Sarah Hadlock

As the owner and president of The Business Guides, Sarah oversees both day-to-day operations and tax services, and is the senior accountant on staff. She works with business owners to improve their current and future financial positions and is passionate about helping our clients create prosperous lives.

As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^TM professional and a CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT with the CERTIFIED EXIT PLANNING ADVISOR^TM designation, Sarah combines planning for taxes, retirement, and social security to provide holistic financial guidance to business owners. She considers financial education important to a thriving community, and conducts seminars and training sessions with clients and business owners on a variety of topics.

Sarah has a B.A. from Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, where she studied studio art, economics, and accounting. Following graduation, she moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and traveled in India before returning to the Northwest.

Sarah spent the next seven years in fundraising at the Seattle Symphony and the Seattle Public Library Foundation, working with donors and foundations. She and her future husband Justin visited Port Townsend often, and when an opportunity arose to work with the Northwest Maritime Center’s capital campaign, they moved across the water.

In 2006, Sarah jumped back into accounting as the Controller at MarinerBank, and became Financial Projects Officer for Kitsap Bank following the merger of the two banks. There she managed the budget process, interest rate risk analysis, and the asset liability management program. During this time she pursued her CPA certification.

Eager to share her talents with the local business community, she joined The Business Guides in August 2012 and has managed the growing team since 2015. In 2019, she and firm founder Charley Kanieski completed a multi-year succession plan that transferred ownership to Sarah and provided continuity for our clients, staff, and business community.

Sarah currently volunteers on the board of the North Olympic Salmon Coalition and has recently served as the Treasurer for The Chamber of Jefferson County and as the Treasurer for the Jefferson Community Foundation. She has also served on the boards of the Rotary Club of Port Townsend, the Port Townsend Film Festival, and Northwind Arts Alliance, and on committees for Centrum and the Jefferson Land Trust. She is a member of the Washington Society of CPAs.

When she’s not at the office, Sarah enjoys all things food-related, gardening, reading, dreaming up travel plans, and spending time with her family and friends. In fair weather she joins her husband Justin on their Rustler 31 sailboat out on Port Townsend Bay or on trips to the San Juan Islands.

Sarah can be reached at sarah@thebusinessguides.com.