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About Us
WHO WE ARE
Meet the face behind Balanced Accountants
Balanced Accountants, headed by Michelle Gusta, EA, is an accounting firm specialized in handling small business services and tax accounting, based in Lacey, Washington.
Balanced Accountants is your source for comprehensive accounting that you can trust. Providing services to fit your business or personal needs throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Owner + Senior Accountant + Enrolled Agent
Michelle Gusta, EA
Michelle is an enrolled agent with over 22 years of industry experience under large and small public accounting firms. In addition to this, she tested and received her Enrolled Agent license in 2013.
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Michelle founded Balanced Accountants in 2014, with a mission to welcome communication, collaboration, passion, care, trust, and transparency to business finances.
EDUCATION
Bachelors of Accounting
LICENSE
Enrolled Agent
OUR MISSION
At Balanced Accountants, our mission is to deliver accounting, financials and tax returns with quality time and attention you deserve, curbing fear that keeps us stunted. With trust to have necessary hard conversations surrounding one of the most sensitive topics not many enjoy, like money and taxes, in a confidentially supportive environment.
We believe that communication is key to building a successful and lasting relationship with our clients. We take the time to listen to our clients' needs and concerns, and work with them to develop customized solutions that fit their unique business or personal needs.
CORE VALUES
Integrity
We uphold the highest standards of integrity in everything we do, and always act in the best interests of our clients.
Expertise
We are experts in our field, and stay up-to-date with the latest accounting and tax regulations to ensure that our clients receive the best possible advice and service.
Balance
Our clients are at the center of everything we do, and we are committed to helping them achieve their financial goals, while keeping their life in balance.
MY BACKGROUND
Michelle Gusta
Balanced Accountants, headed by Michelle Gusta, EA, is an accounting firm specialized in handling small business services and tax accounting, based in Lacey, Washington
My name is Michelle. I was born in California and am part city and part country as I spent the first half my youth in Los Angeles and the second half in San Miguel, CA. My family owed and farmed Asian Pears. Ever heard of those? Well, I know a lot, perhaps too much but they are delicious. I spent lots of my youth farming, caring for soil, pruning, pulling weeds, harvesting in the hot summers of 102+ degree heat.
We also started an egg business called, Michelle's Eggs. We had thousands and thousands of chickens. It didn't start out that way, it started with 6 chickens and me and my little brother sold eggs to the neighbors. Soon we were delivering eggs to local restaurants, health food stores and any farmers market we could get in. We then raised goats (for milk and cheese) and pigs (for meat).
Needless to say my city life was behind me and I was knee deep and engulfed in the Entrepreneurial life of a country girl. I enjoyed creating my own life, on my own terms and earning based on what I put into something. I always thought it just made sense for me to go to school to become a veterinarian with how well I worked with animals and how much I enjoy them, but life had a different plan.
I was taking a college course, while in high school, because why wouldn't I take a free college course and get both college and high school credit for it and the guest speaker was a local CPA. He took fondly to my presented business plan and how I viewed business and finances and asked that I come work for him. I was 16 years old and doing bookkeeping - I worked in the details, learning the rules that lead to a report that's relied upon for owners to make decisions for growth or strategy, that then was used for a tax return.
What an important role he played and how much business owners relied upon his wealth of knowledge to work smarter, not harder. For myself, I was ready to hang up my overalls and rubber poop boots and play a different role in business for myself but I also wanted to help others do the same.
From there, I continued to work in public and private accounting - both large and small.
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In 2012 I received my bachelors in Accounting, and in 2013 I tested and received my Enrolled Agent license. I am associated with the National Association of Enrolled Agents, Washington State Accounting And Tax Professionals.
I love learning, I love strategizing. In a world of tax and compliance - logic was clearly not a requirement when establishing tax law - it's about strategy, growing and change. I opened Balanced Accountants in 2014 so that I could be more present with my son and quite honestly, working in firms where clients consistently felt underserved and overcharged was not in alignment with what I wanted to deliver and I was tired of my hands being tied company protocols.
For the last 10 years I took what didn't serve others or myself and threw it out the door. I welcomed communication, collaboration, passion, care ,trust, transparency and knowledge to work along side my clients who trust me with their growth and supporting their success.
When I'm not at the office, I'm either on a soccer field watching one of the kids play, surfing, snowboarding, working out with the kids, reading or traveling somewhere warm. I am a mom and bonus mom, married to my husband of 5 years.
OUR CLIENTS
What our clients have to say about us
Balanced Accountants serves a variety of small businesses across many trades and industries! We pride ourselves on partnering with individuals and businesses who want to collaborate, streamline their business and invest in a trusting partnership!