Dennis Geelen

Coaching and mentoring to help you start and scale your one-person business.

Founder

Zero In

The mission of Zero In is to help as many businesses and leaders build a brand customers love and a company people are passionate to work for.  

So where do you need to focus (or Zero In)?
Solve the problem of INDIFFERENCE!

Indifferent customers have no compelling reason to purchase your product or service rather than your competitors' product or service. 

Indifferent employees are complacent because they are not passionate about coming to work each day.

Utilize the resources, books, and courses from Zero In to increase your customer retention, improve your customer experience, and build a passionate culture of innovation giving your team the ability to find new and better ways to serve your customers.

"Customers DO NOT buy your product or service, they buy what it can DO FOR THEM"
Customer-centricity means knowing your customers and giving them what they crave.  This helps you to build trust and loyalty, but also a solid reputation.  Loyal customers become fans of your brand and refer other customers to you.

"If you don't find new and better ways to serve your customers, SOMEONE ELSE WILL!"
Being Innovative brings new ideas, which is crucial to a business being able to find new and better ways to add value for your customers.  With innovation comes creative new products and services, increases in efficiency and, as a result, improved profitability.

BE THE BRAND CUSTOMERS LOVE AND THE COMPANY PEOPLE ARE PASSIONATE TO WORK FOR

Founder and Chief Difference Maker

The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group

About the Commonwell
We are committed to profitable growth, team development, ingenuity, while having fun at work.  We offer a complete range of insurance products including residential, automobile, commercial, farm and watercraft. We encourage a work-life balance and we are serious about what we do!

About my Role
As Manager of the PMO, I lead a group project managers and business analysts to implement the project management office from the ground up.

About the PMO
Projects at the Commonwell are measured against timelines, budget, delivery of scope, but most importantly the realization of the intended benefits of each project.  Over 85% of projects at the Commonwell were consistantly green throughout 2018.

Manager, Project and Portfolio Management Office

As Manager of Application Services, I am responsible for planning, coordinating and managing the activities of the Application Services team within the Information Systems (IS) Department. This includes leadership and development of the IS team members, as well as providing direction and support for IS solutions to meet the present and future needs of the organization.

Manager of Application Services

Kawartha Lakes Food Source

Kawartha Lakes Food Source is a community effort to reduce hunger in the City of Kawartha Lakes by:

1. Maintaining a central warehouse to supply food to organizations that provide food to individuals in need,
2. Raising public awareness, and
3. Working in concert with other local not-for-profit organizations.

Board Of Directors

Operitel Corporation (An OpenText Company) 

ABout OpenText
OpenText, The Information Company™, a market leader in Enterprise Information Management software and solutions, enables intelligent and connected enterprises by managing, leveraging, securing and gaining insight into enterprise information, on-premises or in the cloud. 

About my Role
Directed a team of PS and R&D resources to develop and implement the LearnFlex LMS platform for over 40 clients.

Director of R&D and Professional Services

TELUS

Manager - Payment Solutions Development and Support

Emergis - A Telus Company

Manager

Emergis Inc

Business Coach | Keynote Speaker | Author of The Happy Accidents newsletter and The Accidental Solopreneur book

What I Do
I help teams, organizations, and solopreneurs flourish by focusing on what really matters: people.

As a speaker, author, and consultant, I equip audiences with practical, human-centered strategies to thrive in uncertain times, build meaningful businesses, and create lasting impact.

Who I Work With
• Event organizers seeking keynote speakers on serendipity, growth, and personal transformation
• Businesses and nonprofits looking to create stronger cultures, customer experiences, and leadership teams
• Solopreneurs who want to design businesses that give them both income and freedom


What I’ve Created
• Author of The Zero In Formula and The Accidental Solopreneur (bestseller)
• Creator of top-rated online courses for solopreneurs and authors
• Host of the Happy Accidents podcast and newsletter
• Keynote talks including 'The Power of Serendipity', 'Start Before You’re Ready', and 'Rooted in Humans'


Want to Work Together?
Let’s talk if you’re looking for:
✅ A keynote speaker for your next event
✅ A workshop or webinar for your team
✅ A course to help you grow as a solopreneur or author


DM me if you’d like to connect about speaking, workshops, or collaborations.

Accquip

What risks would you to take to ensure your agency survives? 🤔

If you could predict the exact date your business would run out of cash, would you be willing to take those risks?

Too many digital agencies play it safe and unwittingly contribute to their business’ stagnating decline 😖

The culprit?

