Your replies to "The REAL REASON You Started Your Accounting Practice"​

Thanks to everyone who replied to my recent message about the real reasons you started your accounting practice.

I usually ask for explicit permission before sharing responses, but this time, there were too many to make that practical.

(If you see your answer below and feel overexposed, let me know—I’ll remove it from the web version.)

With that said…

Here’s what folks from the daily list and LinkedIn had to say about why they started their business (lightly edited for brevity, clarity, and anonymity):

  • I wanted to help small business owners and didn’t want to take advantage of them.

  • Freedom—mostly with time and deciding how to spend it.

  • To be responsible—for the content of my work and for my own life.

  • To be in control. I spent 20+ years in banking, survived one merger, and wasn’t so lucky in another.

  • To share the gospel of Christ through my service to others.

  • As a working mom, I needed control over my schedule so I could be home with my kids. It gave me the balance I needed during those years.

  • I love the flexibility to be deeply involved with my kids while still working and being a professional. I LOVE that I can contribute to my community because I make my own rules. 😊

  • The income and lifestyle I want—while serving those I’m uniquely talented to help.

  • The triangle of freedom—time, location, and financial.

  • I enjoy systems and processes. I wanted to build something myself and have full accountability for my service.

  • Time and location freedom. No commute. No office politics. No a**-kissing. No waiting until year-end to see if I get a 10% bonus.

  • Helping people while making a living. Also, I don’t have to be “green” on Teams just because my manager is online.

  • I thought I knew better than the firm leaders I worked for. I was partially right, partially wrong—but I’d never go back to having a boss.

  • Independence and a chance to build my own legacy. Pursuing a vision beyond the confines of a job.

  • I got tired of working tons of hours to put money into someone else's back pocket. I didn’t mind the hours, but I should be rewarded for them. Once, I worked solo on a project that earned my firm $1.2 million—I got a $5K bonus.

  • I started my own practice when I realized my boss was relying on me to do all the heavy lifting—while he lived his best life off my labor. It took two years of a learning curve, but now, five years in, I’m creating a practice that allows me to live my best life—without exploiting others. I pay my employee well and give her flexibility, and while I’m still working too much, I’m getting closer to a client base that maximizes both income and freedom.

  • The freedom of time. Setting my own schedule. Controlling my day. Plus, more work = more money. In a firm? 65+ hours didn’t always mean more pay.

  • Adding value to my client’s business was my main reason.

  • Because life’s too short to work like an accountant. I wanted to give better advice to my clients and save our industry by creating a better way to work.

  • I was fired—in a particularly damaging way. I never wanted anyone to have that kind of power over my life again.

  • A mix of all of the above. We live in the age of the entrepreneur—resources are everywhere, and starting your own thing has never been easier.

  • Three big reasons:

    1. To build the accounting job I could never find and the team I was never able to build under someone else.

    2. To have the autonomy to improve systems, processes, and client experience.

    3. To make a real impact—solving problems and making accounting information useful for clients.

  • I call it as I see it. Some felt I didn’t play well with others.

…

Again and again, I hear business owners talk about wanting:

  • Freedom

  • Flexibility

  • Control

  • To make a difference

And when it comes to money, the sentiment isn’t “I want to be a gabillionaire”—it’s “I want to generate the revenue I need to live comfortably.”

…

Thank you again to all who replied.

Stay tuned for the next question tomorrow.

 
 

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Geraldine Carter