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Firm Management

Cathy Iconis, CPA – 2015 40 Under 40 Honoree

This year’s 40 Under 40 honorees are among the best and brightest talent in the accounting profession. They are all active in the professional community, as well as in their local communities, where many are small business owners and employers.

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Cathy Iconis, CPA – 35

CEO + Client Finance Director
Iconis Group
Atlanta, GA

Twitter: @CathyIconis

 

What is the name of one book that has been a great influence to you?

When I started my firm, I bought Michelle Long’s Successful QuickBooks Consulting book. It gave me an idea on how many operate in this industry and it convinced me to join the Intuit ProAdvisor Program which has had a substantial impact on my firm and career.

In what ways have you contributed to your firm/company to make it better?

I created my firm with a vision of being able to connect small businesses to their numbers. So many owners are overwhelmed by their numbers and I feel like they are missing out on a great opportunity to understand their business even better. I think my experience in being able to communicate numbers simply and effectively has had one of the most impact on my business as a differentiator from others and also a huge impact for my clients.

In what ways do you participate in the professional community to change/improve the accounting profession?

I have a huge passion for QuickBooks Online and the ecosystem. A few years ago, I wanted to share that passion so I started a weekly tweet chat for QuickBooks Online Users. Each week we have a live chat on twitter sharing new features of QuickBooks Online, new Apps, and tips for how to help Small Businesses.

In what ways do you participate in your local community to help others?

For the past few years, I have been the chair of my daugthers’ preschool parent volunteer association. I also try to help out my oldest’s new elementary school. Whatever I can do to support those that are teaching my children is a great use of my time.

What changes do you foresee in the accounting profession of the near future (3-5 years)?

I see more and more public accounting firms having to better understand the different accounting packages that are available on the market. I think they will become generalists in all the systems and there will be a place for some consultants to specialize in the different products. For public accounting, I’m not sure that it matters what accounting package your client is on, but public accounting professionals are going to have to understand that businesses need to find solutions that help them everyday and be more flexible in helping their clients.

How do you see yourself participating in shaping the future of the accounting profession?

I want to continue to focus on new technologies and learning how they can be beneficial to small businesses. Not every product is the right fit for each client. I want to continue to explore the different personalities of businesses and understanding how to best support owners with those different needs.

What is your career philosophy?

To never stop learning and always be open to change. 

Describe one person who has been an important mentor to you and how that person helped change your life.

Stacy Kildal is a friend and mentor. She started her business a few years before me and has had an incredible path. I’m privileged to be following in her footsteps (while making a few of my own). She has given me great advice on running my business. She is also great at being impartial and being a sounding board when I have various issues going on in my business.

 

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See all of the “40 Under 40” honorees for 2015.