This was Kacey McKinley, one of the owners of the spa. Kamila wasn’t about to say no to the manicure, as she’d discovered that business owners were easier to please when immersed in the services they provided. She’d signed a hairstylist client while getting her color done, and she’d secured Ink Girls, a chain of tattoo shops, while a watercolor-style peony was tattooed to the side of her right rib cage just last week.

“So, tell me more about your company itself,” Kacey asked as the technician soaked off Kamila’s polish. “I’m always looking to support women-owned businesses.”

“Well, we’re not woman-owned per se. My father owns Emerald. Dad is all about gender equality, though!” Kamila cringed, well aware that she sounded amateurish. She sat up straighter as a woman wearing a dust mask clipped her cuticles. “We each keep our own clients. He works mainly in the health-care sector, while I’m moving toward providing freelance CPA and financial-analyst services for small- to medium-sized service-industry businesses.”

“You don’t look anything like any of the other accountants I’ve met with.”

Kamila grinned. She knew she didn’t look or dress like most accountants. For some, that might be a negative, but for a client like Kacey McKinley, it was a strike in Kamila’s favor.

“I’ll be honest with you, Kamila. I’m meeting with other accountants this week,” Kacey continued. “Bigger firms that have experience working with businesses at our level. We are planning to expand significantly in the near future, and the finance piece of it will get complicated. Plus, a conscientious accountant is important to us. We value sustainability and ethical commerce above all else. Did you know we work with a women’s collective in the Congo to make the herbal soaks in our vitality ponds?”

The nail tech held out a tray of gel polishes, and Kamila picked a nude similar to the one Kacey was having applied. Not Kamila’s usual vibrant hues, but maybe she needed to play the part here. “I’ve done a lot of research on your business.” Kamila would normally have brought out a file folder with a full proposal for the client at this point, but her hands were, of course, occupied. Good thing she had a stellar memory. “On the phone you mentioned looking for new capital. Well, I found several grants for women-owned businesses in Ontario you can apply for. You can also leverage your work with the local college to get funding from the Ministry of Education. And there are opportunities if you register as a sustainable business. Another of my clients was able to get—”

Kacey interrupted her. “I’m interviewing an intellectual collective next—a group of women who provide business services cooperatively. Every summer they pack up their business and work remotely while planting trees in the North.”