In my last email, I told you how I went to Bangkok desperate for answers and came back with the clarity I needed.
If you missed that one, you can catch up here.
Last time, I promised I’d tell you about the first email Meryl sent me.
Today, I’m sharing the full story — including what she said and what happened next.
Bangkok had given me the clarity I’d been chasing for years:
I'd go all-in on recruiting, no more distractions.
And the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became.
The outsourcing model wasn't just impractical, it was wrong, extractive.
I would build the recruiting business that could change everything.
I would leave my business. That would be the only way I could truly focus on this.
My first morning back at home, a typically dreary Portland day —
I stepped into my shoes and out the door for a long walk.
Bangkok replayed in my mind.
I’d made the decision. So why did it already feel so fragile?
I'd be starting business number eight... in eight years.
The fear washed over me.
Starting from zero, again.
What I had with my partner, while not ideal, was at least something. And stable.
What if I left and the next business failed, again?
My wife's question would echo: "When will you get a job?"
But the real terror was becoming her uncle, the man who never could hold onto a steady income.
"You must choose," the Bangkok speaker's voice repeated in my mind.
I did choose.
But, I wasn't ready.
Not yet.
So, with my feet on the ground, I compromised.
As the weeks passed, my compromise settled into routine.
I tried to focus on recruiting, but no matter what I did, I kept getting pulled back into the same old stuff.
Scattered attention, modest progress, the familiar frustration of trying to do everything while excelling at nothing.
Across the Pacific on Australia's Gold Coast, Meryl was finding her footing again.
She’d beaten cancer, but the experience had left her questioning what came next.
Everywhere she turned, friends who ran accounting firms were struggling with staffing.
Many had signed with outsourcing companies, only to find themselves with the same entanglements she’d barely escaped herself.
There has to be a better way, she thought.
One day, after Meryl's friends came back from Bangkok excited about the trip, she logged on to the forum, looking for connection, hoping for a spark.
One post stopped her mid-scroll:
“Hiring accountants in the Philippines.”
Reading it, for the first time in months, she felt pulled toward something.
Could this be the answer?
Is this the guy they were talking about?
She clicked "Send Message" and started typing.
"Hey Isaac..."
While I was stuck in my routine, trying to turn Bangkok’s lessons into action, Meryl's email crossed the Pacific.
One morning, I opened my inbox and saw a name that sent me back in my chair.
Meryl Johnston.
I stared at the screen.
For years, I'd followed her journey. Watching her success inspired me to start my own bookkeeping firm.
And now she was emailing me?
How did she even know I existed? What reason could she possibly have?
I had no idea where this would lead, only that it started here.
My heart skipped a beat as I opened it.
I sat there stunned.
SHE wanted to talk to ME about what I'd been struggling to build?
When We Finally Met
We never crossed paths in Bangkok.
But when we finally talked over a video call, it was the conversation we were meant to have.
"I have to tell you something," I started.
"I've been following your Bean Ninjas journey for years, and you inspired me to start my bookkeeping firm."
Meryl paused, surprised, then smiled. "Really?"
What a strange coincidence.
She told me about building Bean Ninjas, about the outsourcing nightmare — the stress, the anger, the frustration of watching her friends walking into the same trap.
She knew everyone: accountants, conference organizers, industry leaders.
"I keep thinking there has to be a better way," she said.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"Of course there's a better way!" I laughed, "It's simple. A company just needs to recruit the talent and then get out of the way."
She tilted her head, curious.
"I've been building this recruiting service, and it's working," I added. "but I just need a way to get my message in front of accountants."
We both went quiet for a moment.
We couldn't have planned this.
How was this possible?
--
We talked for hours about the industry’s biggest problem.
We realized we’d both been searching for the same thing.
We discovered a rare alignment of vision, of timing. Purpose.
--
And then Meryl said casually:
“I want to help. How can I be involved? I’d love to invest.”
I stared at her video feed, trying to process what I’d heard. "Uhhhh..."
Did she really just say that?
At the end of that first call, in a daze, I spun around and called to my wife across the hall.
Was this real?
Even my I’ll-believe-it-when-it’s-in-the-bank-account wife was impressed:
"The one you talked about years ago wants to be YOUR partner?!"
I nodded.
She just said, “Wow.”
Meryl was intrigued by how simple my solution made the “hard parts”: compliance, security, etc.
What had once felt overwhelming was suddenly no big deal.
And it wasn’t just an idea.
The recruiting service was already delivering results for firms, solving real problems for real people.
For me, Meryl's value was obvious.
Industry connections like she had would take me decades to build.
Her marketing expertise combined with industry knowledge could accelerate this business far beyond what I had imagined.
Beyond the strategy, we shared a spirit that connected us instantly.
Adventurous, lighthearted, and fun.
I asked around the community, and everyone loved Meryl.
I assumed she asked about me too.
Our growth and client feedback reminded her of Bean Ninjas in the early days, when she’d caught the online bookkeeping wave at just the right moment.
And this could be even bigger, a solution to the staffing crisis, she thought.
“This could actually disrupt the industry,” she said, her voice alive with possibility.
And then she paused.
It felt like we’d stumbled onto something neither of us had planned for.
This wasn’t just a good idea at the right time.
This was a movement waiting to happen.
--
For eight years, I'd been chasing adventure, hoping to find a path to success.
I'd made a reckless promise to my wife, one I was nowhere near keeping.
And I didn’t know how much longer I could keep going.
But finally, finally, I saw a glimmer of hope.
Meryl had endured a year of hell that stripped her of her identity, her plans, her sense of purpose.
She'd been searching for a way to make a difference again, to help the industry she loved.
And now, maybe, she'd found it.
Maybe this was it.
Could this be it?
That's all for today.
Next week, I’ll share what happened when we tried to move forward and actually build this business together.
It all seemed so simple when Meryl and I first talked.
But I had an existing business… and a partner.
And things didn’t turn out quite the way I imagined.
Thanks for coming on this journey with me. It means a lot to have you here.
Cheers!
Isaac
Co-founder
TeamUp
Hire top accountants in The Philippines with TeamUp DirectHire.
