Every female CPA has a story – we all have a journey we’ve taken to get us to where we are now. Not only is Jen’s CPA journey fascinating, but she has a lot to share about how CPA MOMS® works and how it can help talented CPA’s as well as the businesses that want to work with them.
Jen didn’t have a “typical” road as a CPA. She didn’t start out thinking she wanted to be an accountant and didn’t initially go to school for it. But somewhere along the way, all that changed.
Her unique CPA story took her from the United States to Australia, to Mexico and back to the United States, eventually ending up at CPA MOMS®.
This week on the podcast Jen and I discuss how she came to be a CPA, what she’s learned along the way, what she wishes schools would integrate into educational programs and all the amazing things she does as Placement Manager at CPA MOMS®.
During the interview we discuss:
- Jen did not have a “typical” start in her accounting education
- She began her education in Finance and was encouraged to pursue Accounting from the real estate company she was working for
- Once she passed the CPA exam, she had various roles in real estate on the corporate side but admits that she got burned out from going to school, studying for the CPA exam and working
- She struggled and stuck with it for a few years, but the struggle pushed her to gain some self awareness about what drains her and gives her energy
- She reflects on when she eventually met with Mayumi, the CEO of CPA MOMS®, years later; she interviewed for an accounting manager role but Mayumi was able to see through her “canned” answer about what she liked about accounting
- By having Jen take a special personality test, Mayumi knew that Jen wasn’t being fulfilled in what she believed she “should” be doing
- But when she first realized, after passing the CPA exam, that she might not want to be a CPA full-time, she went back to school to be a school counselor, however, she discovered that that was not what she wanted either
- By doing the day-to-day practical applications in the role of school counselor, it showed her that it wasn’t the direction she really wanted to go
- She believes that children should be introduced, as early as middle school, to the opportunity to get practical experience in different fields of study before they spend tens of thousands of dollars on an education that they wind up not resonating with in the end
- After moving to places like Australia and Mexico while waiting for her fiance to get a visa for the U.S., working in various positions and eventually driving 3 hours to work everyday, crossing the border from Mexico to the U.S., she knew she needed to find something virtually and that’s when she found CPA MOMS®
- She is currently the Placement and Events Manager at CPA MOMS®
- She explains that there are so many pathways for CPA’s and businesses to work with CPA MOMS®
- People ask “What does CPA MOMS® offer?” but she explains that it’s more like “What does CPA MOMS® NOT offer?”
- They are considered the eHarmony of the accounting world, matching talented accountants with business owners, as well as supporting solopreneurs or accountants in a corporate environment looking to build their own practice, providing virtual employment opportunities for employees and more
- The CPA MOMS® business model has proven to be so successful over the last 10 years that they are launching franchise opportunities
- They provide “Done For You” placements where all the candidates are completely screened, pre-qualified, social media deep dives and background checks are done; she takes the most time consuming aspects of hiring someone and takes it off the business owner’s already long list of things to do
- CPA MOMS® is about to launch a “Do It Yourself” directory where a business can go online and select from a directory of pre-screened candidates who are available by industry, level of expertise, specialization, hourly rate, etc.
- To get on the directory, a CPA candidate must go through an in depth screening process
- They provide education and guidance for any solopreneur looking to start a practice or expand their current practice, saving them a lot of time and money in the process
- Jen’s advice for other female CPA’s is – maintain health boundaries and self-care; her favorite quote from The Alchemist is “When you say yes to others, make sure you’re not saying no to yourself”
- You can check out all the pathways to become a part of CPA MOMS® by going to www.cpamoms.com
- Jen Bastian, CPA can also be contacted at jen.bastian@cpa-moms.us