My dad had been throwing around the idea of starting his own CPA firm for many years, and I always told him I was interested in being a part of it. I earned my certificate in 2008, and even though I stopped working in the industry to focus more on real estate in 2011, I always kept up my CPE and handled the bookkeeping for various entities throughout the years. My dad has been performing tax preparation for as long as I can remember, so he had certainly built up a wealth of knowledge and clout in this field.
In early 2019, we finally took the plunge and started Van Wunnik and Marcum, LLC. In the beginning, my dad arranged the entity formation and I handled the leasing of the office space and furniture procurement (with help from my mom), and most of the initial office setup (with help from my techie husband). We hit the ground running in April and have been busy ever since! It's remarkable the client base we've built up in such a short time, but that's mainly a testament to the personal relationships my dad created over the span of his entire career. I've been able to add a few clients thanks to my real estate and bookkeeping connections, but it's definitely my dad who's responsible for the majority of our success. We have a bookkeeper/admin assistant employed full-time in our office as well, which helps us focus on the tax preparation and consulting while she handles the day-to-day office needs.
My days are normally split between real estate and tax preparation, with it leaning more heavily toward one over the other depending on what season we're in. I'm passionate about both of these professions and I'm very lucky I get to work with my mother-in-law in real estate and my father in accounting! There's quite a bit of overlap between these two fields as well, so it's been beneficial to have proficiency in both.
I work a lot of hours between Marcum Real Estate and Van Wunnik and Marcum, LLC (and in my volunteering with Families to Freedom and Northwood Hills HOA). But, it's worth it and I feel proud of the relationships I've built and what I've helped people accomplish. If you're in DFW and you could use real estate or tax accounting services, you know who to call!
