Influential Woman · Accounting
Alexis Jerusik
CPA
Tax Strategist and Planner, Refined Tax Horizons, Inc.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Her Story
About Alexis
I've been in the accounting field on and off for about 17 years. I started in accounting, left for a while, and then came back to it. I am really proud to have launched my own accounting firm, Refined Tax Horizons, Inc., which went live in November of last year. In my practice, I work with clients on aspects of their business from setting up their bookkeeping, structuring their business, projecting taxes, developing strategies, and filing returns. What inspired me to start this firm was seeing friends who had started businesses having the hardest time either getting ahold of their accountant or getting any explanations from them outside of a quick filing once a year. They were frustrated and overwhelmed and I wanted to do something where people could feel comfortable asking me questions. I personally get to know them and their business and help them with what they need, not just file a form and then see them a year later. I value a practical and approachable way to do things - listening to the needs of my clients, not making things overcomplicated, and developing things that people can actually use. My journey in accounting started when I had a really great accounting professor back in college who made accounting sound fun and talked about interesting stories from his years in the field. He made it sound like a skill worth having no matter where you ended up, which it is. Sitting in his class, I switched my major and took an internship at Deloitte, a top firm. I liked the job - it was a lot of hours and a lot of craziness to be an auditor, but I liked the numbers and the puzzle of it. After that, I worked at the LEGO Group for most of my career and spanned organizational functions when I was there, learning about how so many pieces of the business connected together. This knowledge has proved helpful as I went back into accounting and working with business owners, I can better connect to what is important to my clients and their overall business, not just the end numbers.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Alexis
01What do you attribute your success to?
Family and people around me have always been supportive and confident in me, starting with my parents, and then moving on to my husband. My parents, Craig and Lori, owned their own real estate company, and I spent quite a bit of time in that office. They trusted me to work there from stapling files together when I was young to managing their office processes during college. I met my husband Paul back then too and he's been with me and fearlessly believed in me since we were 17 years old. Now we have 3 beautiful kids and I hope they feel the same support I had as they grow up. All my family has given me the confidence and support I needed throughout my career journey.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One of my favorite pieces of advice that I heard from a professor in college, and that I've heard time and time again from leaders who do it well, is that the best leaders take the blame when things go wrong and give the credit when things go right. People want to be around others like that, whether you're leading them formally or informally. If you are willing to take ownership when things go haywire and help bring other people up around you by giving credit when things succeed it'll lead to success for yourself too. I think that applies all across life, not just in business, but from a career standpoint I've tried to keep that in mind and apply it whenever there's an opportunity. I've worked with people who do this well and they are people who I'd love to work together with again.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would just say, just go for it. I think sometimes math and numbers gets attributed more to men, incorrectly, but I've definitely been the only woman in the room before. I would love to see so many smart women just try it if they're interested in numbers, logic, and solving puzzles because that's really what accounting is at its core. Women in the field have an even greater opportunity to make the work more personable, getting to know and really helping clients succeed.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
It seems like there are a lot of CPAs retiring right now and there is more work than there is people to do it. Business owners are feeling disconnected or unappreciated because accountants are overloaded and don't have the time to really manage the relationships they have. I'd like to see more regular client interaction and support available to those people who are looking for it.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I always hope for loyalty and honesty, both in work and personal life. I also value a practical and approachable way to do things. I want to be around people who genuinely want to see others succeed and help them do just that. If I think of why I started this firm, it was because people who I was friends with who had started businesses were frustrated with this area and when you don't know it's overwhelming and confusing and they just wanted some clear direction and a sounding board. I wanted to do something where people could feel comfortable asking me questions, and I could get to know them and their business and really help support them.
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