After more than thirty years serving in the Air Force—twenty-five of them working in contracting to provide capabilities across all military services—Renee Richardson knew she still had more to give. But when she reached the senior executive service in Dayton, Ohio, she realized something important: she was ready for a change.
“I really didn’t like Dayton, Ohio,” Renee laughs. “So I said sayonara to the Air Force and moved to Florida.”
That move in December 2019 marked the beginning of her new chapter as a consultant and owner of RMR Consulting, helping facilitate the critical relationship between government and industry partners. But like many military veterans transitioning to business ownership, Renee quickly discovered that expertise in one area doesn’t automatically translate to expertise in another.
The challenges of going it alone
“The whole idea of should I be an LLC or an S corp? What are the ramifications of that?” Renee recalls. “And then all that paperwork that goes behind being a 1099 employee—I work with probably fifteen different companies every year.”
Her first attempt at finding local help was disastrous. Her initial CPA filed her income tax return, only to have the IRS come back demanding an additional $7,000. When Renee questioned it, the accountant’s advice was simple: “Just write the check.”
“It turns out he didn’t realize that part of my income was non-taxable—it was retirement from the military,” Renee explains. “At that point, I didn’t have a choice. I fired him.”
Two more local accountants followed, each with their own issues, until one who was doing well left the area. That’s when Renee made a decision that would change how she thought about business partnerships.
Finding the right fit— even from a distance
When Renee reached out to Annette at Silver Leaf, it wasn’t her first choice to work with someone virtually. But finding the right expertise in Florida’s panhandle had proven nearly impossible. More importantly, she knew Annette from their time working together in the military, and that trust made all the difference.
“I trusted her,” Renee says simply. “There was not the talent here (locally) that was able to responsibly handle the work that I had. In the end, it’s been amazing.”
What Renee wanted was straightforward: “I told her I need to “fire and forget”. I need somebody that I can say, ‘handle it,’ and they handle it.”
That’s exactly what she got. Every two weeks, Renee receives an email detailing what’s being taken out of her account for taxes. When Florida sent a notice about filing a report, the response was immediate: “Yep, we got that. We’ll take care of it.”
“The communication and the proactiveness—that’s what’s really impressed me,” Renee notes.
The real value: Peace of mind
For Renee, having Silver Leaf handle her finances isn’t about freeing up time—it’s about having the right expertise where she needs it.
“I’m good at contracting. I’m good at what I do — consulting,” she explains. “But I don’t have the background to be able to do what Annette and her team do. She’s there taking care of me, protecting me when it comes to the IRS and the things that can get you in trouble in a consulting business when you don’t have an accounting background.”
Advice for transitioning veterans
For military veterans considering the leap to business ownership, Renee’s advice is clear: get professional help early.
“I think everybody should have a professional team like Annette’s in their back pocket,” she emphasizes. “Unless you’re in accounting and finance coming out of the military, you just don’t have the skills and you don’t know what you don’t know.”
“You’re running your small business to make money and do what you love, not to give yourself headaches,” she says. “The tax code and the changes this year? Holy moly. I don’t have the time or the desire to look into all these changes. But I have confidence that Silver Leaf and Annette and her team are reading up on that because that’s their job.”
She also stresses the importance of maintaining a strong network. “Keep your Rolodex—or for you young kids, your phone book—updated. Reach out to your colleagues.”
On working virtually
When asked about any drawbacks to working with Silver Leaf virtually versus having a local accountant, Renee is philosophical about it.
“Part of me would really like to go give Annette a hug and see the people and shake their hands and say thank you in person,” she admits. “I think you do lose a little bit of that human part. But from a business perspective and from a pragmatic perspective—if the best person to do whatever you need lives in Alaska and you’re in Florida, do you shy away from that? Or do you want to have the guy next door that’s going to tell you to just write a seven thousand dollar check that you don’t owe the IRS?”
Her conclusion is straightforward: “You want the best person to do something like this, in my opinion. Business is business.”
For Renee Richardson, that meant finding someone she trusted who had the expertise she needed, regardless of geography. The result? She’s able to focus on what she does best—consulting with the companies that need her decades of contracting experience—while having complete confidence that the business side is handled professionally and proactively
“Just knowing that she’s got it handled with respect to the paperwork I need to do and following the rules and the laws—so at the end of the year, I don’t wind up with a twenty-five thousand dollar tax bill that I didn’t expect—that’s given me huge peace of mind,” Renee concludes.
And for a business owner who’s finally living the retirement she spent thirty years working toward, peace of mind is everything.
Padgett’s Support
If you’re looking for more than just seasonal support—someone who understands your business and can help you make confident, informed decisions all year long—the Padgett network is here for you. From tax and payroll to accounting and strategic advisory, our offices are ready to be the partner you can rely on every step of the way.