Nicole Davis built her accounting firm without ever working in public accounting, and she will be the first to tell you how much she had to figure out the hard way. In this episode, Nicole shares what a scathing one-star review taught her about client experience, why she developed a "client match" tool to filter for fit before a relationship ever starts, and how a self-induced cash crunch after acquiring a payroll company turned into one of her firm's most important growth moves.

Nicole talks openly about the emotional weight of firing employees, how an employment attorney helped her think about core values as legitimate grounds for dismissal, and why she now audits her client list the same way she would a closet: if a name does not spark joy, it goes. She also shares her unexpected path into stand-up comedy and what performing taught her a ...