Why my own firm? How many people, when given well-paying jobs at fantastic large firms would want to give that up for all the work that starting and running a small business entails? Why us? It’s simple, really - Nearly 70% of Americans report that they are “unhappy” in their job. I didn’t intend to be one of them, and neither should you.
I had my first opportunities to work in management during college as the head men's basketball manager and as the Residence Life Coordinator for the eastern region of campus.
When I entered my first marketplace job at an accounting firm in Atlanta at age 23, I already knew what it meant to lead a team, have a forward-thinking vision, handle crisis situations, take up the slack, and be accountable when jobs were not completed or were done poorly. It was difficult to transition from that into a low-level entry position. With my abilities, I could have had a stronger impact in obtaining and retaining more clients and improving quality of life for all those affected by that business. Instead, I had to work so many hours doing generic accounting work that I couldn’t focus my energies where I wanted to – growing and expanding that firm. I later transitioned to working for a large publicly traded corporation in internal audit and was met with the same resistance. In spite of this, I am still grateful for the opportunity to learn first-hand about how large organizations operate.
So, I left and moved to the west coast, where I started working for another firm as a corporate external auditor, but also set up a legal entity and started doing individual taxes for friends, and then friends of friends. I eventually quit my full-time job to devote all of my attention to growing my rapidly expanding business (which is a different story which I will share at a different time, I promise! Just stay with me here…) As my skills and network of contacts grew, I was able to hire employees and begin doing small business taxes; we are now moving into middle-market businesses. Finally, after years of working (and over-working!) at jobs where I really wasn’t happy, I have found something I truly enjoy. Going to work is not just a means to an end – it’s part of who I am, not just from 9-5.
I don’t want to find job satisfaction for just myself, either. From my personal experience in the accounting world at large, I know how mistreated and overworked the average accountant can be, so I want my employees to be able to find their passion and joy in what we do, rather than having to seek it outside of work hours. I strive to accomplish this by making sure employees are financially compensated for every single hour worked (no free overtime!), which means I stay tuned in to how much time they are putting into the company. If it starts to seem like an excessive amount of hours, I make sure to have a conversation with them about it - Are they maintaining a good work/family balance? Do they feel like they have too much work to accomplish in the average work week? Do I need to divide up assignments differently? I may even find out that they are bringing more value to the company than I realized, and it’s time for a pay raise! I hope that by doing this, we can retain employees for the long haul, which in turn deepens the long-term relationships between us and our clients.
Starting was my path to something more than just “job security” or “financial peace”. I get to do what I am passionate about, which is helping business owners grow the businesses that they are passionate about. I’m not unusual, I’m just a guy that decided I wanted to live a life that I was excited to wake up to every morning, that didn’t want to be in the “70%” anymore. What about you?
