TheirWay: Exploring What Makes Entrepreneurial CPAs Tick.

• Author: English, Damien B.M.

Being an entrepreneur is not for everybody. It can be daunting. The uncertainty frightening. And the steps between leaving the comfort of an established firm to strike out on one's own can seem like leaps. Still, as technology evolves and becomes a larger part of the accounting profession, it's becoming more common for CPAs to tap the entrepreneurial fountain and start their own businesses. Why? Reasons vary from having the freedom to shape the business after their own values to hand picking the clients they want to serve.

If they are successful, that is.

To get a better idea of what reaching that success takes for those members who may be considering taking this leap, I spoke with five, successful entrepreneur CPAs to find out what makes them tick, and ask what advice they may have for those following in their footsteps.

Karina Gharibian, CPA: Just Jump In

Owner, KMG Accounting and Consulting

Gharibian was a tax associate at Moss Adams LTP and spent a number of years at the IRS before striking out on her own.

"I had been at the IRS almost seven years and I couldn't believe how fast the time had gone," she says. "I loved my time at the IRS--I enjoyed every part of it--I just wanted something different. I didn't exactly know what that change was, but I had done a lot of different things at that point and it seemed like entrepreneurship was the right move for me. In my work with taxpayers at the IRS, I knew that I would be of more help on the other side of the divide, helping them."

There really was no transition period for Gharibian. She just told her boss she was going to take a safari in Africa and, after that, start her own business.

"I felt like those two things were going to go hand in hand. I remember thinking I don't want to talk to anyone about my decision because I don't want to change my mind. The unknown factor of it was really powerful for me; I wanted to be in a position where I didn't have all the answers anymore."

Gharibian just successfully finished her first tax season and says it has been exciting. "I'm still learning a lot--you learn on a daily basis."

Through all this, Gharibian says CalCPA has helped her tremendously. "One of the things I did very early on is join the CalCPA Technology Committee and our first meeting was up north at Microsoft right before tax season, which was a great start to my year," she says. "Then I joined as a board member of the LA Chapter and, in doing so, continued to build this safety net where...