Ever since I can remember, I've been great at numbers and fascinated by the stories numbers can tell. They tell us where we've been, where we are, and where we could go. I didn't always want to be a numbers guy - in fact, in high school, when offered accounting as an elective, I told my counselor that I would never be caught in an accounting class let alone the profession. Oh if my counselor could see me now....
I've always wanted to help people and at first, I thought that meant I had to go into the medical field. However, I quickly realized that my squeamishness was a hurdle too high to overcome in that arena. So it was back to the drawing board. Obviously, there are hundreds of thousands of ways to help people outside of the medical field but, a young, 17 year-old Amer could not be convinced otherwise. But in all seriousness, this forced me to think about what I'm good at and where I can provide value. It wasn't long before I found my answer in the world of finance and accounting.
I discovered that my financial acumen could be a powerful tool in making a difference in people's lives. Beyond the balance sheets and tax filings, I saw an opportunity to help entrepreneurs navigate the complex and often daunting world of financial management. It was here, at the intersection of numbers and nurturing, that I found my true calling.
For my non-accountant friends, there are an endless array of opportunities in the accounting space. The problem is figuring out which one speaks to you. So I did what a lot of accounting majors do - I went to public accounting. I worked in tax as well as audit servicing all kinds of companies but still, didn't quite feel the pull. The vast majority of what I was doing was just compliance work - which is critical - but I knew I could provide more value than just compliance work. Enter the CFO services - an opportunity to provide real value to the organizations I work with. I can work with management to develop strategies for growth, automation, building our dashboards to measure KPIs and a slew of other benefits.
Don't get me wrong - these opportunities do exist in public accounting especially as more CPA firms emphasize advisory work over compliance work. For me though, I wanted to provide value to the organizations and industries I felt passionate about. I didn't want to discuss with my counselor what industries I wanted to work on or what services I wanted exposure to. I wanted to identify my niche and pursue it wholeheartedly. Given the unique challenges the cannabis industry faces (and my own personal ties to it - a story for another day), I felt drawn to provide value here. I felt like this is a place that I could actually make a difference for a change.
But with all that, I truly believe it just boils down to passion. Passion can change a job into a career. Agree?
