Meet the Team of Professionals

Shawn Richards

Shawn is a business executive with over 30 years in the business world. Having worked for and with small businesses for much of that time as either a COO or CFO, Shawn is committed to business success at all levels.

Shawn is passionate about helping leaders at all levels develop into the best leaders they can be. In turn, he believes leaders at all levels can inspire the best of the people they lead.

Shawn is host of the Team Engagement podcast, a podcast that discusses leadership and teams. With over 400 guests from all over the world, Shawn is grateful to the many leaders who have contributed ideas, insights, and strategies. He is also the author of the "The Sapphire Sky Leadership" framework, a system that helps leaders at all levels become more effective in their individual roles.

Shawn is a baseball fanatic…or should we say “Phanatic?” A fan of the Philadelphia Phillies since childhood, Shawn follows the Phillies regularly and cheers them on in good years and bad. He lives in Utah with his wonderful wife and twin daughters.

Connect with Shawn

Blue Sky Business Consulting | LinkedIn

Alex

Alex Mic-Podar has been an entrepreneur since an early age. Over the past 25 years, she has started multiple businesses, both on her own and with Julie DeLong, as well as working for others in a variety of industries.

Throughout her career, she has seen firsthand how many business owners face significant hurdles when it comes to managing their finances, operations, sales, and employees. Poor data, inefficient systems, and inadequate management can make it difficult for businesses to grow. That’s why Alex is so passionate about helping businesses overcome these obstacles.

Alex also lives in Utah. She loves dogs, Tom Cruise, and Coca-Cola, and

won’t eat anything she can see onions in.

Connect with Alex

Backyard Bookkeeper | LinkedIn

Julie

Julie DeLong is a highly skilled accountant with 17 years of experience working

with hundreds of businesses in all kinds of industries.

With Alex Mic-Podar, she has co-founded four companies in the accounting industry. Backyard Bookkeeper has provided bookkeeping services to companies nationwide since 2008 and Backyard Payroll provides affordable payroll processing solutions to small businesses. Under the umbrella of SPC Strategies, Julie does fractional controller work, recruiting, and software consulting. Most recently, she is launching the Bookkeeper Academy, to teach modern skills to the next generation of bookkeepers.

Julie lives in Utah. She loves accounting and even does it in her free time, but when she runs out of accounting projects to work on, she also enjoys reading, travel, and camping.

Connect with Julie

Backyard Bookkeeper | LinkedIn

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