Every CPA has a story – we all have a journey we’ve taken to get us to where we are. Every entrepreneur also has a story and journey as well.
This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Nissa Savage, CPA. Nissa is a mom of two boys and lives in Alaska. She comes from a background in private medical practice, medical groups, attorneys, and real estate investment industries.
Before becoming an accountant, Nissa was a professional mariner on vessels sailing in many regions of the world and is conversationally fluent in German.
During the interview we discuss:
- She graduated second in her high school class but decided to go to Europe instead
- She ended up in Germany and earning an economics degree but didn’t do anything with it
- She lived out of a sea-bag for awhile
- She was caring for a cousin in Seattle as they received cancer treatment and wound up in Alaska because of her mariner experience, working on Alaskan ferries
- She met her now husband and realized they couldn’t have a family if neither one was settled on land, with a land-based career
- She decided to get a Master’s Of Science in Accounting, online while sailing on various vessels
- She worked at both of the large firms in her area in Alaska
- She took the CPA exam but during that time gave birth to both of her boys
- She took her last exam when she was 8 months pregnant with her second child
- She struggled with balancing her accounting career with being a mom, especially since her husband was out at sea for long stretches of time
- She also struggled with working part-time and getting her CPA work requirements
- The second firm was so resistant to the idea of progressing with technology and value based billing, that she decided to leave
- It wasn’t a good fit for her, and although they were one of two firms in the area, she knew it wasn’t what she wanted
- She had been aware of CPA MOMS before the franchise opportunity
- She moved ahead with having her own firm as a CPA MOM franchisee
- She specializes in law firm accounting
- She is relieved to be able to have her firm designed the way she wants it and she gets to work with clients that she wants to work with
- She gets to manage her cash flow and her work flow
- Her first year experience was a little different than the other franchisees because her earlier struggles prepared her to set strict boundaries for herself
- She quickly realized that if Dad was at sea and Mom is home stressed, that’s not going to be good for her two boys if Mom is the only parent at home
- She slowed her leads with CPA MOMS so that she could reduce the chaos
- She spent some time building a team, managing her work flow, and getting her product dialed in
- She learned the do’s and don’ts along the way
- She’s ready to market and build her firm with the foundation she built over this last year
- She’s looking forward to continuing to grow her business and spend time with her family