Ries Begins Principal Accelerator Program, establishes SMB Tax and Accounting Practice in Fort Myers, Florida
FORT MYERS, Fla., March 14, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Dark Horse CPAs, a top accounting and tax firm serving small businesses and individuals across the nation, announces the hiring of Christopher Ries, CPA as an Accelerator in the firm's Principal Accelerator Program. Ries' rapid growth in public accounting in the areas of accounting, finance and taxation supporting small businesses, entrepreneurs and affluent individuals focused earned him a seat in Dark Horse's Principal Accelerator Program.
Christopher earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's degree in taxation both from Florida Gulf Coast University along with a CPA license from the state of Florida. He brings to Dark Horse six years of accounting and tax experience in public accounting at a small, local firm and at a Top 10 international accounting firm.
Knowing he wanted to build and run a practice, Christopher was hesitant to blindly climb the corporate ladder. "Despite quickly climbing the corporate ladder and having plenty of opportunities ahead of me, the idea of becoming a partner at a large, multi-national firm just didn't excite me. It felt like trading any possibility of entrepreneurial freedom or autonomy for a comfortable salary and equity in the partnership. With the way that Private Equity is invading public accounting these days, that trade-off is never assured anyway. So, for a host of reasons, the traditional partner track wasn't for me."
Expanding on what is for him, he continued, "I want to build the practice that I've envisioned for a while now without the red tape and encumbrances that a traditional partnership would impose. And, I want to have the resources and backing to do it successfully. This is why I believe Dark Horse is a great fit for where I am and where I want to be. There's a great community of peers here, a leadership team who has a clear vision and mission that resonates for me, and the turn-key infrastructure I need to hit the ground running. I'm looking forward to building my dream practice here and I know have the firm's commitment to help me get there."
"As I was about to join the final interview for Chris, I looked him up on LinkedIn and realized he was pretty young and didn't have the years of experience we typically require," says Chase Birky, CEO and co-founder of Dark Horse CPAs. "To be honest, I was a little upset that we let someone this junior get to this point of the process. And then I joined the meeting. I instantly began eating my words, or at least the ones that I had formed in my head. Chris couldn't have been more professional, engaging and knowledgeable. I've interviewed a lot of people over the past decade so I have a fairly strong benchmark. He exceeded it and taught me something in the process; it's not how about long you've been doing something as much as it's about how much pride, effort and care you put into your craft that really makes the difference. So, yeah, I will happily admit that I was wrong on this one."
About the Dark Horse Accelerator Program
The Dark Horse Principal Accelerator Program was created for entrepreneurially-minded CPAs that want to build a scalable book of business without the personal and financial sacrifices required of starting a firm from scratch. Dark Horse empowers their CPAs with the resources and support to grow intelligently and profitably. Their proprietary technology, flexible staffing and industry-leading systems and processes enable CPAs to focus on being the trusted advisor to their clients, unlocking unprecedented value in these relationships, so that they will continue to be relevant long into the future while their counterparts become increasingly displaced by technology.
Accelerators are put through a training program that acclimates them to the firm's exclusive tech stack, followed by proprietary sales training and one-on-one coaching. Upon completion of training, they begin building their book of business by fielding inquiries from potential Dark Horse clients. To facilitate their growth, Accelerators have full-time and fractional professional personnel support at their disposal. A collaborative group of like-minded CPAs go the extra mile to help them out in areas where they lack expertise. This new CPA firm business model includes an active corporate team that ensures their work is of high quality and strategically focused. After successful completion of the program, they can become an equity principal of the firm.
The Dark Horse Principal Accelerator Program is currently accepting new Accelerators. Interested CPAs are invited to dive deeper into the program on Dark Horse's recruiting site, abetterway.cpa or by emailing mailto:[email protected] [[email protected] __title__ [email protected]].
About Dark Horse CPAs
Dark Horse CPAs provides integrated tax, accounting and CFO services to small businesses and individuals across the U.S. The firm was founded to save small businesses (and their owners) from subpar accounting and tax services and subpar client experiences. These small businesses are Dark Horses among their larger and more well-known competition. Being a Dark Horse CPA means advocating for small businesses by bringing to them the tax strategies and accounting insights previously reserved for big business. To learn more, visit Darkhorse.cpa.
Media Contact
Justin Kurn, Dark Horse CPAs, 619-736-1404, [email protected], https://abetterway.cpa/
SOURCE Dark Horse CPAs
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