Most accountants barely see the light of day during tax season.
But two professors have joined forces and started their own accounting practice at the busiest time of year.
Holland and Brown LLP set up shop this month in Chesterfield.
Jim Holland and Bill Brown go way back.
They met almost 20 years ago when their sons played recreation league basketball together. They bonded as fellow bean counters and stayed in touch over the years.
Brown, 64, retired recently after teaching accounting for 23 years at Longwood. Holland, who is in his 50s, retired from Philip Morris and teaches accounting at VCU.
They’re also connected politically.
Holland was elected to the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors about three years ago. Brown was appointed soon after to the county’s planning commission.
“We’ve talked about doing something like this for a couple years,” Brown said. “Once I retired from Longwood, that made that feasible. And we decided to launch it this tax season.”
Their firm is looking to land individual and small-business clients. Both have always done tax returns on the side, giving them a decent stable of clients starting out.
“Like any new business, it takes a while to build up clientele,” Brown said. “But we’re on the road.”
And their service at the county doesn’t hurt business, either.
“We find clients mostly by word of mouth because of our contacts in the community,” he said.
Brown and Holland each put up about $10,000 to fund the venture, Brown said.
For the time being, Holland and Brown is a two-man show, but they hope enough business will come in to change that.
“We hope to grow to the point where we need other employees,” Brown said.
Michael Schwartz is a BizSense reporter. Please send news tips to [email protected].
Most accountants barely see the light of day during tax season.
But two professors have joined forces and started their own accounting practice at the busiest time of year.
Holland and Brown LLP set up shop this month in Chesterfield.
Jim Holland and Bill Brown go way back.
They met almost 20 years ago when their sons played recreation league basketball together. They bonded as fellow bean counters and stayed in touch over the years.
Brown, 64, retired recently after teaching accounting for 23 years at Longwood. Holland, who is in his 50s, retired from Philip Morris and teaches accounting at VCU.
They’re also connected politically.
Holland was elected to the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors about three years ago. Brown was appointed soon after to the county’s planning commission.
“We’ve talked about doing something like this for a couple years,” Brown said. “Once I retired from Longwood, that made that feasible. And we decided to launch it this tax season.”
Their firm is looking to land individual and small-business clients. Both have always done tax returns on the side, giving them a decent stable of clients starting out.
“Like any new business, it takes a while to build up clientele,” Brown said. “But we’re on the road.”
And their service at the county doesn’t hurt business, either.
“We find clients mostly by word of mouth because of our contacts in the community,” he said.
Brown and Holland each put up about $10,000 to fund the venture, Brown said.
For the time being, Holland and Brown is a two-man show, but they hope enough business will come in to change that.
“We hope to grow to the point where we need other employees,” Brown said.
Michael Schwartz is a BizSense reporter. Please send news tips to [email protected].