Kayla Goodsell

After working as an Office Manager for 2 years, our Corporate Operations Officer and store Manager offered to promote me to Finance Manager, as I had expressed desire to utilize my rapport building skills and enthusiasm to the customer frontlines.

As a Finance Manager in training, my first month was spent diligently learning the software, legal paperwork and rhetoric, sales tactics, and products during and after business hours.

I utilized my current knowledge of properly completed legal paperwork, accounting, and multitasking to begin selling product after that month.

After losing our head Finance Manager, with only one other new Finance Manager for the stores, I was challenged to pick up the slack as a trainee and excel at every deal presented to me. I balanced the new workload and customer base I was working with, as well as cleaning up past deals and providing excellent customer service to the previous Finance Manager's clients.

I thoroughly enjoyed giving customers a top tier experience with complete transparency. An evident challenge in rapport building was the preconceived idea of what Finance Mangers do, creating the challenge of building trust. I thrive in customer care and earning the trust of those I work with. Enthusiasm, honesty, and conviction are my greatest strengths, and I enjoyed bringing them to the table everyday with everyone I worked with.

When hired for this position, I had no previous accounting or office experience. I learned my job in four in person training days with the Regional Controller, as well as phone calls and emails when I needed assistance.

Through hours of studying, practice, and YouTube videos outside of work, I became more and more independent and earned more and more responsibilities. These included, but are not limited to:

• Handled sensitive information with discretion, maintaining confidentiality of company documents and personnel records.
• Maintained accurate financial records by reconciling accounts payable/receivable transactions regularly to ensure balanced budgets.
• Conducted regular inventory assessments of office supplies, ordering necessary items proactively to prevent stock shortages.
• Maintained positive customer relations by addressing problems head-on and implementing successful corrective actions.
• Maintained professional demeanor by staying calm when addressing unhappy or angry customers.
• Streamlined office operations by implementing efficient filing systems and organizational strategies.
• Assisted in the recruitment process, conducting interviews and onboarding new employees to promote a seamless integration into the team dynamic.
• Managed vendor relationships, negotiating contracts for cost savings while maintaining high-quality services.
• Supported department heads in accomplishing their goals through diligent administrative assistance such as report generation and data entry.
• Developed comprehensive policy manuals outlining procedures and guidelines, contributing to a well-organized workplace culture.
• Reduced costs with meticulous budget monitoring and expense tracking for essential supplies and equipment.
• Performed monthly payrolls and ensured accurate time card entries, as well as vacation time tracking and sick leave.

While stationed in Missouri at Fort Leonardwood with my husband (Army), I picked up a bartending job at my small town's local pub. A pub outside of a military base is not for the faint of heart, and I enjoyed the fast-paced atmosphere and high stress environment. When Covid finally hit my small town, I moved to the lunch hour by myself in order to keep my hours. Half of my customer base became daily regulars, and they enjoyed teasing me on the clacking of my Lucchese boots on the hardwood floor as I trotted from table to table, serving food, taking orders, and making drinks. As a spirits connoisseur, I routinely upsold my customer's orders to more savory and classic cocktails and spirits. I enjoy teaching people about topics I am interested in, and my enthusiasm and genuine care for their experience created many wonderful relationships and friends. I found this job to be surprisingly gratifying and fun and think back on it fondly. Besides the banter of active and retired military teasing me for my fast pace, my duties included:

• Served high customer volumes during special events, nights, and weekends.
• Managed cash handling duties responsibly, ensuring accurate accounting at the end of each shift.
• Efficiently opened or closed the bar according to established procedures, ensuring preparedness for each shift.
• Cultivated strong relationships with repeat customers, engaging in friendly conversation and memorizing drink orders to promote loyalty.
• Developed loyal clientele by consistently delivering outstanding service and engaging in friendly conversation.
• Maintained a clean and organized workspace, ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations.
• Kept bar presentable and well-stocked to meet customer needs.
• Regularly cleaned and sanitized bar area, beer lockers, refrigeration and storage areas.
• Upheld strict regulations for safe alcohol service and food safety.