We recently had the chance to connect with James Heyward CPA and have shared our conversation below.
Hi James , thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I started livestreaming DJ Sets on TikTok; my wife convinced me to start an account (which I was avoiding). Of course, I have turned it into a project and now present the “Feel Good Mix w. DJ Madd” Sundays at 7pEST on my page (@jdotheyward).
The exercise is therapeutic because I haven’t spun on a regular basis in 20 years; this helps me reconnect with parts of myself that I thought were lost.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am James Heyward and I’m a Certified Public Accountant and founder of Heyward CPA PLLC in Durham, NC. Accounting is my family business and after working in music promotion and owning a records store; I decided to pursue my CPA license. In 2010, I founded the firm to work with small businesses, especially in under served communities that historically haven’t had access to a firm like us.
In 2015, we started to process of working remotely and after COVID, we became completely virtual by leveraging cloud technology and apps. Over the years, the firm has evolved from a traditional tax based practice to an advisory focused firm. Our underlying goal is to assist clients in understanding the relationship between the accounting data and operations so they can strengthen their “business muscle”.
Since 2021, we have been working on our BYOBookkeeper service. BYOB is our managed-client solution where we work in a more collaborative manner, by leveraging the same technology that we used to become a virtual practice.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I was shy as a child, because of my weight and tended to fall back and let others take the lead. Since I was quiet, I was usually a follower. As I matured, I realized that by following I learned how to lead and people were actually following me without my knowledge. I am still growing in leadership, but I now know that I can lead people.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me resilience. Everyone faces a point where they can give up and end the suffering, but on the other side of suffering is success, therefore I will not quit.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
That our clients care about our services and how we do this or that. During one of my recent shower meditation sessions, I realized that if people didn’t feel that they HAD to do taxes or books many of them wouldn’t. That was a sobering but important realization because it has allowed me to make the business of accounting less personal and focus on finding people that understand the importance of our work or build a better mousetrap to service those that aren’t as enthusiastic.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
Some things we start will not blossom until we are gone from this earth. I’m not sure that most people don’t understand that, I accept it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.heywardcpa.com
- Instagram: @heywardcpalive
- Linkedin: heywardcpa
- Twitter: @heywardcpa
- Facebook: heywardcpa
- Youtube: https://YouTube.com/@heywardcpa
