Empowering Local Women in Business: A Spotlight on Ashleigh Fahrenholtz, Owner of A to Z Bookkeeping and Ann Angelucci, Partner at PremierNow

We sat down with two Chester County business leaders—Ann Angelucci, a partner at PremierNow Payroll, and Ashleigh Fahrenholtz, owner of A to Z Bookkeeping—to talk about their businesses, the power of networking, and the advice they'd give to other women building their own businesses.

Meet Ann and Ashleigh

Ashleigh owns A to Z Bookkeeping, a local bookkeeping company based in Chester County that specializes in small to medium-sized businesses — from startups to companies well into the multi-millions, though not quite the 100-million mark. But Ashleigh is quick to point out that her firm is more than a bookkeeping service. She sees A to Z as a true financial partner, working alongside a client's CPA to make tax season painless and coordinating with payroll providers to keep everything running smoothly. It's not just about taking over someone's QuickBooks — it's about being a partner through every stage of the business, from day one to tax time and everything in between.

Ann joined PremierNow Payroll nine years ago after working at a large national payroll provider. She quickly realized that most of her business came from local networking and relationships with accountants, which led her to look for a company built around real referral partnerships. That search brought her to Sarah's family business, and together they've grown PremierNow significantly ever since. PremierNow specializes in payroll for small to mid-size businesses — everything from a single employee up to a couple hundred — with a sweet spot right around 5 to 50 employees. Ann describes the company as an extension of a client's payroll and HR departments, since most small business owners don't have those functions in-house. Premier now supports more than 1,800 small businesses locally and across the country, all just a phone call away.

Why Networking Matters

Both Ann and Ashleigh agree: networking is at the core of how they've grown their businesses — but their paths to it looked different.

Ann has spent the last 15 years building her business through local networking groups rather than cold calls. Her advice for anyone looking to grow through networking is simple: find groups that align with your target audience. Whether it's women's groups, trade organizations, or professional services groups, the key is finding the community that fits both who you are and who you're trying to reach. Ann and Ashleigh actually met on Facebook — proof, they say, that networking can happen anywhere, as long as you're connecting with people who serve the same kind of clients you do.

Ashleigh's path to networking was a little more gradual. She started her business in 2021, right as she was leaving a career in banking and expecting her first child. In those early years, her growth was almost entirely organic — she put herself in front of business owners she already knew and let things branch out from there. With three kids under four, she made peace with slow, steady growth for a while. But by late 2025, heading into her business's fourth and fifth year, she felt ready to network more intentionally — and that's right around the time she and Ann connected.

Ashleigh credits Ann with teaching her that networking isn't about collecting names and numbers. It's about building real connections. As Ashleigh puts it, it's not just what you know — it's who you know. She's watched Ann make connections effortlessly, always seeming to know exactly who the right person is to introduce someone to. That skill, Ashleigh says, has been incredible to witness and learn from as her own client base — and her networking — has grown.

For both of them, networking ultimately comes down to the same goal: every business owner is trying to grow, and most are happy to help each other do it. The key is to put yourself in front of the right people and genuinely try to offer — and gain — something valuable from every conversation.

Advice for Women in Business

When asked what advice they'd give to women starting or growing a business, Ann and Ashleigh didn't hold back.

Just go for it. Ashleigh's first piece of advice is the simplest: if you have an idea, a passion, or a skill that could become a business, don't overthink it — take the leap. For her, that meant recognizing she already knew bookkeeping and the software behind it, and trusting that she could build something from that knowledge.

Build your financial team early. As a bookkeeper herself, Ashleigh is emphatic that new business owners shouldn't wait to get their finances in order. She often hears from entrepreneurs who say they'll "get into bookkeeping" once they've grown a bit — and she considers that one of the biggest mistakes a new business owner can make. A business built on solid financials from day one is better positioned to make smart decisions, understand its profitability, and chart a clear path forward. If bookkeeping isn't your strength, that's exactly what a partner like Ashleigh is for.

Hustle. Ashleigh shared a line Ann once told her that stuck with her ever since: "If you're not hunting, you're not eating.” In other words, you have to go out and pursue the opportunities you want.

Don't be afraid to ask for help. Ann's advice, drawn from 15 years of working with small business owners, centers on one theme: ask. She believes there's never been a better time for women in business — women want to help other women, men want to help women, and communities want to support local businesses. That applies both personally and professionally. As a mom of two young kids herself, Ann knows firsthand how hard it can be to juggle work and family, and she encourages other women not to be afraid to ask for extra support wherever they need it — at home or in business.

Professionally, Ann's philosophy is just as direct: ask for the introduction, ask for the connection, ask for what you want. In her experience, people are almost always willing to help — and even if the answer isn't yes today, it's rarely a permanent no. As she puts it, you can't buy muscle, and you can't buy hustle. The only way to get what you want is to keep asking.

The Takeaway

Whether it's finding the right networking group, building a business on a solid financial footing, or simply working up the nerve to ask for an introduction, Ann and Ashleigh's advice boils down to a few core truths: put yourself out there, build real relationships, get help where you need it, and don't be afraid to hustle for what you want.

Thank you for learning more about Ann and Ashleigh's inspiring paths with us. Stay tuned for more stories highlighting exceptional women in our community.