Innovation

B Balanced CPA, owned and operated by Danielle Reasoner, works with small businesses to help them achieve their mission. Pending B Corp certification herself, Danielle primarily works with B Corps, nonprofits, and impact-driven organizations to provide them the financial perspective they need in order to continue to grow their impact each year. Danielle’s goal is to work with her clients and use her knowledge to come up with a financial strategy to help them bring their vision to life while remaining profitable.

Danielle provides her services in three phases: consulting, budgeting, and accounting. In the consulting stage, she identifies the goals and values of her clients and creates a financial roadmap to achieve those goals. In the budgeting stage, she takes the roadmap and matches it with real numbers. Danielle looks at the client’s strategy, estimates how much each activity will cost, and allocates spending to those areas. The accounting stage entails bookkeeping, cash flow management, financial statement preparation, and business consulting to ensure clients are staying on track and hitting all their financial goals. Danielle has extensive experience working with B-Corps, all of whom are dedicated to people, profit, and the planet. Ultimately, B Balanced empowers its clients to remain dedicated to their triple bottom lines, mission, and vision, thereby contributing to a more ethical and sustainable global landscape.

Inspiration

Rooted in her experiences and driven by a passion for creating meaningful impact, Danielle envisioned a holistic approach to accounting—one that goes beyond just number-crunching. Like many entrepreneurs, Danielle recognized a gap in the market, one where small businesses and mission-driven organizations often lacked the financial guidance needed to thrive sustainably. With a Master's Degree in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship from Temple University, Danielle embarked on a mission to fill that void. She saw an opportunity not only to provide essential accounting services but also to become a catalyst for positive transformation within her clients' operations.

Danielle's inspiration comes from her firsthand encounters with the challenges faced by small businesses and mission-driven organizations. Drawing from these experiences, she recognized the need for accessible, strategic financial guidance tailored to the unique goals of her clients. Focusing on partnering with organizations such as community development financial institutions, sustainable business networks, and advocacy groups, Danielle demonstrates her commitment to supporting socially responsible businesses and initiatives. As Danielle articulates, "It was a no-brainer from the get-go. I had to be a B Corp." Currently, Danielle is pending status as a B Corp and plans to attain certification soon, aligning her financial guidance services with her commitment to socially responsible businesses and initiatives.

This ethos underscores B Balanced CPA's commitment to aligning financial strategies with the broader missions of its clients. Empowering organizations with the tools and insights needed to navigate financial complexities, encapsulates the core philosophy and inspiration driving B Balanced's operations.

Overall impact

B Balanced CPA makes many positive impacts daily, by providing its clients with a financial perspective that is strategic in achieving mission-driven goals. A lot of the clients that B Balanced CPA helps are smaller-scale businesses, meaning they sometimes do not have the time, labor, and/or resources that large businesses have when trying to manage their finances and bookkeeping. Danielle understands this which is exactly why she aims to provide excellent accounting services to companies that are focused on making a positive impact within the Philadelphia area.

Currently, B Balanced CPA has nearly 10 clients ranging from cafes to investment firms, to website designers. What makes her clients particularly unique is that they all operate with similar goals underscoring one common mission... promoting social responsibility and uplifting their community. Her broad range of clients demonstrates both the need and demand for mission-driven companies to gain a greater financial perspective for their business, which is exactly where B Balanced CPA comes in. By continuously acquiring new clients, Danielle exemplifies her success in spreading her company’s mission throughout Philadelphia and further cements herself as a key player in helping these businesses achieve their goals. Despite only being in the second year of business, Danielle wants to continue to make long-term impacts for both the clients she serves, as well as the greater Philadelphia community. By empowering, educating, and supporting businesses in their endeavors, B Balanced CPA will establish itself as a customer-centric organization that is deeply invested in making long-term positive impacts on the people they serve.

Business benefit

The benefits of B Balanced CPA are multifaceted, reflecting a commitment to employee well-being, client satisfaction, community engagement, and environmental sustainability. At the heart of the company’s ethos is a dedication to supporting its employees’ growth and ensuring a healthy work-life balance. For example, Danielle states, "Certainly, I went ahead and paid for that for her to support her getting this (Certified Management Accounting Certificate) …So I really wanted to make sure she was supported in that way." By offering opportunities for continuing education, financial support for certification courses, access to free educational resources, and incentive bonuses, B Balanced CPA supports the values of SDG number 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth. Danielle not only enhances employees' skills but also fosters a sense of support where employees feel valued and motivated, cultivating a culture of excellence and professional development.

In serving a socially responsible clientele, this intentional alignment of values creates mutually beneficial relationships, contributing to positive social change and fostering a sense of purpose in the work. Moreover, the company’s emphasis on environmental sustainability is evident in its operations, with a focus on minimizing paper usage and exploring initiatives like carbon offsets to further reduce its environmental footprint. Looking to the future, Danielle is committed to upholding its values and mission through B Corp certification and a legal benefit corporation structure. Learning from the experiences of other socially responsible businesses, Danielle recognizes the importance of this proactive approach to ensure that the company’s impact continues to resonate positively with employees, clients, and the community for years to come.

Social and environmental benefit

B Balanced CPA is a platform for growth. Danielle and her company allow for companies, whether they are B Corps, or just share the same mindset, to achieve their fullest potential. While other accounting firms get the job done, which there is nothing wrong with, B Balanced CPA does so much more. Danielle seeks out companies that want to do good in the world and do her best to create a bridge between where they stand, and where they want to be.

One company she has worked with is an investment firm that only invests in green funds. B Balanced CPA is very intentional with who they work with, aiming to keep that collective mission intact. More companies that have used their services are advocacy entities that are trying to reshape how corporations are able to lobby, as well as a non-profit that provides loans to those who are not able to get one at a large bank. The former looks to create a system where less biased legislation is put into place, and the latter helps disadvantaged people escape poverty. Danielle claims “We are looking to team up with a non-profit to offer these services to underserved sustainably minded businesses,” and does a lot to back up that sentiment.

Interview

Danielle Reasoner, CEO