Hi! I’m Michelle!

I founded Carter Cook because after I graduated beauty school at 18, I felt completely unprepared to pursue a career in beauty. Here’s the rub: feeling prepared to pursue the career you worked hard preparing for is… kind of school’s whole “thing.” It sounded to me like beauty school needed a makeover more than anyone else. Most beauty professionals end up becoming business owners so financial prowess should be built into their education… but it’s not. And what’s the #1 reason 80% of businesses fail in their first five years? Poorly managed finances. Dramatic irony this well-crafted belongs in Romeo and Juliet, not the story arc of your career.

I knew I needed to learn more so I went to school to study business management. One requirement for that degree was an accounting class that was the stuff of business majors’ nightmares. So after I turned out the highest score on the final for that course (please, no need to applaud), I knew I needed to change career directions. When I launched my own accounting business, my first client was a salon. That’s when everything—my past, present, and future—aligned. My whole journey suddenly made sense. To this day, I’m passionate about helping beauty professionals with their finances and making sense of their journeys—from unraveling their biggest fears to actualizing their greatest dreams.

Now I run my own business—just like you and I’ve assembled a team of like-minded, beauty-pro-supportive, financial gurus.

We completely understand how overwhelming finances are for people who:

face beauty-industry specific challenges.
are making money for the first time in their lives.
have never had any formal training on how to run a business.

Our Secret Sauce… [Shhh]

I’m able to hire the best talent because our working conditions are far superior to anywhere else in the accounting industry.

We don’t ever work over 40 hours/week—even during tax time, which is unheard of—so we aren’t burned out. This allows us to bring our best selves to work.
We limit the number of clients we take on and we hire when we have plans for growth instead of waiting until we’ve already onboarded the clients.
We are properly staffed so we can be responsive to emails and projects.
Social skills. That’s right, we got ‘em. I know I shouldn’t have to say that, but if you’ve mingled with enough accountants, you understand why we’re the sought-after unicorn CPAs that many believe must be myth. We’re real! We swear!

Our Mission

Our mission is to give beauty business owners tailor-made, done-for-you, concierge CPA services and customized education so they can blossom from beauty pros to beauty moguls with profitable, scalable businesses.

Our Vision

Our vision is a more respected, elevated beauty industry, full of empowered beauty professionals commanding their own financial futures.

Our Values

Accuracy: “Done” is better than “perfect”… unless it’s a tax return. We’re focused on the details to ensure our clients’ accounting is done correctly.
Simplicity: We take complicated tax rules and help you implement them as easily as possible.
Kindness: The greatest kindness we can give you is clarity. We believe in clear explanations without judgment.

Our Wonderful Team!

Michelle Cook, CPA

Owner

Meet our owner, Michelle, beauty school graduate turned licensed CPA! How does that happen, you ask? Well, she’s always loved making things beautiful. That’s why she went to beauty school! After graduation, Michelle had plans to open her own salon, but back tracked when she realized how much it took to run a successful beauty biz. Armed with desire, she hit the ground running to learn absolutely everything about finances, but plot twist— she enjoyed it!

Shocking, we know! But, Michelle found she really enjoyed making the business side beautiful, too. Back to school she went and gained her CPA license with efforts to beautify books for a living. Never forgetting her roots, Michelle started her CPA firm dedicated to helping beauty pros navigate taxes and bookkeeping while also empowering them to be the financial expert in their business through her course, Beauty Bookkeeping.

When she’s not helping her clients maximize profit, Michelle gets endorphin overload by snuggling her three babies and drinking lavender tea.

Caity Jones, CPA

CFO Consultant

Meet Caity Jones. She recently moved to Utah and is a licensed CPA with the Carter Cook, CPAs team! Caity has a master’s degree in accounting and a bachelor’s degree in business management from Boise State University. As a tax accountant, she enjoys the professional challenges and varying landscapes this work provides. But, the aspect of Caity’s career she finds most engaging is helping her clients work through their specified challenges.

In her early years, Caity grew up in a farming community located in a small, Idaho town. Her first job was at a little white water rafting company while starting college – the same year she discovered her love for tennis. Along the way, Caity also worked at orchards, as a waitress, at gas stations, and most notably at a wedding venue where she eventually became manager!

But, Caity isn’t all work no play. Being a lover of the outdoors, you can find her scuba diving, free diving, kayaking and surfing – even wakeboarding if you have a boat! She is also dabbling with mountain biking, rock climbing and soon to be dirt biking (she recently got her license!). But, the best part of Caity’s day happens to be her post work three mile run. Sunsets, good music, family and friends are a few of her favorite things. Currently, she is enjoying the newlywed life with her brand new husband, Jake, who oddly enough, is also an accountant!

Fun fact you ask? She squishes her mini marshmallows in a small cube before she eats them.

Wenxi Garcia

Tax Preparer

Wenxi Garcia is a juggler. No, she doesn’t work in a circus but she spends her days working on her client’s books, accounting, translating documents from Chinese to English, and homeschooling her 4 children.

Wenxi is thrilled to work for Carter Cook, CPAs, where she is committed to her clients’ success. She loves providing her clients with expert advice, professionalism, responsiveness and peace of mind–and she doesn’t even have to catch any fiery bowling pins!

Raised in a small Chinese village, she always wanted to explore the larger world. After traveling throughout Asia, she earned two master’s degrees in Sydney Australia. Later, she met her husband while working as a cultural exchange cast member at Disney World. After they explored more of what mother earth had to offer, they became exhausted. So, they settled down and started a family, which is quite tiring in itself!

Jessica Winck

Tax Preparer

Jessica Winck loves being apart of the Carter Cook, CPAs team. With a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of South Alabama and over 7 years experience in the accounting industry, we are thrilled to have her as one of our bookkeepers!

Jessica is the youngest of six siblings and during college she worked as a waitress at the oldest restaurant in Mobile, AL called the Dew Drop Inn. Later on she met her husband, David, who had surprised her with a spontaneous trip to elope in Vegas! Her only request – to have an Elvis impersonator perform their wedding ceremony. At the time, there were only two ordained Elvis impersonators in Vegas, and luckily, one was available! But that’s not the end of this Elvis story. A murder documentary was airing on A&E a few years later and Jessica noticed her ordained Elvis was one of the witnesses being interviewed!

Currently residing on the Alabama Gulf Coast, Jessica enjoys soaking up quality time with her husband, and two children, who she raised for 10 years as a stay at home mom. In her spare time, Jessica loves to take her tennis racket to the courts, relax on the beach, and spend time with friends!