Tim Pike, Audit Partner with Howard LLP, joined us for this week’s episode of Life In Accounting: The Where Accountants Go podcast.
It was too much paperwork…
In an interesting initial twist to this interview, we learn that Tim actually started out to be a physical therapist early in life. However, when he interned in the field he realized that there was more repetitive paperwork than he really wanted on an ongoing basis in the physical therapy profession so he decided to look elsewhere. We laugh a little in the interview given that he settled on accounting after deciding that he wanted less paperwork… but truly what it was that drew him to the profession was the higher level of diversity in servicing client needs overall.
What it means to be “Partner”
I felt that one of the most valuable parts of the interview was the discussion of what it truly means to be a “partner” in a CPA firm. Tim discusses how many people initially simply think of it as a managerial and profit sharing position, but in reality it means that you are an owner in the business. We also discuss what it takes to be successful as a partner in a firm, and among other items Tim highlights that communication and listening skills are two of the most important attributes.
Trust your gut
When you get to the ‘biggest mistake’ portion of the audio interview, you are going to hear Tim be very transparent and open about an audit issue he faced early in his career. Given the business climate we have had in recent years, I really appreciated that he shared this story. If you are considering going into public accounting of any kind, audit or tax, there is a good lesson to be learned from his experience. Make sure you don’t miss that part of the interview.
Stay tuned in the next couple weeks as we do a 2-part series on forensic accounting as well. We have two individuals joining us from an Austin area firm to share their experience in that field.
Have a great week! There’s more to come…
Mark Goldman CPA
President – Where Accountants Go
www.WhereAccountantsGo.com
If you found this episode beneficial and haven’t subscribed yet, please visit https://whereaccountantsgo.com/blog/ and click on the orange “Subscribe” button in the upper right hand corner to be notified every time we post new content. Thank you!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS
