Before Teresa Silva decided to “take the plunge” to gain her CPA accreditation, she was working in accounting services for more than 20 years with experience in a variety of roles, including costing, accounts receivable, credit management, collections and tax preparation. While maintaining her usual workload, Teresa was also helping her friends and family fill out and file their yearly tax returns, when finally her husband Mark said, “You know people get paid to do that, right?”
Simple Sums Accounting PLLC opened its doors in mid-2016 as a very part-time operation to “test the waters,” said Teresa’s stepson Grant Silva, general manager of the business. In 2018, after obtaining her CPA, Teresa relicensed her business as a PLLC, opened the doors full time and hired Grant, who has been working in the customer service industry for more than 15 years, to help her manage and grow the business.
“In 2019, Simple Sums Accounting PLLC doubled our size and finally hired an amazing bookkeeper, Brianna Kelly, who has become an integral part of the team,” Grant said. “We have seen tremendous growth over the few years we have been servicing the area and plan to keep growing and adding employees.”
Simple Sums Accounting, located in Vancouver, is a tax and bookkeeping business that focuses on providing the backbone support to small-business owners either starting up their operations or in mid-stream and trying to figure out how to manage their day-to-day bookkeeping and tax needs. Grant said they also provide individuals struggling with tax issues a refuge of someone knowledgeable to help navigate through the tax rules and regulations to find results without fear.
Teresa made the decision to start her business in Clark County because the area is their home and they have many roots here. Although Teresa is a transplants to Clark County, her husband Mark has lived here for more than 25 years, and both Grant and Brianna grew up in the area.
“We have seen Clark County change around us and know that there is a huge potential for growth in this area,” Grant said.
As the business name implies, Grant said they strive to keep things simple and they always work to simplify their clients’ lives.
“Our mantra is, ‘Focus on what you do best, and we will take care of the rest,’” Grant said. “This applies to both individuals filing their tax returns and individuals starting a business. You should focus on building your business and keeping your life running. Dealing with federal and state agencies is not something that is easy and can be very time consuming, but it is something that we have focused at becoming very good at.”
Grant said that something the sets Simple Sums Accounting apart is that they are “client-centric” with a laser focus on working-class individuals and small businesses. He said they pride themselves on open and clear client communication, with a dedication to helping them to understand the “whys” and answering their questions as they come up, without judgment.
“We’ve dedicated ourselves to providing a tailored understanding of tax and accounting knowledge to individuals and businesses of a broad spectrum,” Grant said. “It is our top priority to keep working-class people working.”
Simple Sums Accounting PLLC is located at 10000 NE 7th Ave., Suite 403, in Vancouver.
