Meet Ben Shor. Sedona’s Quickbooks Training Expert
Q: What inspired or led you to your current career?
A: I was in a family business for 15 years. I managed a lot of people, and was involved in all phases of the business. I felt like I could use those skills and help other small business people. A friend of mine knew a pharmacist who sold his pharmacy who had moved to Upstate New York close to where I was. He recommended me and the pharmacist hired me to help him set up his business. I became his business manager and I learned QuickBooks. I’ve been doing it ever since, over 20 years.
Q: Tell us what you do in Sedona?
A: I teach people how to use QuickBooks. So if they’ve never used it before I help them decide which version to buy, then I help them set it up, show them how to use it, that takes a number of sessions. Then I’m there to help them if they need continuing support. I also do bookkeeping for people.
Q: How long have you lived in Sedona and what brought you here?
A: I have lived here for six and a half years. 40 years ago I lived in Tucson, Arizona for about six months, I moved back to New York after that. I’d hiked everything in the Hudson Valley of New York where we were living and knew everything about the area and wanted a change. I was tired of the winters where I couldn’t hike. We visited Asheville, North Carolina where Cora grew up but we decided we didn’t want to move there. We visited Arizona, looked around and decided Sedona was the place.
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met in Sedona?
A: One person that comes to mind who isn’t here anymore is Jennifer Wesselhoff. She was just a warm person, very bright, very intelligent, a real leader, someone with good listening skills. I really admired her.
Q: If you could choose anyone (dead or alive) to have lunch with who would that be?
A: I’m listening to a tape about Abraham Lincoln now so he comes to mind. He dealt well with people, he was unpretentious and very smart. He did incredible things in his life.
Q: What one piece of advice were you given that changed your life?
A: I can’t say it was a piece of advice. When I was living in Tucson, I took a 10 week camping trip and traveled all around the west through all the National Parks. I remember walking into the desert in Arches National Park, and I had two realizations, One, what’s really special about the desert is everything’s important, since it’s so sparse. Every bush, every animal, even every little reptile. Two, I had an epiphany, I realized that I loved myself.
My life changed tremendously after that. I was so much more present with people, comfortable in my own skin.
Q: When a friend comes to visit you in Sedona, where do you take them?
A: I take them on a circular drive, down lower and upper Red Rock Loop Road. I take them down through Cornville and around through The Village of Oak Creek and then back around to West Sedona. Depending upon their hiking ability, I take them on certain hikes.
Q: How would your closest friend describe you?
A: Just a good guy.
Q: What advice would you give to a crowd of people?
A: The first thing that comes to mind is to vote for Democrats, ha-ha.
Q: What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
A: I don’t know if it’s interesting but I was homeless and ended up in a psychiatric hospital with depression long time ago.
Q: What three words come to mind when you think of the word “home”?
A: I Love It.
Q: Anything I have not asked you that you’d like someone to know about you?
A: In terms of my business, in 2019, I won an award called Sedona Chamber Customer Service Excellence Award. With an 800 member Chamber, I won with a landslide.
