Down-to-earth Mama Makes Bookkeeping a Piece of Cake
Wannetta Hamrell – Calgary Bookkeeping Inc Etc
Meet Wannetta Hamrell. She’s a powerhouse of a woman who is extremely humble and very down-to-earth…where the yin meets yang, so to speak. Immediately one thing you’ll notice about her is her self-deprecating sense of humour and her way with words, the mark of a great communicator. She’s creative and funny, yet focused and grateful to be where she is today – owner and visionary of Calgary Bookkeeping Etc Inc
The business mission of Calgary Bookkeeping Inc. Etc. is to: “End mediocrity by providing business excellence through administrative services specific to entrepreneurs and small business owners.”
However, Wannetta’s personal mission which she is realizing through her business vision is: "To provide a platform for mothers and fathers to be with their children while continuing to reach their own personal and financial goals. This will result in a superior quality of life for families and thus all of our futures.”
Wannetta’s schooling left much to be desired and she found herself bored with the curriculum. She was always focused on learning, seeing and being so much more in life and some of the best education came from her own life experiences. Even back in the mid-1980s, Wannetta knew that she wanted to run a business, after hooking up with two different business owners in Toronto, Ontario, who shared a great deal of knowledge with her.
“Business owners and their successes, struggles, strategies and thought processes have always intrigued me,” said Wannetta who, during her 5 years working with Overwaitea Foods, had learned much about the entrepreneur Jimmy Pattison and his business ventures.
But it was not until 1996, after the birth of her first daughter propelled her into pursuing her dreams, that she began the journey that she had only thought about a decade prior.
“It is amazing the impact that my child had on me and continues to have on me,” she said.
Today, as the mother of two girls, ages 10 and 7, there’s never really a typical day in Wannetta’s life. She recounted the daily task list for good measure, which begins with geting up with the girls at 7:00 a.m. and getting ready in 8 minutes flat!
“I do the supervising and checking what is put in the lunch bags…Gotta make sure it is healthy, you know…Just call me ‘Inspector Mom’…Or is that ‘Drill Sergeant’? ‘Have you got your lunch, your agenda, the forms needed for the fundraiser, the book orders for school, the fun lunch forms, and, oh, which one of you wanted to join what choir?’” she asks.
“While in the lineup at Timmy’s (Tim Hortons), my make-up artist arrives to touch me up…yes, that is ME, looking in the rear view putting on the mascara. And yes, many a time it ends up half way across my face. It is always a race to see if I can get the face on before I drive up to the window to say ‘Good Morning’ to the ladies I know so well,” said Wannetta.
“I work in an office doing administrative duties along with the other team members who are involved with Calgary Bookkeping Etc. Inc. The only difference is that I also wear the hats of: Owner, Chief Messer Upper, Customer Service Rep, Customer Service Manager, CEO, CFO, Payables Clerk, Receivables Clerk, Credit Manager, Human Resources Manager, etc…Oh, and ask Pam, I bark out a lot of orders!” she joked.
All kidding aside, Wannetta shared what for her was one of those remarkable moments that momentarily take your breath away. In 1986, when work relocated her father from Ontario to Calgary, Wannetta and her two sisters, living in Toronto at the time, were given a trip to Calgary to attend the greatest outdoor show in the world (the Stampede).
“The trip was full of wonderful memories of family time, Stampede and (UGH!) the cold weather in Calgary. I remember one day going to Lake Bonavista and sitting on my towel on the beach soaking up the sun. Suddenly a cloud came by and covered the sun. I began to shiver from my head to my toes and attempted to wrap my little towel around my body,” recalled Wannetta who eventually moved to Calgary four years later to work, play, wed and settle down. In November 2000, Wannetta, her husband, and their two young daughters moved into the community of Bonavista.
“That following Spring, on a Sunday morning early enough for the air to be fresh, I packed my girls in the van with sand shovels and coffee for me and headed for the beach. As I sat at the beach, watching them play, my mind toyed with the memory of sitting on that exact beach in 1986. Never in a million years did I think back then that I would not only live in Calgary, but own a house in the very community of Lake Bonavista and be married and have two beautiful children playing in the sand. It was to me an Ah-Ha Moment that even though that beach had seemed cold, and this weather was crazy at this moment in time, nothing could take from me my two daughters, playing in the sand with their shovels, laughing and running, and the sun dancing over the water while the cool morning began to warm. This is why I work every day to help other mothers learn ways to make money while being with their children. I was blessed to have a mother who stayed home and because I know I can have my cake and eat it too. I choose the best of both worlds,” she said.
From wonderful childhood memories of the Calgary Stampede and Lake Bonavista, to being able to pass these moments along to her children, sitting in the exact same spot where she once sat and enjoyed a beautiful family outing almost 10 years ago, that is when Wannetta knew that she had chosen her destiny.
By: Irene Darra
Name: Wannetta Johnson-Hamrell
Business Name: Calgary Bookeeping Inc Etc
Position: President and Visionary
Business Description: A bookkeeping service for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Awards and Achievements:
Ø Volunteer Sparks Leader
Ø Mentor through the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF)
Ø Member of The Calgary Chamber of Commerce; (2004) Project Lead for the President’s Cup Challenge
Ø Member of the Better Business Bureau, Women in a Home Office, Powerhouse International and Retail Alberta (Steering Committee)
Ø Founder of the Calgary Entrepreneur Meet-up (since 2003)
Ø Advisory Board Member with Mount Royal College for their Entrepreneurial degree
Tel: (403) 271-7725
Fax: (403) 271-7765
Email: cbiinc@telus.net
Website: http://calgarybookkeepingetc.com
