Michele Hand

Michele provides a range of services for diverse clients, including financial management, user support, and training. In addition to her work with clients, she is very active in our community–Michele is a Community All Star and an Accountant Community All Star. She is one of the all time leaders in questions answered and consistently ranks near the top of the charts in points. (Points are based on a combination of the number of posts and how they are rated by the community.) Michele began consulting in 2006.

Support services

Michele supports a wide range of clients and provides a variety of services that include financial management, user support and project development for small business clients and businesses in transition. Her clients vary from entrepreneurs to a county water district.

Training services

Michele is in her second year teaching QuickBooks through an adult education public school program at the Dickinson Lifelong Learning Center in Missoula, Montana. She began teaching The Basics of QuickBooks Pro and has expanded her classes to include payroll, inventory, and year-end preparation offerings.

Her students are both small business owners and employees and job seekers who want to enhance their skills. Her classes are filled with real-world examples that address common challenges in a variety of businesses, including consultants, retail, and manufacturing.

She teaches in two laboratories with 12 machines controlled from an instructor's console. Because of the setup, all work is hands on and done together by everyone taking the class.

In the Montana mountains

Over 30 years ago, Michele moved to Montana from California for the snowy climate because she owned a sled dog team. She is still in Montana, but gave up the sled dogs for motorcycles. She commutes on the bike as often as the weather permits. She served six years as the Governor's appointee on the board that oversees rider safety education for the state.

Past experiences

Michele worked for an international corporation that processes raw materials, for a high tech equipment manufacturer, for a property management and construction firm, and for a high-end architectural design firm specializing in lodges and ranch developments. All these experiences prepared her to work with today's entrepreneurs who combine technology with good management techniques to gain an edge over their competition.

Biggest challenge... and the solution

Staying current on market trends and business rules is a challenge, since Michele works with a variety of businesses and professionals. For example, photographers and artists have unique issues such as copyrights. Physicians and other professional service providers have licensing and regulatory agencies requirements. Tourism professionals have seasonal highs and lows. Supporting retail and restaurants requires another set of skills and relies heavily on payroll and employment issues.

Michele signed up with every â€œe-newsletterâ€ offered by the IRS and the Social Security Administration to help keep current with federal regulations. She has also created a network of qualified professionals that are her resources. Just as her clients look to her for solutions, Michele actively maintains contacts with a CPA, the local Job Service-Workforce, an insurance agent, and others.

Because Michele works independently, her schedule is flexible. This flexibility allows her to meet and network with folks on a moment's notice and on an as-needed basis.

Practice Snapshot: Michele Hand

Founder: Michele Hand
Business Name: Secondhand Consulting
On the Web: Find her classes at the Dickinson Lifelong Learning Center at http://www.thelifelonglearningcenter.com.
Clientele: Wide variety of small business
Services: QuickBooks, payroll, inventory and year-end preparation consulting and training