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Precision, Grit, and the Perfect Entry: Building a Startup Like a Championship Diver

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Manage episode 493343372 series 3674946
Content provided by Chelsey Reynolds. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Chelsey Reynolds or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

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What really happens in the first year of launching a startup?

In this episode of The Growth Department, Chelsey sits down with Marcus Rien, a CFO and CPA turned tech founder and the brains behind Waves CPAs. We'll unpack the messy, high-stakes, and deeply rewarding reality of going from corporate life to taking the entrepreneurial leap.

Waves CPAs is a tech-driven platform helping businesses find fractional finance talent AND helping entrepreneurial CPAs build flexible, meaningful careers. Marcus shares how his background in corporate finance and accounting led to spotting a major gap in the market, and why solving it required launching a startup of his own.

They dive into:

  • What to expect in your first year as a founder
  • How to grow a marketplace business from scratch
  • The value of fractional CFOs and controllers for small and midsize businesses
  • Why perfection kills momentum (and what to focus on instead)
  • Lessons from sales, moonlighting, bootstrapping, and burnout
  • Why the future of CPA work is flexible, remote, and founder-led
  • Plus: How golf, springboard diving, and startup life actually overlap

Whether you're a CPA considering entrepreneurship, a founder building your first platform, or a business owner wondering if fractional finance support is right for you, this episode is packed with real-world insights you won't find in a startup playbook.

About Marcus Rien:
Marcus is the founder of Waves CPAs, a marketplace connecting companies with experienced, independent CPAs for fractional finance work. He's also a scratch golfer, former controller, and lifelong learner with a legacy brick outside U.S. Bank Stadium that reads: Belief Inspires Success.

Resources Mentioned:

Stay in the know with all-things Growth Department:

Website | LinkedIn | TikTok | YouTube | X

Each week, we interview founders, business leaders, and experts in their field about how to grow a business and the personal growth that comes with the journey. #LetsGrow !

  continue reading

4 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 493343372 series 3674946
Content provided by Chelsey Reynolds. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Chelsey Reynolds or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Send us a text

What really happens in the first year of launching a startup?

In this episode of The Growth Department, Chelsey sits down with Marcus Rien, a CFO and CPA turned tech founder and the brains behind Waves CPAs. We'll unpack the messy, high-stakes, and deeply rewarding reality of going from corporate life to taking the entrepreneurial leap.

Waves CPAs is a tech-driven platform helping businesses find fractional finance talent AND helping entrepreneurial CPAs build flexible, meaningful careers. Marcus shares how his background in corporate finance and accounting led to spotting a major gap in the market, and why solving it required launching a startup of his own.

They dive into:

  • What to expect in your first year as a founder
  • How to grow a marketplace business from scratch
  • The value of fractional CFOs and controllers for small and midsize businesses
  • Why perfection kills momentum (and what to focus on instead)
  • Lessons from sales, moonlighting, bootstrapping, and burnout
  • Why the future of CPA work is flexible, remote, and founder-led
  • Plus: How golf, springboard diving, and startup life actually overlap

Whether you're a CPA considering entrepreneurship, a founder building your first platform, or a business owner wondering if fractional finance support is right for you, this episode is packed with real-world insights you won't find in a startup playbook.

About Marcus Rien:
Marcus is the founder of Waves CPAs, a marketplace connecting companies with experienced, independent CPAs for fractional finance work. He's also a scratch golfer, former controller, and lifelong learner with a legacy brick outside U.S. Bank Stadium that reads: Belief Inspires Success.

Resources Mentioned:

Stay in the know with all-things Growth Department:

Website | LinkedIn | TikTok | YouTube | X

Each week, we interview founders, business leaders, and experts in their field about how to grow a business and the personal growth that comes with the journey. #LetsGrow !

  continue reading

4 episodes

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