The Accidental $11M Plan: How a 2-Year Goal Led to a Decade of Growth

Returning to Washington in 2009 felt like hitting reset on life, in the best possible way. After three incredible years in Baltimore and the birth of our first kiddo, it was time to settle down (See the last post). We moved back home, just far enough from my dad to avoid surprise 7:00 AM visits (sorry, Dad), and I transferred to the Seattle Paychex branch.

It didn’t take long to realize that career growth with Paychex would require physically moving to where the next step job was, and we were locked into Washington for the long haul or at least until the kids were out of the house. So, the job hunt began.

One November day, I had two interviews lined up: a 9:00 AM with ADP and an 11:00 AM with Mike Anderson at PayNorthwest. Towards the end of my interview with Mike, he asked if I could stay longer to meet the Director of Sales. As Mike went to fetch Phil, I texted my husband (JB): “I think I just got a job.” Turns out, I was right.

"I texted my husband: 'I think I just got a job.' Turns out, I was right."

I started at PayNorthwest on December 3, 2010. At that time, the company had about 100 clients, and everyone wore multiple hats. It was tiny, like a miniature Paychex. We had to do everything Paychex did, just in one small building. This is when I discovered one of my superpowers: taking lessons and experiences from one setting and adapting them to another. For years at Paychex, I had asked, “Why do we do something this way? This other way would be more efficient” only to get the “Because corporate says so” answer. I started to resent ‘corporate’, where we had to do things 'just because' instead of because they made sense. Now, I could do it “that way” and be responsible for the consequences. (Spoiler: there were plenty of consequences.) Through trial and error, grit, and determination, we started growing.

The Challenge

In the fall of 2014, Mike gathered the leadership team and asked, “Can we double in size in two years?” At that point, we had about 500 clients and $2 million in annual revenue. My answer, of course, was “yes.” Then came the real question: “how?”

The first step was clear: we had to get the entire company involved. This wasn’t a goal we could hit with just leadership team ideas. We needed everyone on board. And—no surprise here—we needed a logo and swag. (Because, honestly, what’s a goal without stickers?) Thus, the “1K4M” mantra was born. Stickers were plastered everywhere. We printed a giant thermometer to track our progress. And we got everyone excited and engaged.

"The first step was clear: we had to get the entire company involved."

The Surprise Result

When we shared the goal with the team, they saw it differently: instead of one big target, they split it into two, 1,000 clients and $4 million in revenue. That shift in perspective sparked creativity. Our Product and Service teams embraced the idea of developing value-add products we could sell to current clients. If those products worked for existing clients, they could work for new ones, too. Our average deal size grew quickly.

We hit $4 million in annual revenue in just 18 months, with about 700 active clients. By December 2024, we reached the 1,000-client milestone (thanks to an acquisition), but we had already exceeded expectations in a major way. Pre-acquisition, we were at $11 million in revenue with just 900 clients. If given the choice, I'd take 900 clients and $11 million over 1,000 clients and $4 million any day. That’s a win in my book.

The Takeaway

Goals are meant to guide you. They set the direction, but the journey can lead to outcomes even better than expected. As of today, we’re at 1,150 clients and counting.

Leadership Lesson: Success isn’t about rigidly hitting the target; it’s about growing into something bigger than you imagined. Translating lessons from a billion-dollar company to a $500,000 one taught me this: Adjust, adapt, and let growth take you further than you planned. The best wins are the ones you never saw coming.

"Translating lessons from a billion-dollar company to a $500,000 one taught me this: Adjust, adapt, and let growth take you further than you planned. The best wins are the ones you never saw coming."