“But sometimes I look at those numbers and remember wondering whether the electricity would stay on.” I wanted to tell her it would never happen again.

Instead I asked what she needed now.

She said she needed an accountant who would help her understand her own firm’s growth, not an Ashford employee who would quietly take over.

I recommended three independent people and stepped back while she chose one.

She didn’t owe me gratitude for that.

She had run her business without me.

The meaningful part was that I could offer help without demanding ownership of the decision.

Eventually I learned to accept an answer of no without looking for a way around it.