Suzanne Feucht: helping entrepreneurs get their books squared away

Sign up for Suzanne’s Next Counseling Session Here!

Though bitter medicine, all business owners need to keep good books. Without good financial records, it is impossible to effectively make purchasing decisions, mitigate shortfalls, and ultimately grow and thrive. Few are as intimate with these truths as Suzanne Feucht, Accounting Consultant and volunteer at Mercy Corps Northwest (MCNW).

Once a month, Suzanne spends a whole day in the office donating 1-on-1 consulting services to entrepreneurs at MCNW.  Clients are told to bring their laptops in and roll up their sleeves for a full hour of undivided attention from an expert.

Suzanne brings decades of experience working with companies of all sizes, but these days focuses on the little guy. She tells us, “This is so rewarding. After I do a day here, and how many people I help, I go home pretty darn happy.”

Suzanne isn’t the only one that goes home happy. Annie and Carlee of Fat Fancy Fashions, a plus-sized modern clothing boutique, sent her a letter immediately following their session, “ We never could have afforded this type of counseling and desperately needed the knowledge. We now feel educated and empowered.”

Costly education and counseling is often out of reach for struggling entrepreneurs. This is especially unfortunate given that these are the people who could benefit most from a strong foundation in business accounting knowledge.

Suzanne doesn’t just do this for a living, she is deeply invested in the success of the business owners she works with. “I like small business owners because they are going to grow into big business owners.” she shares, “They’re going to make money, pay taxes into our society, and hire people.”

Teaching isn’t an easy job, however. Many of the entrepreneurs Suzanne works with have little or no education in accounting and face a steep learning curve. Many times her first lesson is how to retain and organize records in the first place.

“I try to get to the point until they say ‘Aha’,” Suzanne says, “I try not to leave people in the lurch, nodding their heads as if they get it, because I know when they don’t get it.”

As a volunteer counselor at MCNW, Suzanne becomes part of a larger effort to kickstart small business growth in the Pacific Northwest.

“There is such a need for this, and I’m sure many empty storefronts across the U.S. There is very high unemployment in my own home-state,” she tells us, “I think [the service MCNW provides] works so well in the Portland area. I’d like to see this across the United States.”

Learn more about Suzanne on her website.

Sign up for Suzanne’s Next Counseling Session Here!

Volunteer Profiles

photo courtesy of Alan Borrud Photography

Tom Howe

By Anneliese Koehler

The success of Mercy Corps Northwest’s programs and services would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of volunteers like Tom Howe, a business seminar presenter. Howe is a local practicing business attorney as well as the owner of a web services company, Control Center. He has written four books and speaks at legal conferences throughout North America and technology conferences around the world. Currently, he delivers his seminars at Mercy Corps Northwest and at SCORE. His commitment to helping small businesses succeed has made him a valuable asset to our team and highly sought after teacher amongst our clients.

Call to Action
Tom Howe is a lifelong volunteer, and has given time to such organizations as Big Brothers, Big Sisters and The Yellow Brick Road. He just wrapped up 20 years of volunteering with SnowCap Community Charities. He states that service is a family value, and that his family strives to include volunteering into their vacations.

“We’ll see somewhere we can help and provide assistance. We’ll roll up our sleeves and get involved in various projects. In Zimbabwe, we paid for a new well that served a community so that people did not have to walk to the next town to get water.” Tom continues, “So we’ve done different things over the years. My son and I flew down to Katrina and helped with medical teams there.”

Howe got started with Mercy Corps as a mentor with MicroMentor, an online matching service for entrepreneurs and business mentors. Tom heard President Obama’s call to service, and felt inspired to do even more.

“He made a big deal out of needing to get involved, needing to volunteer. That really struck me and spoke to me,” Howe recounted. “I thought - I really need to step up.”

After attending one of Mercy Corps Northwest’s business seminars, Howe found his niche. An internationally and nationally recognized presenter, Howe knew he could make a difference locally through teaching business seminars.

Importance of Small Businesses
Much of Howe’s motivation stems from his firm belief in the key role small businesses play in the local economy.

“I think it’s really important that small businesses do well,” he commented. “If we can make small businesses more profitable and grow, we are all going to benefit from that.”

With his strong background in business law and social media marketing tools, Howe’s seminars offer valuable insight for small business owners. Howe states that he wants to help business owners grow their business, communicate better, and understand the legal risks associated with doing business. He hopes to give local business leaders the chance to create sustainable and successful companies, and in turn stimulate the local economy and improve our overall community.

On volunteering at Mercy Corps Northwest, Tom states “it’s a dream machine. You walk in, the doors open, you set up, and you present.” He likes that “handouts are ready and logistics are handled very well because that is my biggest hassle if I speak at a place. And since everything is set up, I just walk in and present.”

Local Connection
Howe loves that he can help out locally. Having spent much of his time in constant travel, Tom enjoys the ability to set roots down in Oregon. Being able to stay local and make an impact where Tom lives has been a highlight in his life. 

Tom lets us know, “I always get more than I give.”

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Bill Horton

Bill began BizFix inspired by his dedication for helping the small business owner.  Moving from a career in corporate Sales Training to owning a successful Italian market for over 12 years, Bill realized his true passion while offering business advice to neighboring retailers and consultations with clients ready to start their own ventures.  These were the conversations that drove him to sell his shop and start BizFix.

Bill runs BizFix with the firm belief that every business owner has the opportunity to improve their process.  To grow their capacity.  To reignite the passion that drove them to start their business in the first place, and using it to improve their bottom-line and ultimately their lives.

Bill is ever honing his craft while helping as many business owners as he can. He develops curriculum and teaches at Mercy Corps NW, preparing entrepreneurs to operate their own businesses. He provides advising and training for Portland Ten, a company that runs and licenses capacity-building business programs, and he volunteers with community outreach programs at the University of Portland’s Center of Entrepreneurship.