Sandi Smith Leyva from the Plano area joined us for this episode of Life In Accounting, a podcast production of Where Accountants Go. We explore how her career path started in accounting and has now ended up with her owning companies focused on marketing technology and training. We also delve into some of her personal pursuits such as traveling around the world co-piloting a single engine airplane, and also visiting over 100 countries!
Started in Industry
Sandi mentions this at one point, but it’s a detail that may have escaped us otherwise had she not pointed it out. Sandi started her career in bookkeeping roles for private companies, and then transitioned into a position with Frito-Lay in Dallas as an assistant to their Controller. Although she became a CPA early in her career, she never worked in public accounting and doesn’t seem to regret it. There is a lesson in here for all soon-to-be-graduates. Public accounting can be an excellent way to start a career, but it’s just one path. There are many opportunities in industry that can get you off to a healthy start as well if you find the right position and still continue to pursue certification.
Laid Off – A New Beginning
In 1992, Sandi was laid off from her job at that point and took the opportunity to start her own business. With her background in IT and training, she got into the computer training business and eventually into website development. As of today about half of her business is in digital marketing, with another substantial piece being in professional training. While lay-offs can obviously be difficult, they also can create opportunities that we otherwise may not explore!
“What’s Stopping You?”
In the later part of the episode, Sandi mentions that the best piece of advice she ever received was actually more of a concept – the concept of “What’s Stopping You?” Make sure you listen in to the entire episode as this occurs near the end. I think if we all applied the “What’s Stopping You” concept to our own lives, we would all end up achieving many, many more of our dreams than we realize.
I hope you enjoy this episode with Sandi Smith Leyva. To find her online, visit www.accountantsaccelerator.com or www.acceleratorwebsites.com .
Other episodes that may interest you: 033: Carolyn Newman, CPA & Owner of Audimation
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