Accounting is a mystery to most non- accountants. However, this is not a desirable state of affairs, particularly if you are a businessman or a businesswoman. This case study demonstrate how accurate accounting is necessary to determine the financial health of a business. As Vidya was driving to her office, the remarks of her father kept haunting her-"How do you say that your business is doing well? I cannot comprehend at all. Three months back, you started with a healthy balance and now you are again looking for funds. You better take stock and decide whether it is worthwhile to continue this." Vidya also felt that it was time to look into the financial position of her three-month old business. She decided to ask her sister, Divya who was pursuing her MBA with specialization in finance to help her understand the results of her efforts over the three-month period.

Vidya is a qualified architect and a certified interior designer and decorator. Out of her own interest, she had picked up substantial knowledge in understanding the impact of acoustics in any given place and this helped her a lot in reminding her clients of certain `dos and don'ts' when it came to decorating their interiors. She was working for a reputed consulting firm for almost a decade when she decided to start her own venture. She had noticed during her employment that most of the clients were extremely satisfied with her designing skills. They had a special word for her eye for details, and her being bold enough to experiment and display her creative talent. In fact, at least on a dozen occasions during her tenure with the consulting firm, she was approached by clients specifically requesting her services for their work. They had also indicated that they would be willing to compensate her independently as an advisor. However, she felt that working for another person restricted her from being able to experiment freely with her own ideas. This, according to her, was stifling her performance, given that the nature of the work involved demanded high levels of creativity which for her meant "Giving expression to one's own spontaneous thoughts without getting caught in a traditional routine."