Alex Bulmer (Three Pillars Bookkeeping)

Alex Bulmer is the owner of Three Pillars Bookkeeping, an accounting firm in Forest Lake. 

From Brooklyn Park, Bulmer’s hometown afforded the opportunity to interact and socialize with people of all demographics. 

“I learned how to talk to a wide spectrum of people from all different backgrounds,” he says. 

“Really, people are just people. Regardless of how they look, if you treat them with kindness and respect, they will typically reciprocate.”

This ability to seamlessly mesh with anyone served Bulmer well, as he later secured a manager position at McDonald’s when he was just a teenager. 

“In high school, I was probably 5-10 years more advanced than my peers,” Bulmer posits.  

“I don’t say that egotistically. I just mean I was already fully entrenched in the business world.”

As Bulmer’s classmates were scurrying off to pep rallies or football games, he was hungry, figuratively searching for wisdom while simultaneously literally queuing up cheeseburgers and milkshakes for the behemoth entity that is McDonald’s. 

“I was more of the guy that was saying let’s go make some money,” says Bulmer, who also absorbed the intricacies of systems and processes while ensuring the golden arches’ operation flowed effectively. 

That operational experience served Bulmer well when at the ripe age of twenty he became a franchisee of Subway. 

For seven years, Bulmer produced meatball marinaras and significant revenue before then opening Big Apple Bagels in Forest Lake, a business that today is still fully functional and profitable. 

While manning Big Apple Bagels, Bulmer also purchased a bread company, which he later sold for a bagel contract. 

Then, as whole grains dominated his every day, Bulmer pivoted and started a bar with a business partner. 

“My partner had worked in the fire department, and he wanted someone with experience in the hospitality industry,” Bulmer recalls. 

Together, the duo successfully spearheaded the bar venture until 2019, when the highly ambitious Bulmer sold his stake in the bar to his business partner.  

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do at that point,” Bulmer admits.

“My wife was heavily, and still is heavily involved in Big Apple Bagels, and that was practically running itself. Since I wasn’t needed there, I had to find a different way to channel my entrepreneurial spirit.”

Some close to Bulmer suggested he become a business coach, but the Brooklyn Park native scoffed at that notion. 

“There are a lot of crazy coaches out there,” Bulmer says with a laugh, and he’s right, because one cannot scroll through Instagram or attend a local networking event without shaking hands with at least eighteen different self-proclaimed business “experts.” 

Bulmer is much too humble to anoint himself a guru, but with decades of data that indicates otherwise, there are many aspiring entrepreneurs who would benefit from his counsel. 

Yet, having opted against becoming a coach, Bulmer was still in search of his next undertaking. 

When a colleague proposed something in the finance sector, Bulmer quickly leaned into starting an accounting firm.

And this was in March 2020, so in many ways, Three Pillars Bookkeeping is a COVID baby, spurred by one man’s desire to leverage his business acumen in a way where clients would gain more than just access to his brain.

They would also receive bookkeeping and accounting services, as well as consultations from a resource who has endured the lonely and painstaking grind that is entrepreneurship. 

But first, he would need to acquire clients. 

“I remember I walked into BNI one day and I didn’t even have business cards,” Bulmer shares.  

“I just had a name: Three Pillars Bookkeeping.”

That day at BNI, a curious onlooker approached Bulmer and asked Bulmer when he started his accounting firm. 

“Five minutes ago,” Bulmer bluntly responded. 

“Do you have a card?” the BNIer asked. 

“I will next week,” Bulmer assured him, and five years later, Bulmer and Three Pillars have more than just business cards. 

They also have developed a stellar reputation for giving their clients financial clarity by offering full-service bookkeeping and accounting options so that their clients can rest easy and understand their numbers.

“At our core, we help businesses,” Bulmer emphasizes. 

“That’s key because when you open the books, you quickly realize the truth, which is that all businesses struggle.” 

Whether it’s sales, marketing, operations, or finances, Bulmer has learned that no business is immune to the inherent challenges the open market presents. 

