Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacqueline Morrison.
Hi Jacqueline, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I recently wrote my book “Shackles Released” to share my journey as a CPA going from prestige to prison and back to prestige again.
After graduating as one of 5 Valedictorians from High School in a small farming community in rural Southeast Arkansas, I went on to obtain a Business Management degree in less than 3 years with Cum Laude honors. Shortly after, I obtained my Master’s in Professional Accounting and passed all 4 parts of the CPA exam in one sitting. Upon graduating, I held numerous accounting positions with prestigious companies such as Ernst & Young, PepsiCo, Pier One Imports, Burlington Resources Oil & Gas, and finally RadioShack Corporate. I ultimately walked away from the security and prestige of my coveted position as Sr. Manager of Internal Audit with Radio Shack Corporation in order to pursue my dream of starting my own accounting practice.
My Husband, Gladstone Morrison, assisted me in operating a successful accounting and tax service business in the Dallas-Ft Worth area for over 7 years. He even chose to forego advancements in his own career as a mechanical engineer to help me build my dream. We launched our practice in 2004 with just a handful of family members and close friends assisting as part-time employees. Over the years, we grew our business to become one of the largest minority-owned practices in the North Texas region, with about 40 employees servicing just over 5,000 clients from 2 locations.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
To describe our journey as challenging is a big understatement. At the height of our success, with the greatest promises right ahead of us, our lives were suddenly and violently flipped upside down. My husband and I found ourselves facing a federal indictment for alleged tax law violations related to the business operation of our first company. It was a far-reaching and overt attempt to criminalize fundamental aspects of our professional duties as tax-filing agents. After a 5-year-long unwarranted investigation into our company, it was determined that a handful of our former clients misrepresented their Profit and Loss reporting on their business tax returns. We were ultimately held responsible under the premise that we “should have known” that the information furnished to us by these clients were inaccurate. Without any evidence, other than these individuals denying any personal wrongdoing (to avoid prosecution), we were convicted and sentenced to 15 1/2 years each in federal prison. The years that followed were the darkest and most devastating of our lives. Our naive notions of justice and freedom were forever shattered, but we overcame it all, and emerged unbroken, yet radically transformed into far better versions of ourselves. What was intended to destroy us only solidified our faith and strengthen us and our relationship.
In my riveting memoir, “Shackles Released”, I tell my story of how it all began and my ultimate triumph through a miraculous release.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Aside from my list of academic and business accomplishments, what I am most proud of is my book “Shackles Released: A CPA’s Journey from Prestige to Prison”, which I recently co-wrote with my husband.
But during those challenging periods of incarceration, I found purpose in giving back to help some of the other ladies around me. I volunteered to teach an entrepreneurial class to give those ladies an option to empower themselves with useful skills and knowledge upon their release. I am proud to say that I have followed the success of several of these women who applied what I shared with them and have already established very successful business ventures.
Since my own release, I have been continuing to apply my expertise to assist others in establishing or optimizing their business success. I provide valuable services as an incubator for new start-ups and helping to rehabilitate struggling businesses. I specialize in developing:
– Business Plans
– Investment Prospectus for raising capital
– Stock Valuations
– Business Incorporations
– Consultations
– And other start-up resources
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I am a big risk-taker, but not at all in a reckless sense. I simply don’t believe in just throwing caution to the wind and gambling on chances to determine my fate. I will take big risks, but only when it comes to betting on myself. As long as the outcome is contingent on my own performance or elements within my control, I will move aggressively after careful planning. One of my biggest risks was walking away from the security and guarantee of a very successful and promising career in Corporate America to dive head-first into the deep end of the entrepreneurial pool. It was a big risk, but the outcome rested on my own performance.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shacklesreleased.com
- Instagram: //cpadiva11
- Facebook: //Jacqueline Neely Morrison
