Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Slavin.
Hi Jill, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My path to where I am today has been anything but a straight line. I have a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA, and I spent years working in the corporate world. That experience gave me a strong foundation, but building a business of my own has become a much more personal chapter of my life.
In May 2025, I lost my husband, Wil. Losing him changed so much—my everyday life, the future I thought we would have, and how I looked at what mattered to me. There were also practical decisions that couldn’t wait while I was grieving. Selling houses, moving, and figuring out what life would look like on my own were all part of that transition. It was a lot to navigate at once.
Leaving my corporate job and starting Bookkeeping Rephreshed became part of moving forward. Accounting was something I knew and could build on during a time when so much else felt unfamiliar. I wanted to create something that could support me financially while giving me more control over my time and my future.
With Bookkeeping Rephreshed, I get to work directly with business owners and organizations that need someone they can count on. Sometimes that means catching up months of bookkeeping or sorting through accounts that haven’t been reconciled. Other times, it means keeping things running each month and helping a client understand their financial reports. I enjoy getting to know the people behind the numbers and becoming someone they feel comfortable coming to with questions.
The business has grown through relationships and referrals. Today, I work with small businesses, law firms, and nonprofit organizations, and I’m beginning to build a team. That’s been a big step for me—learning how to grow beyond what I can do myself while still giving clients the attention that helped me build the business.
Alongside bookkeeping, I also run Closet_Rephresh, my clothing resale business. It gives me a different outlet, combining my interest in fashion with the business side of sourcing, pricing, and selling. Recently, I reached $100,000 in sales on Poshmark. Knowing how much work went into that milestone made it especially meaningful.
I don’t want to make starting over sound easier than it is. There have been days when I’ve felt overwhelmed, and I’m still learning how to balance grief, work, and a personal life. A growing business doesn’t take away the loss, but it has given me something of my own to work toward.
I’m proud that I’ve kept going and that I’m building a life I can support and feel excited about. I wish Wil were here to see it and to share those moments with me. There’s still a lot I want to do, but I’ve come a long way.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Losing Wil has been the hardest part. Grief doesn’t stop because you have work to do or decisions to make. I was navigating selling houses, moving, and figuring out my future while also trying to process losing the person I thought I’d be sharing it with.
Leaving the corporate world brought another kind of uncertainty. Having an accounting background gave me the skills to do the work, but running a business meant learning how to find clients, price my services, set boundaries, and manage everything behind the scenes. There’s a lot of responsibility when you’re the person doing the work and making all the decisions.
One of my biggest challenges has been balancing growth with what I can realistically handle. I care about my clients and want to help, so it can be easy to take on too much. I’m learning to be more thoughtful about my commitments, charge appropriately for my time, and bring in support as the business grows.
There’s also the emotional side of starting over. I can be proud of a milestone and still wish Wil were here to share it. Both feelings can exist at the same time. I’m still learning as I go, but I’ve become more confident in my ability to support myself, make difficult decisions, and keep moving forward—even when I don’t have everything figured out.
As you know, we’re big fans of Bookkeeping Rephreshed . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Bookkeeping Rephreshed provides hands-on bookkeeping support for small businesses, law firms, and nonprofit organizations. I help with everything from catching up and cleaning up books to bank reconciliations, invoicing, accounts payable, payroll support, and monthly financial reporting. I also help clients organize their accounting processes and transition between QuickBooks systems.
I especially enjoy working through books that need some attention—figuring out what happened, correcting issues, and putting a process in place that makes things easier going forward. My work with law firms includes legal billing and escrow accounting, while my nonprofit work includes tracking funds and preparing reports that help leadership and boards understand their finances.
What sets me apart is how involved I become in understanding each client’s business. I want to know how things operate, where the frustrations are, and what information they need. Bookkeeping touches so many parts of an organization, and I’m comfortable asking questions and digging into details to get things right.
I bring a bachelor’s degree in accounting, an MBA, and corporate accounting experience, along with the perspective of being a business owner myself. I understand that owners are juggling a lot, and their bookkeeping often gets pushed aside. My goal is to make that part of their business more manageable and give them financial information they can actually use.
I’m most proud of the trust I’ve built with my clients and the relationships that have helped the business grow. Being referred to another business owner means a lot to me. I’m also beginning to build a team so I can continue growing while keeping that personal attention.
I want readers to know they don’t need to have everything organized before reaching out. Whether they’re behind, growing, changing systems, or simply tired of handling the books themselves, that’s where I can help. There’s no judgment about how they got there—we start with where things stand and work through it together.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My biggest advice is to start with what you know and give yourself room to learn the rest. My accounting background prepared me to do the work, but owning a business meant learning how to price my services, find the right clients, set boundaries, and ask for help.
I wish I had understood earlier how important it is to value your time. When you’re starting out, it’s easy to say yes to everything because you’re grateful for the opportunity and want to prove yourself. But every commitment takes time and energy, and you need to leave enough room to run your own business, too. Be clear about your services, your rates, and what clients can expect from you.
Relationships have also been a big part of my growth. Do good work, follow through, and stay connected with people. A referral from someone who trusts you can open doors you couldn’t have planned for.
And pay attention to your own books! I help other business owners with this every day, but it matters just as much in my own business. Knowing what you’re earning, spending, and actually keeping helps you make better decisions.
You don’t have to have every detail figured out before you begin. I started building during a very difficult chapter of my life, and there are still things I’m learning. Confidence has come from doing the work, making adjustments, and seeing that I can handle more than I once thought.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bookkeepingrephreshed.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586340926717
