Ep. 1 - Pilot

Why am I doing this?

I have asked myself this numerous times. I still don’t have a concrete answer. The nerves, fear of embarrassment, fear of failure, and some good old imposter syndrome were all forms of Resistance. Resistance that was holding me back from pursuing what I wanted, and ultimately, what I’m capable of. But, I’ll try to articulate my why.

First, for those who don’t know, I started my career with a large financial institution and then transitioned to a ‘Big Four’ accounting and consulting firm where I earned my CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant) designation. Nearing the end of my time with the firm I knew I wanted to do something different. I hated the grind culture. I hated the ‘ass in chair’ mentality. And, to be brutally honest, I didn’t see what all the fuss was about. Like many people I know who work at professional services firms (accounting, consulting, investment banking, etc.) I struggled with the feeling of value. Were we actually offering value? Or were we just part of this system that is too big to fail? Another box to tick on the resume, basically.

So, this got me thinking. What could I do? As a freshly minted CPA I felt like there should be more out there. I didn’t want to pursue a traditional accounting position. I assumed I would be bored after the first two months (or two days). However, during this time there was no one to look to for inspiration or guidance. I’m sure there have been talented people that left similar firms and pursued life-changing dreams, but I never saw any of it. And if I did, these individuals were much older. Although they are great mentors, there is something different about watching and witnessing a person grow that was, or is in, a similar position as you. It provides motivation. And It makes it real. Plus, you witness failures, set-backs, embarrassment, and hopefully, the great successes.

So, I made a very conscious decision to build in public. No matter what I decided to pursue. What I mean by this is, I wanted to give people a snippet into what it’s like to start your own business after leaving such a structured and safe enterprise. Showing the sexy and unsexy version of starting your own venture. This stems from one of my biggest issues within the entrepreneurial space - the fakes. The people who show all their wins (although I am even skeptical of those) and no losses. No speed bumps. No admin work. This is just not true. And if it is, and you know someone that started a successful business and didn’t have one set-back - please introduce me.

The rollercoaster ride that entrepreneurs face is something I will discuss at length. I thought I ‘got it’ before I started. But I was very, very wrong. It is truly something no one will ever grasp until they do it. However, one of the goals of this blog is to provide you with as much information and insight as possible into the inner workings and battles during those beginning months and years.

My second why, is it's the first time I have felt alive and empowered with my work. I don’t mean this in a dark way. Overall, I consider myself a happy and grateful person. However, while I was climbing the corporate ladder, I didn’t have the same energy I was used to. It would come in waves, but I was starting to lose it. I remember thinking to myself one day after a string of long-hours, rigorous travel, and impossible deadlines;

‘what the fuck am I doing?’

This was not a trivial or rhetorical question. I meant it in the truest sense. Like what the absolute fuck was I doing everyday? That was in May, 2020. From that moment on I started laying the groundwork. It was my ‘Fuck This’ moment (if you haven’t, you HAVE to read MJ DeMarco’s book, Millionaire Fastlane - it is life changing). Trading forty years of my life going into an office and talking about things no one cares about in exchange for fifteen years of freedom? Terrible trade in my opinion.

Although I didn’t know it at the time, from May to August, 2020 I was laying the foundation for Elevate Financial Group.

I started meeting with numerous business leaders and owners, getting a feel for where my next fit would be. Then, after speaking to a few business owners it became clear. There was an underserved market that needed financial expertise, but couldn’t pay for a full-time employee. The rest was history. Elevate Financial was born. I will always be grateful for that first ‘yes’. I packed up on August 31st and officially started my new venture.

It has been a wild ride. Numerous ups and downs. Times when I feel on top of the world. And times when I want to light it all on fire and crawl into a hole. But I will take all of it - always. I have never felt more alive. And, I will never go back to the corporate world in the traditional sense.

So this is where I am at. I run a boutique Financial Advisory firm. We’re a small team. We’re scrappy. We aim to be lean. Higher impact projects, high margins, low overhead, nimble, flexible.

We have ambitious goals. Our goal for the end of 2021 is to do $300k ARR (on track as of Q1'2021). In 2022 our goal is $600k ARR. I’m confident we will get there. It will not be a straight path. It’s already taken many turns.  But the purpose of this newsletter is to highlight mistakes, wins, and everything in between.

Hopefully this will serve a sounding board. A place to share struggles and successes as we all navigate through our careers.

Thanks for joining - I appreciate it. ✌️