Meet Alexis Krystina, CPA | Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alexis Krystina, CPA and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexis, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
A quote I live by is “Learn the rules so you can break them”. I don’t believe there are recipes for success and I think rules are often completely made up. The only way to truly be successful is to do things our own way. Before we can start creating our own rules, though, it’s beneficial to learn the strategies and best practices. In my business as a CPA, I empower business owners by removing the overwhelming idea that there are tons of strict rules to follow with their bookkeeping and reminding entrepreneurs that they create their own rules, especially when it comes to their money.

What should our readers know about your business?
I own an accounting firm so I do the average accountant things like bookkeeping and taxes, but what I’m most proud of is the space that I’ve created to educate business owners on what their numbers mean. This is something that is unheard of in my industry–most accountants would rather have more clients than teach business owners how to DIY their bookkeeping. In reality, though, a business owner does not need to outsource their bookkeeping in the beginning and it’s actually really easy to keep track of things from the start. Learning about effective money management procedures also helps business owners to choose the right accountant when their ready to outsource, and to be able to still make sense of the numbers despite someone else actually organizing the data. My journey to entrepreneurship was a roller coaster ride. I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur, but after two kids, and several failed attempts at owning a business–I had an Etsy store, I wrote an entire fiction novel, and I had been a part of several network marketing companies–I gave up. Then my life changed. I was working as a senior accountant and I got a job offer to work for a website security company. It was more money and I could work from home, so I had to take the job. One year later, the owner of that company sold it, and at that point, I had to decide: Was I going to go work for the acquiring company, which essentially meant that I would be demoted, or was I finally going to live out my entrepreneurial dreams? I decided to go for it and the rest is history. One of the struggles I had early on in my business was authenticity. The world sees accountants as people who should be “professional”, whatever that means. I never considered myself “professional” by society’s standards. I’m a total goofball, I curse, and I love girly things like pink and glitter. When I first created my accounting firm, I thought I couldn’t bring these aspects of myself into my business so my business felt extremely inauthentic. It was “professional”, but it was not me. Eventually I decided to throw away the “rules” and bring my full authentic self into my business. I changed my branding to include pink, glitter, and even curse words, and it was the best thing I ever did.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Without a doubt, my favorite spot is the beach. Sitting on the beach with some pina coladas is exactly the first thing we would do. Landshark bar & grill has amazing views for lunch and the Hollywood beach boardwalk is perfect for a stroll. After a nice long day at the beach, Downtown Miami is next. Mary Brickell village is my favorite trendy spot to have some drinks and do some shopping. We’d definitely hit up Pembroke Gardens the next day–there’s a new restaurant there called Sirocco that has the greatest drinks and food on earth. Late night, we’d walk to Brass Tap and grab a few beers. The Hard Rock is next on the list. The guitar hotel is amazing and the light show is so cool, not to mention tons of amazing restaurants and bars for mingling. A trip to South Florida is never complete without a stop at Lincoln Road. People watching, shops, restaurants, and bars galore. Of course we would have to go to the Wynwood walls to take pictures for the gram. The last thing I’d do is head to Dania beach for a low-key chill beach day followed by a trip to 3 Sons Brewing where you’ll find the number one best beers in town and then a trip to Jaxsons ice cream for the best ice cream in the city. It would definitely be a super fun week!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to dedicate my shoutout to my mom! She has absolutely helped me every step of the way in my business.

Website: alexiskrystina.com
Instagram: instagram.com/alexiskrystina
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/alexiskrystina
Twitter: twitter.com/alexiskrystina
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/advanceaccountingllc