Ozarks Small Business Incubator (OzSBI) congratulates local entrepreneur and CPA Sarah Drago on the opening of her new accounting practice, Drago Accounting, now serving individuals, small businesses, and organizations from her own downtown location at 230 W. Main Street in West Plains.
After building experience in a local CPA firm, Sarah took the leap into business ownership and reports stronger early demand than expected—including steady walk-in traffic and a busy tax season—while continuing to pursue monthly bookkeeping clients and expanded nonprofit work.
“I’m an accountant—numbers, projections, and bookkeeping are what I do well,” said Drago. “But I knew I needed a professional website right away so people could look me up, see that I’m legitimate, and understand what we do before they ever pick up the phone.”
Website Development Scholarship helped launch a professional online presence
To support that critical early visibility, Drago received an OzSBI Website Development Digital Impact Scholarship through OzSBI’s Brand Building & Digital Impact program. The program provides $1,000 in website development scholarship funding to qualifying small business owners and connects recipients with local professional web developers.
Drago worked with Idyllic Solutions, owned by Katie Vetter, a program partner specializing in brand-focused websites on the Squarespace platform.
“Katie sat down with us once for about an hour and then—honestly—she just magically created a beautiful website,” Drago said. “When I saw it, my first thought was: this is exactly what I wanted and never knew I needed. It was one huge piece of opening a business that got taken off my plate by an expert.”
OzSBI created the Brand Building & Digital Impact program after receiving support from Rural LISC through Mastercard Strive to help area small businesses strengthen brand identity, marketing, and digital presence—especially when early-stage budgets are tight.
Early results: strong demand, break-even progress, and growth runway
In recent follow-up meetings with OzSBI, Drago shared that the new office is already seeing encouraging traction:
- More walk-in activity than anticipated, especially during tax season
- Growing word-of-mouth referrals
- Improved business stability
- Clear runway for growth, including capacity to take on more bookkeeping clients and specialized engagements like nonprofit financial review work
OzSBI support: structure, accountability, and a trusted sounding board
Drago emphasized that OzSBI’s guidance helped translate an abstract goal into a step-by-step plan.
“I came to OzSBI because I needed a sounding board I could trust—actionable plans, honest feedback, and confidentiality,” she said. “When you’re starting out, you know what you want to do, but the roadmap isn’t there. OzSBI helped lay it out in a neat little package and empowered me to take the first step.”
“Sarah’s story is exactly why we built this program,” said Autumn Shirley, Business Development Director at OzSBI. “A solid website and clear brand presence aren’t ‘nice-to-haves’ anymore—they’re basic infrastructure for being found and trusted. We’re proud to support local entrepreneurs like Sarah as they build sustainable businesses right here in our region.”
About OzSBI’s Brand Building & Digital Impact Program
OzSBI’s Brand Building & Digital Impact initiative includes support for website development and long-term brand-building strategies, including a website development scholarship and options for discounted radio brand-building campaigns through Ozark Marketing. More information is available at ozsbi.com/brand-building. The deadline to apply is May 15, 2026.
About Drago Accounting
Drago Accounting is a CPA practice serving clients in West Plains and the surrounding area. The firm is located at 230 West Main Street, West Plains, MO 65775 and can be found online at dragoaccounting.co
