Her Story
About Starlene
Starlene Royce serves as CEO of Southern Star Ledgers, a payroll accounting tax firm based in Ocala, Florida, which she launched in 2024 after 15 to 16 years working in accounting. She earned a Bachelor's of Science with Business Management and Accounting from the University of Phoenix and attributes her drive to her upbringing as an army brat from the Midwest and her father's example as a hard-working casino GM. Royce offers payroll services, corporate and individual taxes, bookkeeping, and QuickBooks re-amping to help clients streamline operations so owners can focus on growth. She also manages accounting, HR, and payroll for TEC Diversified, a mom-and-pop construction company where she has worked for three years. Royce stays current by studying new accounting programs and using AI tools such as ChatGPT for checks and balances, and she advises professionals to reach for dreams, set small goals, keep learning, build client communication, and expand skills beyond basic accounting into taxes and payroll.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Starlene
01What do you attribute your success to?
I come from a background where I work hard to play harder. My dad is a very hard worker and a casino GM. I grew up all over as an army brat from the Midwest.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Reach for your dreams, never stop, do little goals. It's not about salary. Keep learning all the new skills, build strong communication with clients and learn problem solving. Stay within what's going on in our society. Reach for those goals, network with people. Expand your learning opportunity to not just accounting, but broaden it to taxes, payroll.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Accounting can be replaced with ChatGBT or any AI program. The biggest challenge is that eventually we may not need to be around much longer. But it could be a good thing with checks and balances. AI is going to take over a few different jobs in the industry like bookkeeping.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.