In 2009, I followed my dream and started a bookkeeping firm called King Business Solutions Inc., it has grown to more than just bookkeeping and now includes a Human Resources division. My love for numbers and order started long before 2009, when I was very young, working with my mom to complete the GST returns for my Dad’s custom cabinet business. After completing my administration diploma at Grant MacEwan, I started working at a small CA firm in Edmonton. Receiving on-the-job training and completing evening courses at NAIT allowed me to complete all the pre-requisites for the CA program. Under my mentor’s supervision, I was able to do everything from personal income taxes, corporate income taxes and audits.
But my love was still with the bookkeeping side and helping clients during the year, and decided to go out on my own to do just that. I have completed my bookkeeping certification and now I am a Certified Professional Bookkeeper (CPB). In 2020 I decided to get my Payroll Compliance Practioner (PCP), completing all the requirements over the next 9 months and received this designation in 2021.
My team and I work with clients to ensure that their bookkeeping is up to date and all government deadlines are met so that no unnecessary interest or penalties are incurred. To help our clients grow their business, we also work with their other advisors; accountants, financial advisors and lawyers. I am very proud of the growth of King Business Solutions over the past years.
With a team of 7 bookkeepers, we rely on our checklists and workflow to ensure that all our work is completed effectively, efficiently and on-time. In November 2022 I became a partner with Stephanie Enders in KBS Accounting, now servicing clients with their income taxes and financial statements needs and specializing in Agriculture clients.
Involved in the local community is a passion and I currently sit on our local Downtown Business Association board as Vise-Treasurer. During COVID this board has advocated for the businesses and individuals in our downtown and we have grown and learned so much over the year.
When I am not working I love to travel, so you may get an email from me while I am on holiday – which could be with family in Holland, or in Arizona, playing golf.
Education/Professional Designations
CPB with CPB Canada
PCP (Payroll Compliance Practitioner) with National Payroll institute (NPI)
Accounting Diploma from NAIT
Administrative Certificate from Grant MacEwan
Specialized expertise relevant to the role of the CPB Canada Director
Currently, I sit as Vice-Treasurer for our local Downtown Business Association, where I have been an active board member for two terms. During my time as a board member of this association, we have completed board training as we are moving the board function from an Operational board to a Management board. The training we have done in the last year for moving the board into a different role in the organization will continue to help me as a director for the CPB Canada Board as I will have seen both types of boards.
Outline competencies that you feel will make you a strong member of the CPB Canada Board of Directors.
I am understanding of client requests and staff requests, and being aware that not everyone communicates the same and that we, as Bookkeepers need to read between the lines sometimes to get the information from our clients and staff to make them the most effective and make us the most effective to our clients.
I am adaptable to different client needs, I have built my business on the ability to move with the client's growth, which may mean, we take on more work, we may work with a business to train their internal person and there for backup. This ability to adapt will be useful on any board and committee I might sit on. Technical Knowledge in bookkeeping and accounting and 23 years of experience in Accounting (9) and Bookkeeping (14) firms will always help on a board that is all about bookkeepers.
Being passionate is critical to the vibrancy of the Board of Directors. Can you tell us a bit about what makes you passionate about CPB Canada?
Over the 14 years that I have owned my own business and built a bookkeeping firm that services 150 clients with 7 bookkeepers I have seen a lot of bad bookkeeping, some of that done by bookkeepers that are not certified and some done by the family of the business owner. This bad bookkeeping is what I built my business on as one business comes to us and we help them understand their books and grow and they tell 5 of their friends that are in the same situation. This is not how I want to continue to grow my business, I want to see that all bookkeepers need to be certified in Canada, I want to see that in order to file a GST return in Canada you need to be certified to do so. This has been done in Australia and my goal before the end of my career is to have Canada doing this or at least on the way. I believe that CPB Canada will have a voice to make this happen in Canada and I am so excited to be a part of a board that is making our industry better than it has ever been.
What are the values, attributes, and motivations you possess that will benefit CPB Canada and its Board of Directors?
Hard work, dedication, pride of the work I put my name to. This means I do things to my full capabilities and take pride in things that I put my name to. I really want to see CPB continue to grow and have more of a voice in Canada to make the bookkeeping industry better and better.
