I didn’t plan any of this. 

My path into financial services wasn’t strategic. It wasn’t the result of a four-year degree or a carefully mapped career plan. A financial advisor took a chance on me early in my career, I got licensed in 2000, and I jumped in with both feet. What followed was 25 years in wealth management, complex compliance frameworks, multi-million-dollar technology implementations, building processes that had to work flawlessly across multiple offices and states. 

I loved the challenge of turning chaos into clarity. And somewhere along the way, without a college degree, I built a career that most people spend four years in school preparing for. 

The truth is: I stayed longer than I probably should have. 

Once you’re experienced and licensed in wealth management, they pay you well. And without a college degree, I couldn’t find anything else that came close, including the things I secretly dreamed about. Event planning paid half of what I was making, with brutal hours and heavy travel. So, I stayed. I was good at it, I loved parts of it, but sometimes I felt stuck. 

Enter: Nordic Sky 

My husband Adam has spent 25+ years in the MSP world, as a technician, CEO, and now as an IT business coach. For years, I watched him work with incredibly talented business owners who were brilliant at solving their clients’ problems but had no idea if their own businesses were actually profitable. 

• “Which services are making us money?” 
• “When can we afford to hire?” 
• “Why does it feel like we’re busy but broke?” 

And I kept thinking: I can help them! 

That’s how Nordic Sky was born. Not from a formal business plan, but from a conversation between a husband and wife who realized their combined decades of experience added up to something genuinely valuable, and that small business owners deserved access to it. 

He’s the Visionary. I’m the Details. 

Working with Adam is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. He’s the big picture thinker, the one who sees around corners and gets excited about what’s possible. I’m the one who figures out exactly how we get there, every step, every detail, every contingency plan. 

It works beautifully. He just needs to run everything by me before executing. 😉 

The best part of working together so far? Lunch. One or two times a week, we actually sit down and eat together. After years of grabbing food at my desk, that alone feels like freedom. 

The Part of Me Nobody Sees in a P&L 

Here’s something that might surprise you: if my life had taken a different turn, I might have been an event coordinator. 

All throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to plan events, from intimate client dinners of 6 people to large multi-day, out-of-state offsites for 250 people including advisors, spouses, vendors & executives where juggling hotel contracts, dinners, multiple activities, speeches, swag & awards ceremonies were the norm. I loved every single minute. 

What I learned is that great events are built on invisible work. Most people have no idea what goes into transforming a blank space into a wow moment (and then back to a blank space) in just a few hours or days. Planning will often start months, maybe even a year or more in advance!  

Moments that stay with me are the sincere thank yous that are given. At the end of the night if I have a hard time cleaning up or leaving an event because everyone is stopping me, that is a good night. If I can get people to stop and look at details at an event, I consider it a job well done. It captured their attention. Especially if they are smiling and pointing things out to others. Dietary needs have a special place in my heart, my sister has food allergies, I take great pride in helping with allergies, preferences, aversion etc. One guest I had told me they didn’t want a meal, it was too big of a deal. They would just drink water. After a conversation I told them I could work with their needs and would personally work with the chef. When they arrived, I greeted them, walked them through their adjusted menu privately and made note of where they were seated and had their meal walked out with all the other plates. After dinner, they sought me out. They were in tears. They told me it was the first time they had ever attended a dinner and felt like a normal guest. 

That’s what I’m chasing in everything I do. Not applause. That feeling of knowing someone felt truly seen and taken care of. 

I’ve carried that same energy into volunteer work over the years, hosting food drives, making tie blankets for animal hospitals, volunteering at Second Harvest Heartland, Feed My Starving Children or Be The Match. My favorite was serving as a Medtronic Marathon water stop captain for three years, overseeing 200 volunteers at a single water stop. Two hundred volunteers. One water stop. I was absolutely in my element. 

What I’m Building and Why 

Right now, Nordic Sky represents freedom. The freedom to work the way I want to, to set my own schedule, and to build something that’s truly mine, ours. 

But the vision goes further than that. 

I want Nordic Sky to grow into something that creates real opportunity for others. I want to hire bookkeepers and help them build careers. I want to support people pursuing accounting degrees or CPA licenses. I want to be the kind of company that takes a chance on someone, because someone once took a chance on me. 

A Little More About Me 

When I’m not building financial puzzles for clients, you’ll find me: 

Reading obsessively. I read over 200 e-books on my Kindle app last year, plus 15+ audiobooks. Always happy to swap recommendations. 

At bar trivia with our friends. I show up for the people. Adam shows up to win. His knowledge of random facts is astounding; it’s the only reason we stay competitive. 

Being a proud mom of three grown boys who are out in the world doing their thing and making me proud every day. 

Volunteering in my community. Right now, that means supporting neighbors and families affected by Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities. Showing up when it matters has always been part of who I am. 

Let’s Connect 

If you’re a service-based business owner who’s ready for a true financial partner, someone who brings both expertise and heart to the table, I’d love to talk. 

At Nordic Sky, we come alongside you. We help you make better decisions, achieve your goals, and build something you’re proud of. 

You deserve more than reconciled accounts and a P&L. You deserve the confidence that comes from true financial clarity. 

Schedule a Consultation

Tassy Hannemann is the co-founder of Nordic Sky, a bookkeeping and consulting firm serving MSPs and service-based businesses in the Twin Cities and beyond.