👉A lack of financial clarity and foresight👈

💸What are your gross margins vs what should they be?
💸How many days until you go bankrupt?
💸Which projects were wildly profitable and which ones tanked?
💸What is the #1 priority in your business right now?
💸When should you hire your next employee?
💸How much should you budget for sales & marketing?

☝️These are questions that give you clarity to keep you from stagnating.

They are also the types of questions we answer with you on a weekly and monthly basis.

If you're sick of the complete lack of responsiveness from your current accountant, it’s time to switch.

We work with software dev agencies, design agencies, marketing agencies, and other digital agencies who have reached $500k+ in annual revenues. 

Bootstrapping requires a responsive finance partner with experience in this space, as your cashflow situation is likely to change on a weekly basis.

Working with Accquip, you'll know the exact date your business will run out of cash 📅

We'll work together weekly to strategize the actions you need to take to ensure you stay properly capitalized and running for the foreseeable future.

We'll also work on retrospectively analyzing project profitability so you know which clients and projects to pursue in the future (and which to avoid at all costs).

We're a full-service shop, so we take care of the BORING but important financial aspects in your software business:

👉Payroll & payroll tax compliance
👉Accounting & bookkeeping
👉Client billings
👉Budgeting

DM me to learn more.

The DevLaunch Podcast

Podcast Host

Tax-Minded

Tax-Minded is an exclusive community of finance professionals committed to advancing the practice of tax. 

Here, tax pros become tax bros, sharing knowledge, offering mutual support, and growing together. All the positives of public accounting without the burnout and office drama

Whether you're seeking expertise or camaraderie, you'll find a space that feels like a team of co-workers and friends, all focused on helping you excel in your career.

Versique Search & Consulting

Director Of Accounting

Salo

Finance Consultant

C.H. Robinson

-Led a team of four corporate accountants and managed the global intercompany network of over 30 accountants worldwide.
-Developed and implemented a standard intercompany accounting process, including the creation of video learning content to educate users on how to reconcile intercompany, the institution of a standard 
monthly calendar cycle and monthly newsletter, and the establishment of global KPIs
-Spearheaded the development of a comprehensive global intercompany policy, gathering industry best-practices through continuing education courses and interviews with finance professionals from other 
organizations, organizing a cross-functional committee of key stakeholders within C.H. Robinson’s finance functions, and publishing the policy on time
-Administered global account reconciliation SOX program (utilizing BlackLine), conducting periodic training events for end users, establishing alternative review procedures for auto-reconciled balances, and leading a team to provide general support services for end users
-Facilitated the global implementation of the Oracle Account Reconciliation Cloud Service (ARCS) tool, developing standard corporate training materials, conducting both train-the-trainer and end user trainings, coordinating project timelines and communications, and determining the policies that inform 
the technical setup of the ARCS environment
-Performed monthly close processes surrounding ASC 606 revenue recognition

Corporate Accounting Manager

Salo LLC

Salo, LLC is the leader in driving business outcomes by leveraging talent in finance, accounting and human resources; as well as finance and accounting search services. Our award-winning firm is among the fastest-growing contract staffing companies in the country with offices in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Chicago.

To learn more about the Compass Program, please visit: http://salollc.com/finance-job-placement/compass-program/

Compass Program Member

Grant Thornton LLP

Audit Senior Associate

Wilson Aesthetics, LLC

For my part as Co-Owner, I took an active role in reviewing accounting records for completeness & accuracy, aided in the preparation of taxes, developed the pricing of photography packages, and established the company budget.

Co-Owner

Accounting Intern

Fractional CFO & Business Coach to AMBITIOUS software dev agency owners | Build your dream business without selling your soul to VCs | I offer a course for beginners to learn DIY bookkeeping | 😎 Girl dad

Digital agencies are brutal 😩




What other business deals with as many feast & famine cycles?

🙅‍♂️None🙅‍♂️

It is an easy model to start…
…but requires balls of steel to endure.


Here are THREE questions to ponder:

1️⃣ Does my accountant know how to keep me in the game?

2️⃣ Are they giving me the advice I need to grow without dying of revenue indigestion?

3️⃣ Have they helped me plan my exit?



Be real with yourself.

If you answered “no” to all three…
you’re playing with fire. 🔥 

Agency work is tough as it is.

Get the right advisor in your corner.


There is a light at the end of this tunnel.

It’s up to you whether it’s
blue sunny skies ☀️ 
or a train 🚂 

taplio

The Battle

Dennis Geelen

Tony Wilson, CPA, CMA

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