Working off that, going into business may sound like a painful endeavor, a journey filled with enough stress that suddenly salting fries for a fast-food chain doesn’t seem so bad after all. 

“When businesses succeed, sometimes it’s just dumb luck,” says Bulmer, an intellectual who regularly dishes out axioms like “business is simple, but it isn’t easy.”

If luck plays a role in the success of a business, then it also contributes to the demise of companies.  

“When a business fails, sometimes it’s bad luck, sometimes it’s the owner’s own ignorance or stupidity, and sometimes they just can’t get out of their own way,” Bulmer explains. 

“Looking back on my career, I had to grow and evolve with my businesses, and some people don’t grow with their businesses. They stop at a certain point, and then their company suffers.”

Therefore, if you’re not elevating, you’re likely descending, plummeting to the depths of entrepreneurial purgatory where flatlining revenues often accompany halted personal development. 

“It never gets easier. There is always a new challenge awaiting, and to push through those ceilings, it takes a lot of effort, because business is difficult. I cannot emphasize that enough,” Bulmer says, the grays in his hair suddenly appearing brighter as we sip our beverages inside a Woodbury Starbucks. 

“Owning something is challenging, and a lot of times you are on an island and don’t have people to turn to for support or help; and since people don’t know your struggle, they can’t relate to what you’re going through or give you guidance.”

The path to whatever end goal an entrepreneur has is usually rocky, but fortunately Bulmer says there are things business owners can do to mitigate risk and ultimately give themselves a better chance at finding success. 

“Entrepreneurs have to know and understand what drives their businesses,” he stresses. 

“Knowing your KPI‘s [key performance indicators], being cognizant of how prices fluctuate, and generating sales, that’s all part of what business owners have to fully grasp and comprehend.”

Again, it sounds simple, and in many ways business isn’t quantum physics, but when you’re in the trenches every day, separating logic from emotion can feel next to impossible. 

At Three Pillars Bookkeeping, Bulmer gets that, because he has been there. 

Consequently, his clients can circumvent some of the despair he once encountered. 

“I come from having owned and operated businesses,” Bulmer says. 

“Yes, numbers are important, but that’s only a small part of what we focus on at my firm. There is also the human side of the business, and consulting people on all the other aspects of their business.”

Adds the sagacious Bulmer:

“We do so much more than just tell our clients that they made or lost money last quarter or last month. Many firms are just on the tax compliance side. They have a really deep understanding of rules and regulations, but they’re not always adept at consulting their clients, and that’s where we differentiate ourselves.”

At present, Bulmer and Three Pillars work with startups, all the way to established businesses, and they can offer different packages for all types of clients.  

“Are we the cheapest option?” Bulmer rhetorically asks. 

“No, we are not Walmart, but we’re also not the Cadillac of the industry. We are somewhere in the middle, and we offer a lot more than just accounting.” 

As a man who has built and sold multiple businesses, all while juggling several more, it’s fair to wonder how much longer Bulmer will rumble along the entrepreneurial highway.

As it relates to Three Pillars, Bulmer is not shy in admitting he could one day sell the firm, but he is also open to potentially franchising the brand and expanding into different markets.   

“Whether I end up turning Three Pillars into a franchise or selling this business, I truly don’t know,” he affirms, touching on the ever-fluid nature of business itself.  

“I enjoy learning and helping people, but I also want to be very methodical and intentional with how this company evolves, and that has me excited for the future.” QS

**

Today’s post is sponsored by Tiffany Daly of WIIN Insurance Agency!

On the personal side, Tiffany writes policies for home, auto, and umbrella insurance. 

For commercial insurance, WIIN writes policies for general liability, worker’s comp, commercial auto, umbrella, and cybersecurity.

Tiffany and WIIN are currently licensed in six states, including: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona, North Dakota, and Oklahoma.

To receive your free insurance estimate, call Tiffany today at (612)505-3329!