Laura Donnelly

As an independent businesswoman and artist, my income has been fee-based, reported on 1099s, and required me to file Schedule C forms with my annual taxes all of my adult life.

In addition, I grew up in a family where almost everyone was self-employed. My mom ran a dance school for 45 years. As a sole proprietor, she earned all the income necessary to provide for our family, including sending my brother and me to college, after my dad died. She was an amazing role model. My grandpa ran a window and auto glass business, my great aunt and uncle owned and ran a fine children’s clothing store (it was in an era before Target and Walmart), and my brother runs a sound design business (he just won a CLIO! https://billdonnelly.com/we-transfer-mac-premo) My cousin runs an alignment and mechanic shop, another cousin owned a fine clothing store, several of my cousins’ sons run their own businesses. It’s just what we do.

I began working the front desk for Mom’s dance school when I was in junior high – including invoicing, accounts receivable, account reconciliation, and order fulfillment. I worked part-time in my great aunt’s children’s clothing store during the summer. When I moved to NYC to dance professionally, I provided business services to independent artists, photographers, performers, choreographers, and small profit and nonprofit businesses to supplement my performance income. When I moved back to KS after touring and teaching in Europe for seven months, I took over the business and marketing for my mom’s dance studio.

After graduate studies, which included an emphasis on Arts Management and Business Administration, I worked with several not-for-profit organizations, created budgets, wrote successfully funded grants for numerous projects, and managed grant distribution and reporting. As Business Manager for the University of Arizona School of Dance, I oversaw a budget of $2,300,000 – including managing payroll, accounts payable and receivable, and coordinating business development, rentals, fundraising, and donations.

I took tax preparer training after graduate school and have been a tax preparer for H&R Block, Pinnacle Taxx Advisors, and Jackson Hewitt. I help small business owners organize and manage all their files and paperwork so that filing their taxes is Perfectly Easy! I specialize in individual returns, Schedule C businesses, and rental properties.