About Sun Dog
What We Believe
We at Sun Dog Consulting believe that the biggest challenge faced by small business is the creation of effective management and accounting systems. The small business entrepreneur works to understand the whole, see the big picture, and knows the importance of having accurate, timely and relevant numbers when making strategic business decisions.
How We Work
We take the time to get to know our clients and give them our undivided attention. Working hand-in-hand to develop a shared understanding, we determine the current situation and then act to untangle, create, select, set up and implement a management and accounting system tailored to your business needs. We don't stop until the system is dialed out and operating efficiently. Then we train you and your staff to use it effectively. When we are done, you will have a system that is a valuable tool for the management of your businesses.
Who We Are
Sun Dog Consulting is a premier consulting firm committed to whole system development and implementation; solutions for small business entrepreneurs.
In the world of small business management and accounting systems, Sun Dog is a world-class organization. Our knowledge is our greatest resource. Having studied, lived and trained in the business world, we all continue to be a part of the small business community. We are an interdisciplinary group, combining business management, accounting and bookkeeping with technology, software and innovation.
Caralee L. Valdez, Principal
Caralee fell in love with bookkeeping in 1974 and has been involved in the bookkeeping field ever since. Graduating Aztec High School in 1975 she enrolled at San Juan College, pursuing a career in Accounting. A required semester assisting with tax preparation convinced her to change her focus to computerized accounting. Caralee loves bookkeeping and small business. While working in various capacities over the years she saw an un-met need. Services offered by traditional accounting firms and bookkeeping services typically do not include educating the small business owner, helping them with today’s electronic accounting packages, or helping them to get a handle on their business, those first steps. In October of 1998 First Byte Inc. was born. She successfully completed her Certified Bookkeeper exam with the AIPB July 2003 and graduated from Colorado Technical University November 2006 with a B.S. in Business Administration. Caralee is a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, a Certified Point of Sale Advisor, Certified NxLevel Instructor, and Marketing for Smarties Coach. It is through this journey that Caralee discovered the challenges faced by small businesses in developing management and accounting systems. Caralee loves the changes and innovation that technology has brought to accounting software and has learned to channel this creativity into systems development. As a trainer she excels at taking the new and chaotic and making it familiar and comfortable.
Carrie J. Goodman, MBA, Principal
Carrie brings to Sun Dog more than 20 years of experience in the business and financial world. The daughter of entrepreneurs, Carrie grew up learning the ins and outs and ups and downs of her family's floral business. She majored in accounting in undergraduate school at the University of Arizona, and received her MBA from the U of A in 1991. She has a California CPA certification, and has worked as a certified public accountant and a business administrator in the western United States since the mid-1980s. Carrie lives in Farmington, New Mexico where she divides her time between consulting and teaching. Currently a professor in the Accounting and Business Department at New Mexico Highlands University, Carrie has also taught at the University of New Mexico and San Juan College. Put together Carrie's formal training in accounting and business administration, her experience as a consultant and instructor, and her knowledge of the day-to-day operations of a small business, and you have a person uniquely qualified in the development and implementation of management and accounting systems. Carrie has developed a simple, logical approach to accounting and management systems and she is able to easily and effectively communicate with entrepreneurs as she helps them learn to "manage by the numbers."
Stephen Carter, Networks Etc.
Stephen adds the technical disciplines to Sun Dog, bringing his wealth of experience in small business networks and computers. Stephen is able to understand the nuances and problems unique to small businesses and provide solutions to fit their individual needs. Depending on the project, Stephen's skills come into play during the evaluation, set up, and implementation phases.
