LILIANA GONZALEZ

Co-Founder

YOUR ACCOUNTING AND INDUSTRY EXPERT

Liliana is the heart and soul of our accounting operations, bringing over 10 years of hands-on experience and her Certified Accounting Analyst (CAA) credentials to ensure your finances are handled with unmatched precision and care. She's not just incredibly skilled—she genuinely cares about getting every detail exactly right, making her an essential partner for businesses in Santa Cruz and beyond.

What sets Liliana apart is her deep industry insight: she knows construction, agriculture, service industry, publishing, and non-profit work inside and out, understanding the unique challenges faced by local businesses because she's been supporting them for years. Fluent in both English and Spanish, she serves as a bilingual bridge, connecting seamlessly with our diverse Central Coast community in the language that feels most comfortable. As a detail detective, she ensures every transaction is recorded perfectly, every reconciliation is spot-on, and every report is delivered with the kind of meticulous attention that lets you rest easy. She's also a compliance champion, expertly managing tax prep, payroll processing, and regulatory requirements to help you avoid missed deadlines or costly mistakes. Tech-savvy and versatile, Liliana makes financial platforms like QuickBooks, NetSuite, Paychex, and ADP work together flawlessly.

Her specialties shine brightest in Santa Cruz, where she helps manage the specific financial challenges and opportunities in construction projects, service industries, agricultural operations, and nonprofits that are making a real difference in our community.

Liliana's passion for precision stems from the same foundation as her love for coastal adventures—she believes that when the groundwork is solid, everything else can truly flourish.

MIKAEL VELLONEN

Co-Founder

YOUR BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE PARTNER

Mikael brings a unique blend of strategic business acumen and deep analytics expertise to guide companies through complex financial landscapes and achieve sustainable growth. Holding a degree in accounting and boasting extensive experience in business intelligence and data analytics, he transforms datasets of all sizes into actionable insights using cutting-edge tools like Tableau and Power BI. His skills extend far beyond the numbers, with a proven track record in financial analysis, budgeting, payroll, forecasting, cash flow management, and business operations. Mikael has diverse experience working for big corporations and tech startups, as well as running his own businesses. From guiding local companies to deploying data-driven strategies, he merges analytical precision with hands-on business savvy to deliver tangible, measurable results.

There are always ways to improve your ROI. Most smaller companies aren't aware of the opportunities to save, such as tax benefits, streamlined expense tracking to cut unnecessary costs, or optimized cash flow management that frees up capital for growth. We also guide you through efficient payroll processing to avoid compliance pitfalls and penalties, and provide budgeting tools that forecast future needs with precision. By empowering local businesses with these insights, we all make Santa Cruz a better place to live. That's why we founded Salt & Ledger. – Mikael

When he's not empowering businesses with data-driven insights and strategic counsel, Mikael channels his passion into outdoor adventures—catching waves while surfing with his son, or exploring the mountains through backpacking, climbing, and fly fishing. He approaches these pursuits with the same dedication and enthusiasm that fuel his professional success.