division of the Consulting practice at Armanino LLP, the largest California-based CPA & Consulting firm and a top 25 firm nationwide.
But despite Blake’s success in the world of accounting, he insists he’s still a musician at heart. A career in accounting can start unexpectedly. Read how musician Blake Oliver discovered accounting and co-founded a cloud integration firm.
We believe firmly that the future of business and the global economy is in the cloud. I was a CPA with many paths open to me, when I reconnected with my colleague Blake Oliver . Blake sold me on the future of accounting in the cloud, and a few months later we founded Cloudsourced Accounting, an online bookkeeping and cloud integration firm. We grew to serve hundreds of clients nationwide and became a Xero Platinum Partner.
He would one day like to start a chamber music group or be on the board of a symphony orchestra. Soon after discovering his knack for bookkeeping, Blake and his wife moved to Los Angeles. He planned on working toward his CPA license at night and freelancing as a bookkeeper during the day.
solution using the best cloud-based technology out there. I love helping businesses, their owners and managers, improve the way they operate. I provide business process automation, strategic consulting, and outsourced accounting solutions. My clients are able to optimize their business processes in order to gain efficiency while also fostering growth. Xero is easy-to-use online accounting software. After college, Blake moved to Florida with his future wife, Samantha. He was still playing the cello but made a living managing a music store.
In December 2014 Blake and Samantha welcomed their first son, Thomas. They were shocked to learn that Thomas was born deaf due to a genetic condition.
After the purchase, I served as Director of Technology and Marketing for Aprio Cloud, then later worked with cloud accounting software developer Xero as a Xero Ambassador for the U.S. Prior to joining Jirav, I worked with FloQast as their Director of Product Marketing. Through new technology and our secure website, we serve clients all over the world. It is easy, convenient, and a safe way to have all of your tax and accounting needs met.
- However, he soon discovered he could make a good hourly rate even without a CPA qualification.
- He also remembers the convenience of being able to work online while looking after Thomas.
- He would one day like to start a chamber music group or be on the board of a symphony orchestra.
- His unique style and impressive network have influenced and helped shape the new generation of accounting professionals.
- He believes the experience helped shape him into the entrepreneur he is today.
When Thomas was one year old, he underwent surgery to receive cochlear implants, allowing him to hear for the first time. Blake also wanted to continue with cello, as the university has one of the top music programs in the nation. However the cello teacher wouldn’t work with a student who wasn’t fully committed to his instrument. “You have to go all in with one thing – that’s what my cello teacher taught me,” Blake said. “You have no idea whether you’re going to succeed or fail – but there’s only one way to find out.” PitchBook’s non-financial metrics help you gauge a company’s traction and growth using web presence and social reach. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website.
Within three years, Cloudsourced Accounting was a team of twelve serving approximately 200 customers spread across the United States. My accounting career began in 2012 when I founded Cloudsourced Accounting, an online bookkeeping and cloud integration firm that grew to serve hundreds of clients. We’re a team of online bookkeeping and integration experts with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. As a mostly virtual company, we’re able to keep overhead low and offer some of the most competitive pricing in the field. Our Mission To provide small business owners with a fully integrated bookkeeping solution using the best cloud-based technology out there. You get simple, real-time data, allowing you to make important business decisions with confidence. And our dedicated bookkeeping professionals are there to support you along the way.
Tax Manager
Blake Oliver, CPA, is an entrepreneur, accountant, writer, and speaker who specializes in cloud accounting technology. In 2012, Blake founded Cloudsourced Accounting, an online bookkeeping service with a mission to disrupt the business models of traditional CPA firms and freelance bookkeepers. The firm was an early adopter of cloud accounting apps, which enabled his staff and clients to collaborate 100% remotely.
Blake fondly remembers the first time his son reacted to sound. He also remembers the convenience of being able to work online while looking after Thomas. “There are plenty of books out there about how sports can make you better at business. All the lessons you learn apply to business too, from self discipline to focus to grit,” he says. Blake decided to take the plunge and auditioned for the music program that spring.
