Would you turn down a job offer to start your own business? Most people would take the safe route – but not Nikole. Nikole Mackenzie is a CPA and owner of Momentum Accounting in the San Fransisco Bay Area. She started Momentum Accounting last year and hasn’t looked back (well maybe once or twice). But Nikole’s story is inspirational, especially for anyone who’s ever thought of starting their own accounting practice.

Starting Out Small

Nikole started her career at a small accounting firm where she attributes a fair amount of her success to her diverse experience. Starting at a small firm allowed her to get both tax and audit experience, but doing tax returns all day wasn’t what Nikole wanted to do for the rest of her career.

Luckily, her firm developed an outsourced accounting group which Nikole was more than happy to jump aboard. This broad range of experience in such a short period of time gave her all the tools necessary to be a resourceful, outsourced accountant.

Taking the Leap

Nikole was ready to make the transition into private accounting as a manager when a fellow CPA referred her to a client. The client was big enough to start her own practice and Nikole took the leap into entrepreneurship.

But the hardest part about entrepreneurship is that every decision is your own, according to Nikole.

“There’s no manager or partner to ask… it’s all on me. But the funny thing is, I’ve realized I’m much more capable of making decisions and figuring things out than I ever knew.”

This is her first entrepreneurial venture and she’s learned a tremendous amount about her business, and about herself in the process. Whether it be getting clients through referrals, LinkedIn, Facebook or other sources, Nikole said her business development plans are a work in progress.

Albeit, Nikole is developing standard procedures and is always looking for ways to improve her business. She hired employees to give her more time to focus on big picture issues like how to better service clients and grow the practice over the next 5 to 10 years.

What is Momentum Accounting?

Momentum Accounting is a boutique accounting practice focused on providing premium service to select clientele. Nikole and her staff provide bookkeeping and controller/CFO services to businesses and high net worth individuals using the latest solutions in cloud accounting.

Her goal is to simplify business owner’s lives by integrating systems to streamline day-to-day tasks like paying bills, processing payroll, taking customer payments, and managing inventory. Whether you are looking to fill a gap in your current company accounting structure or you are a start-up in need of training and process implementation, Nikole has your back to help your business grow.

Vision For the Future

Nikole’s vision for Momentum Accounting is to grow it into a full-scale outsourced accounting and tax firm while offering more back office solutions.

“I think in 5 years I’ll probably have a lot of grey hairs. In 10 years, I think I’ll probably be doing something completely different, but I have no idea what. Hopefully I’ve made a deal with Mark Cuban on Shark Tank by then.”

Final Thoughts

When asked, “What advice would you give your younger self?” Nikole responded with:

“Have more confidence in yourself and don’t be afraid to speak up.”

And when asked, “What would you ask your older self?” her response was short but to the point:

“I would ask about changes in technology and how it has impacted the role of accountants.”

You can find Nikole on LinkedIn here or you can visit her company webpage at momentumaccounting.com.