From Burnout to Freedom: My Journey to Building a CPA Firm I Love

I still remember the moment I knew I couldn't keep going. It was late at night, and I was sitting at my desk in a nearly empty office, catching up on audit work I'd been too busy to finish during the day. My vacation days had maxed out, my sick days went unused, and I was juggling responsibilities from both staff leaving below me and partners offloading work from above. I had been running on fumes for years, telling myself that this was just how public accounting worked. CPA burnout was normal, right?

But deep down, I knew this wasn't sustainable. I wasn't just exhausted - I was losing myself in a career that no longer felt like my own. That was the moment I realized I had two choices: continue down the path that was wearing me down, or take a leap and build something different.

Breaking Free from CPA Burnout

For years, I had followed the script that so many CPAs do - working my way up in a public accounting firm, taking on more responsibility, and proving my dedication through long hours. Promotions came, but without raises or recognition. The workload only grew, and turnover at the firm made it impossible to get ahead. Each time someone left, I absorbed their work, believing that if I just kept pushing, it would eventually get easier.

But CPA burnout doesn't work that way. It doesn't fix itself.

In 2022, I finally made the decision to leave my firm. I had no job lined up, no clear plan - just a deep certainty that I couldn't keep doing what I had been doing. I knew I wanted to stay in accounting, but on my own terms. I wanted a firm where I controlled my workload, worked efficiently, and built something that allowed me to actually enjoy my life.

Starting Over: Building My Own CPA Firm

Starting my own firm wasn't easy. In my first year, I took on one audit and some consulting work - enough to pay my bills, but a significant pay cut from my old job. But what I gained was priceless: time to breathe, time to heal, and the freedom to redefine what success looked like.

The next year, I doubled down on efficiency, automated processes, and streamlined my audit workflow. Instead of the 120-hour audits I had done at my old firm, I built systems that cut my audit time in half. I focused on the right clients, set clear boundaries, and finally started seeing the financial rewards of my work. By the end of the second year, I had grown my firm to 10 audits and increased my income to exceed what I had made in my old job, but with fewer hours and more freedom.

How I built a CPA Firm I Love

Breaking free from CPA burnout wasn't just about leaving my old firm - it was about intentionally building a practice that worked for me, not the other way around. Here's what made the biggest difference:

Success Without Sacrifice

For so long, I thought the only way to be successful in accounting was to sacrifice everything else - time, health, family, freedom. But that's not true. You don't have to choose between being a great CPA and having a life outside of work.

I built a firm I love because I refused to accept CPA burnout as the norm. And if you're feeling stuck in the same cycle I was, I want you to know - there's another way.

The first step? Decide that you deserve better.

Because you do.