Melissa Lenos, CPB, PCP, Chair
In 2009, I followed my dream and started a bookkeeping firm called King Business Solutions Inc., it has grown to more than just bookkeeping and now includes a Human Resources division. My love for numbers and order started long before 2009, when I was very young, working with my mom to complete the GST returns for my Dad’s custom cabinet business. After completing my administration diploma at Grant MacEwan, I started working at a small CA firm in Edmonton. Receiving on-the-job training and completing evening courses at NAIT allowed me to complete all the pre-requisites for the CA program. Under my mentor’s supervision, I was able to do everything from personal income taxes, corporate income taxes and audits.
But my love was still with the bookkeeping side and helping clients during the year, and decided to go out on my own to do just that. I have completed my bookkeeping certification and now I am a Certified Professional Bookkeeper (CPB). In 2020 I decided to get my Payroll Compliance Practioner (PCP), completing all the requirements over the next 9 months and received this designation in 2021.
My team and I work with clients to ensure that their bookkeeping is up to date and all government deadlines are met so that no unnecessary interest or penalties are incurred. To help our clients grow their business, we also work with their other advisors; accountants, financial advisors and lawyers. I am very proud of the growth of King Business Solutions over the past years.
With a team of 7 bookkeepers, we rely on our checklists and workflow to ensure that all our work is completed effectively, efficiently and on-time. In November 2022 I became a partner with Stephanie Enders in KBS Accounting, now servicing clients with their income taxes and financial statements needs and specializing in Agriculture clients.
Involved in the local community is a passion and I currently sit on our local Downtown Business Association board as Vise-Treasurer. During COVID this board has advocated for the businesses and individuals in our downtown and we have grown and learned so much over the year.
When I am not working I love to travel, so you may get an email from me while I am on holiday – which could be with family in Holland, or in Arizona, playing golf.
Education/Professional Designations
CPB with CPB Canada
Specialized expertise relevant to the role of the CPB Canada Director
Currently, I sit as Vice-Treasurer for our local Downtown Business Association, where I have been an active board member for two terms. During my time as a board member of this association, we have completed board training as we are moving the board function from an Operational board to a Management board. The training we have done in the last year for moving the board into a different role in the organization will continue to help me as a director for the CPB Canada Board as I will have seen both types of boards.
Outline competencies that you feel will make you a strong member of the CPB Canada Board of Directors.
I am understanding of client requests and staff requests, and being aware that not everyone communicates the same and that we, as Bookkeepers need to read between the lines sometimes to get the information from our clients and staff to make them the most effective and make us the most effective to our clients.
I am adaptable to different client needs, I have built my business on the ability to move with the client's growth, which may mean, we take on more work, we may work with a business to train their internal person and there for backup. This ability to adapt will be useful on any board and committee I might sit on. Technical Knowledge in bookkeeping and accounting and 23 years of experience in Accounting (9) and Bookkeeping (14) firms will always help on a board that is all about bookkeepers.
Being passionate is critical to the vibrancy of the Board of Directors. Can you tell us a bit about what makes you passionate about CPB Canada?
Over the 14 years that I have owned my own business and built a bookkeeping firm that services 150 clients with 7 bookkeepers I have seen a lot of bad bookkeeping, some of that done by bookkeepers that are not certified and some done by the family of the business owner. This bad bookkeeping is what I built my business on as one business comes to us and we help them understand their books and grow and they tell 5 of their friends that are in the same situation. This is not how I want to continue to grow my business, I want to see that all bookkeepers need to be certified in Canada, I want to see that in order to file a GST return in Canada you need to be certified to do so. This has been done in Australia and my goal before the end of my career is to have Canada doing this or at least on the way. I believe that CPB Canada will have a voice to make this happen in Canada and I am so excited to be a part of a board that is making our industry better than it has ever been.
What are the values, attributes, and motivations you possess that will benefit CPB Canada and its Board of Directors?
Hard work, dedication, pride of the work I put my name to. This means I do things to my full capabilities and take pride in things that I put my name to. I really want to see CPB continue to grow and have more of a voice in Canada to make the bookkeeping industry better and better.