March 19, 2023

Transformation Talks Podcast: Author Your Own Story Not Subject to Others’ Control and Opinions

By: Center For Accounting Transformation / podcast
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Paralysis by analysis plagues the profession.

Chase Birky did what any college senior does: look for that first prestigious job. And he found it, fortunately, with a Big 4 in auditing.

“Pretty quickly into my tenure at Deloitte, I just realized, you know, audit, as a discipline, was not really resonating with me,” Birky said. “It wasn’t really something that I felt like my interests and my skill set aligned well with.”

A chance encounter with a college friend led to forming a new partnership, where Birky could expound upon his knowledge base.

It’s one thing to critique a dish of food at a restaurant, it’s another thing to prepare it, and you don’t always appreciate that until you’re on the actual preparation side.

“Over the course of a couple of years, [I] learned a lot in the tax field because that was new to me, at least from a practice standpoint, at that point,” he explained. “So I was really just absorbing myself as much as I possibly could on the tax side and trying to translate my audit skills into actually being able to be on the preparation side.

He continued, “Because it’s one thing to critique a dish of food at a restaurant, it’s another thing to prepare it, and you don’t always appreciate that until you’re on the actual preparation side.”

While he learned quite a bit, he said he still felt the fit wasn’t right and, after a few years, decided to start his own firm. However, this isn’t just any CPA firm.

He said, “The idea of, you know, what could we do that would be just totally different, out of the box, that would allow folks to do what I’m doing in a much easier way, a much more sophisticated way, you know, that would actually move the needle for them in a major way?”

In the latest episode of Transformation Talks, Guest Chase Birky discusses his career journey and the unique firm he started called Dark Horse CPAs.

Birky said the right fit is critical to professional and personal happiness, so it’s okay to accept when things don’t feel right.

“I don’t know if I’d be on the path that I’m currently on unless I wasn’t in situations that I was trying to actively escape,” he said.

Key Takeaways: 

  • Many of those in the next generation of CPAs are seeking a better career path and have been leaving the industry for some interesting reasons. 
  • Technology has enabled firms like Dark Horse to work smarter in a highly competitive labor market. 
  • Want to set your personal and business strategy in a meaningful way?  Write your own obituary. Begin with the end in mind. The real end. 

Read more about Chase Birky’s journey and the lessons he learned creating his successful company, Dark Horse, on  CPA Trendlines.

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