What happens when a business owner stops trying to figure it out alone?
I love stories like this one.
Jay Blankenship has spent 40 years at Columbus Cabinet. In 2008 the crash hit at the same moment as the worst project they'd ever had financially. Jay called it a "double whammy." It took a long time to dig out.
Jay was doing what so many owners do. He was working hard, carrying the weight, and trying to make sense of it all by himself.
That's where our relationship began. Jay and I met in a small group, and he reached out for someone to walk beside him.
Our role has never been just bookkeeping or producing reports. It's about helping a leader understand how the numbers fit together, so they know what to do next and not only what happened last month.
Together we got clear on where sales were coming from and where costs needed attention. And for the first time, Jay set goals for the business. In his words, "Setting up goals was something we had never done before."
Then came the part I admire most. Jay is honest that he tends to want to do it all himself. Learning to trust capable people and let go of things he didn't want to release was, in his words, "a huge step."
Today: gross profit margin is up "quite a bit," there's cash in the bank, and Jay has what matters most to me: peace of mind.
What stayed with me is something he shared: "Someone I can talk to who understands the situation. For small businesses, we just don't get that."
I'm grateful for Jay's trust and honored to be part of the Columbus Cabinet story.
At Fulling Management & Accounting, our mission is simple: help business owners Get Clarity, Grow Profits, and Gain Peace of Mind.
The best measure of our work isn't the reports. It's the difference those insights make in a business owner's life.
Thank you, Jay, for letting us be part of your journey! - Rusty Fulling