A Richland-based bookkeeper faced tax season with the same grit and determination she applied to her running regimen. 

Veronica Salazar

Veronica Salazar’s focus allowed her to go the distance to take care of 40 businesses’ accounting books while training to complete 50 miles in the Badger Mountain Challenge endurance race, held on March 22. 

“It’s fun knowing I can push my body that hard to do things I thought were impossible,” Salazar said. “I would totally do it again.” She was singing a different tune during the last 15 miles of the race, crossing the finish line at 4:38 a.m. after reaching 7,628 feet of total elevation along the route.

This was Salazar’s third ultra marathon — her first since 2016 —and 18 miles farther than her previous races. 

“I was saying I’m never doing this again,” laughed Salazar, remembering the last leg of the race. “I had every emotion.” 

Chasing goals 

Her race could serve as a metaphor for her business. 

She decided to make a change and chase after what she wanted in the professional world, too. 

Salazar opened her business in 2009, and, in November 2023, quit her day job at Intuit, where she'd worked for three years, to give full time attention to BillaBillz. 

The business offers bookkeeping services, bookkeeping cleanups, Quickbook training and consulting services. 

“I love investigating numbers,” Salazar said, “but I felt like I was on a hamster wheel. I got fed up one day and decided I wanted to take charge.” 

She harnessed that focus on change while training for the Badger Challenge. Her training schedule included interval training, never topping 15 miles, a new way of preparing, she admitted. 

Balancing her running schedule and her bookkeeping work proved to be its own challenge. She described January as insane with having to squeeze in 12 hours every week for training. She said she kept having to remind herself of her core values. 

“I missed a couple of training sessions due to work that I had to make up for on the weekend,” Salazar said. “I learned how to say no. I know that sounds weird, but this taught me where my limits were without suffering the things I really wanted to do.” 

Salazar first started running long distances in 2014 when a client convinced her to sign up for a half marathon. She thought it sounded doable as it wasn’t that much more than the 10Ks she had previously been running. Her client did not show up on race day, but Salazar ran it anyway.  

There’s another metaphor in there. 

Being underestimated 

Much like her professional life, running is a way to fight for independence and identity, she said. 

“Maybe that’s why I like running so much,” Salazar said. “I can push myself and be in charge.” 

In her business world, Salazar doesn’t fit the stereotypical image of a bookkeeper. She often boldly displays brightly colored hair that’s shaved on the sides and has a unique sense of style. 

“I feel like I get underestimated when people first look at me,” she said. 

With nearly three decades working as a numbers detective, as she calls her job, her nontraditional identity comes with its own challenges in the professional world.  

She said that being forced to fit into a mold is something she’s always fought against. 

“I’m trying to prove myself to myself,” Salazar said. “I realized that I was doing a disservice to others and myself when I was trying to fit in.” 

Through BillaBillz and running Salazar hopes to inspire others to challenge themselves and be true to their authentic self.  

For her that means setting her next goal.  

She signed up for the Ironman endurance race in September.