Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendy Wessel.
Hi Wendy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Back in 2004, I was unexpectantly laid off from my job as a bookkeeper/office manager. I didn’t know what to do, or how my husband and I would make up the lost income. We were living paycheck to paycheck with two kids. I pulled into the Walmart parking lot and just sat there and had a good cry. I left determined to never allow myself to be in that situation again.
I took a part-time job with a CPA firm, which eventually became full-time, and went back to college to become a CPA. Over 4 years, I worked full-time, with teenage kids, while going to school full-time. Thank goodness for my grandmother who helped me and my husband with the kids.
I realized that I was never going to have my dream career in the little town of Alpena, Michigan. My husband and I (married 31 years now) made the decision of our life. Our kids were in college, and we were determined to never be a couple that said, “someday”. We decided to leave behind the small-town life and move to Nashville. Within 30 days, we packed up our life and started over. I initially worked at KraftCPAs and then a small tax boutique firm called Kraft & Company, before landing my dream job, working for myself. Dark Horse CPA’s is a unique CPA firm that gives CPAs the structure and support system to run your own firm. It’s an amazing company and I’m lucky to be a principal owner in it, running my own office here in Nashville. Dark Horse is a remote accounting firm, but a year ago, I was able to rent office space in the new Neuhoff development in Germantown. From small town accountant to a Nashville CPA with an office in one of the coolest buildings in Nashville.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s hard to become a CPA and pass the exam, much less when you are working full-time with teenagers. I was fortunate to have an amazing husband and family. There were times when my kids had to put sports on the back burner, to allow me the time to study. Back then the passing rate of the CPA exam was historically low, so there were plenty of failures. It’s hard when you give up so much time with family, only to tell them you failed and have to do it again.
You don’t need to be a CPA to have a great career, and I had plenty of friends trying to talk me into going into corporate accounting, where there’s traditionally better paying jobs with less stress, but I refused to quit. The day I passed the final section of the CPA, I sat on the floor and cried while calling my husband and kids. After all the times that I had to tell them that I failed, I finally was able to able to tell them I did it.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a CPA that specializes in helping small businesses and high net worth individuals, with bookkeeping and taxes.
At Dark Horse, we preach client relationships. The biggest complaint out there from small businesses owners is that their CPA never responds to calls or emails. We pride ourselves on responding and interacting with our clients throughout the year. Our clients don’t just drop off their tax stuff at year-end. We have meetings quarterly to talk about their business and goals for the year.
The CPAs that make up Dark Horse, expand all across the USA and it allows me to have clients from anywhere from Hawaii to New Jersey, with a wealth of experience and knowledge that I can tap into. Then you add the Wealth Management division at Dark Horse, and you see the whole package we offer a small business owner. As your business grows, Dark Horse can grow with it, especially if you are expanding to other states.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Ai will be the biggest shift in the industry. During covid, there was a huge exodus from public accounting. This left most firms constantly searching for employees. This is still an issue today with fewer college kids coming into the industry. This has opened the door to more firms looking to Ai for basic tasks and entry level work.
At Dark Horse, we are embracing Ai. Not to replace employees, but to help CPAs reduce the workload. During tax season, it’s not uncommon for a CPA to work 50 to 80 hours a week for 4 straight months. If Ai can do some basic tasks, and reduce my workload by 5 hours a week, that adds up quickly.
Ai isn’t ready to prepare a tax return, yet, but it’s invaluable for tax research and basic tasks.
Pricing:
- I create a customized proposal for each of my clients. There is no one-size-fits-all pricing, because every small business has a different need.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://darkhorse.cpa/wendy-wessel-cpa/ and then another website at: https://darkhorse.cpa/franklin-cpa-firm/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-wessel-cpa-4399b011b/
