When Penny Giron, Founder and Principal of Giron Consulting, LLC, attended Reframe through the support of the Accounting Cornerstone Foundation (ACF) scholarship, she had already built a growing consulting business.

Based in New Orleans, Louisiana, Penny had taken the leap into entrepreneurship and steadily built a client base. But despite the progress, she found herself running the business much the same way she had when she first started.

“I was still undercharging, feeling like an imposter, managing everything with spreadsheets, and not really putting myself out there,” Penny shared.

She knew the value she delivered to her clients. But translating that value into confidence, visibility, and pricing had been a challenge.

She wanted to grow her business into the firm she knew it could become. She just wasn’t quite sure how to get there.

The Starting Line: Knowing the Value, But Struggling to Show It

Before attending the conference, Penny found herself grappling with challenges that many firm owners face.

She struggled with imposter syndrome, often questioning whether she was truly as capable as her work suggested.

She also wanted to improve how she communicated her value to clients and better use technology and networking to grow her firm.

Despite those goals, applying for the ACF scholarship happened almost by accident.

“Honestly, it was a total whim,” she said.

She had been interested in attending the conference but wasn’t sure she could afford it. And as someone who doesn’t naturally gravitate toward large group environments, conferences felt intimidating.

Still, something inside her nudged her forward.

“I thought, if I apply and somehow get it, maybe the universe is telling me it’s time to step outside my comfort zone.”

The Turning Point: Finding Community and Confidence

Reframe was Penny’s first professional conference, and the experience was immediately powerful.

Being surrounded by people who understood the profession created a sense of belonging she hadn’t realized she was missing.

“Being in a space full of people who ‘get it’ was just amazing,” she said. “People who understand the challenges and freely give advice and encouragement.”

The real turning point came during the very first evening of the conference.

Participants were grouped for dinner, and Penny happened to share both an Uber and a table with someone who worked in the same niche she specialized in.

This person was someone Penny had long considered an expert and had learned from early in her career.

During their conversation, Penny shared a solution she had developed for a specific industry challenge.

The response caught her completely off guard.

“She said, ‘That’s genius.’”

In that moment, something shifted.

“It finally started to sink in that I wasn’t an imposter,” Penny said. “I’m a professional. I have skills and knowledge that are valuable.”

The Power of Learning Together

Throughout the conference, Penny found that the real magic happened in the collaborative conversations with peers.

“Sharing ideas, asking questions, solving problems together in real time is a completely different experience than learning virtually,” she said.

The environment allowed participants to challenge each other, provide feedback, and explore solutions together in ways that simply aren’t possible through online learning alone.

“It really brought home that we’re all just people,” Penny explained. “We all have fears, doubts, and flaws, but we’re all doing our best to help our clients succeed.”

After the Conference: Taking Steps Toward the Business She Envisions

Penny left Reframe with something that had been missing before: confidence.

Her mindset shifted, and she returned home determined to start building the business she truly wanted.

“I left with the determination to change my pricing, rethink my offerings, and be less afraid to put myself out there as an expert.”

She immediately began working on implementing new tools and service packages and started preparing clients for upcoming price changes.

The shift also opened unexpected opportunities.

Shortly after the conference, Penny received an invitation from a software company to be featured in their newsletter for accountants and clients.

Before attending Reframe, she isn’t sure she would have accepted.

But this time, she said yes.

And the feature was accepted for publication.

Progress, One Step at a Time

Like many entrepreneurs energized by new ideas, Penny initially returned home eager to change everything at once.

But she quickly realized that meaningful growth takes time.

“I got overwhelmed trying to implement everything,” she said. “So now I’m focusing on one thing at a time, improving it, and then moving to the next.”

This slower, more intentional approach is helping her build a stronger foundation for long-term success.

Why In-Person Learning Matters

For Penny, the value of in-person learning goes far beyond education.

Many accounting professionals have worked remotely long before the world shifted to virtual work.

That independence can be powerful, but it can also feel isolating.

“We need that connection with colleagues,” she said. “We need reminders that there are so many people who truly understand where we are and where we’re trying to go.”

Receiving the scholarship itself was also deeply meaningful.

Personally, Penny felt overwhelming gratitude.

Professionally, it marked a turning point in how she viewed herself.

“It made me feel like I had finally moved from the mindset of ‘I do accounting’ to ‘I am an accountant.’”

Paying It Forward

Penny believes the work of the Accounting Cornerstone Foundation has the power to change careers and lives.

“Please give,” she says to potential donors. “These experiences are life-changing. You don’t know what you’ve been missing until you go.”

Her advice for anyone considering applying for the scholarship is equally straightforward.

“Don’t doubt yourself. Apply.”

Because the opportunity to step into a room full of peers, mentors, and supporters can transform how you see your business, and yourself.

If Penny had to describe her ACF experience in one sentence, it would be this:

“A wonderful experience, with wonderful people who give you life-changing opportunities.”