Leap of faith

It’s not easy leaving your home and family thousands of miles away, and for a thriving career as a tax adviser, educator and auditor. But that is what Nurkamila Akisheva, together with her husband and children, did when she moved from Kazakhstan, the largest country in the Eurasian Steppe, to the small town of Parkland, Florida.

Why move a young family that is culturally rooted in Turkic and Mongolian origins to the fringes of the Florida Everglades? ‘It was down to the tropical weather,’ she says. But digging deeper, we find a more strategic agenda that, like many things in life, reflects a specific time in history.

Demand from migration

In recent years, there has been a notable increase in immigration from Europe to the United States, particularly from the CIS countries. This surge in migration has created a heightened demand for services in the realm of accounting and taxation, Nurkamila explains.

There are a great many people who are moving their money or companies to Florida. Navigating the US tax system is challenging, especially when it involves international taxpayers, owners of multinational businesses and dual-status residents, she says.

Nurkamila’s original goal was to open up a US tax consultancy and serve those people. The US government allows Kazakhstan nationals to buy or open businesses in the US, she explains. ‘If you can provide a business plan and proof of funds, you can become an investor in the US, so we decided to take this path.’

When it comes to taking a risk in life, it was also now or never, she adds. ‘Sometimes you just have to make the decision to take a leap and step out of your comfort zone to get what you want.’

But Nurkamila wasn’t going unprepared. In addition to her MSc from Aston Business School in Birmingham, UK, and her ACCA certification, she had significant Big Four experience in corporate tax, transfer pricing, customs, internal audit, valuations and risk assessment that would follow her to the US.

Starting from scratch

‘When I got to the US, my first plan was to buy an existing advisory firm, but I soon realised that starting my own firm from scratch would be the safer route.’ When companies change hands, she explains, clients often leave with their advisers, making purchasing an established practice highly risky.

‘I also wanted to build my own brand,’ she adds. ‘In our company, our strength lies in my understanding of entrepreneurs from the CIS region due to background familiarity, which allows me to comprehend their business needs and perspectives.’

This strategy has paid off. One and a half years after opening her consultancy, Nurkamila has over 100 clients, most of which are from Eastern Europe.

As to how the business grew so fast, it was a combination of credibility, networking and family support, she says. ‘My ACCA qualification serves as a testament to my professionalism, instilling greater trust and confidence among my clients in my ability to deliver high-quality financial services tailored to their needs, including international accounting and tax matters.’

Nurkamila also put herself at the centre of the local business community by joining the local chamber of commerce. ‘We didn’t do aggressive marketing. We started from scratch, trying to establish ourselves locally and attending local conferences. People were coming to us asking for advice and it grew from there by word of mouth.’

But building a business in Florida would also become a family affair. With three small children and a husband who is now a CFO of a US company, ‘I’m very lucky to have help on the home front,’ she says. ‘Our parents help with the kids and daily life. We are a team and it’s only because of them that I have any work-life balance.’

Fortuitous meeting

For Nurkamila, ACCA means much more than a professional designation. ‘If it weren’t for ACCA, I may never have met my husband,’ she says. He was working in a different department at KPMG at the time, she explains, but they were introduced when the company sent out congratulations to those who had passed their ACCA exams. ‘When I met him, I liked that he was smart, had the same professional background… and it helped that he was also quite handsome!’

ACCA has also helped her obtain other credentials, she adds. ‘In March 2021, because I had the ACCA qualification, I successfully passed the US Institute of Internal Auditors’ Certified Internal Auditor’s Challenge Exam.’ Because ACCA works closely with the institute, ACCA members only sit one exam, as opposed to three for non-members, she explains. ‘So I’d like to mention that ACCA provides huge support for its members to gain other important qualifications.’

In addition to serving her new clients from her base in Florida, Nurkamila maintains audit and tax clients in Kazakhstan, holds a director’s position on a Kazakh audit company, and remotely lectures on audit assurance, and financial and management accounting.