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Sheila Moses left the safety and security of a large accounting firm 25 years ago to start her own company, at a time when there were few women-owned CPA firms.
She struck out on her own in 1994 because she wanted the independence that came from running her own shop.
“Now it is 25 years later, and hundreds of clients later, and I’m so grateful that I did what I did,” said Moses, founder and managing partner of Moses Tax Group P.C. in the Unionville section of Farmington.
Moses has come a long way. When she started the firm, it was only her and an office manager, who initially was making more money than she did. The first year she opened, she prepared 130 tax returns.
Now, the four-person firm has 400 to 500 clients.
Though she declined to disclose her firm’s revenues, Moses said it’s 26 times what she earned her first year. She said she has had no staff turnover, with the exception of one accountant who left when her husband’s job was transferred to Florida. She suspects the low turnover is due in part to the fact that she gives away 20 percent of her net income as bonuses to employees every December.
Moses said she believes the main reason her firm has survived and thrived for a quarter-century is due to exemplary client service. She doesn’t advertise and brings in new clients by referral only.
“They don’t like change, so for them to see me and the same staff that they have worked with year after year, is very comforting to them,” Moses said. “They know that we are familiar with their particular family and business situations.”
As the owner of her firm, she’s able to do as much hand holding as she wants.
“I’ve had clients lose their wallet in Grand Central Station and call me and say ‘Now what do I do?’ ” said Moses, who lives in New Hartford. “I’m not just preparing people’s tax returns.”
And while Moses is in charge, she says her office runs as a team, and her staff is as dedicated to clients as she is.
“We drove a car for a client in Germany to her daughter at school 50 miles away,” Moses said, referring to her firm’s customer-service credentials.
Moses went to the College of the Holy Cross, in the first class of women, where she graduated in 1976. She entered college as a math major, but eventually switched to accounting.
“When I was waitressing at a country club, the summer after graduation, I met the founding partner of my former firm, and he asked me to come in and interview with them. The rest is history,” Moses said. “We had our 25th anniversary in June 2019. We thanked clients, family, and friends at a party at one of our clients, The Simsbury Inn.”
What’s been your biggest professional accomplishment so far?
Leaving the safety and security of a large accounting firm, I opened my own firm, at a time when there were few women-owned CPA firms.
What’s the next big goal you want to accomplish professionally?
My goals have not changed since I started my firm, to provide my clients with quality attentive service, and to instill in my staff the desire to be as dedicated as I am.
What legacy do you want to leave after your career is over?
My legacy is not tied to my actual business but rather to the organizations and causes my business has allowed me to support. From the CT Women’s Council to the Children’s Law Center and the National MS Society and animal rescue organizations that I have invested time, heart and money into helping others. Doing someone’s taxes is not life changing, but after supporting family members with Alzheimer’s, traumatic brain injuries, Multiple Sclerosis, and rescuing bunnies, my game plan is to leave my estate to organizations that help these causes.
What are your keys to maintaining work/life balance?
It’s difficult to obtain balance during tax season. From January through April, we work 11 hour days, six days a week. My husband is very supportive, handling the cooking, grocery shopping, cleaning, and taking care of our menagerie of animals. I practice yoga two to three times a week, joining my husband Paul at his weekly 6:30 a.m. Sunday class.
Who has been your most important mentor and why?
My mother has been my greatest mentor. She led by example, she was valedictorian in high school, a chemist after the war, received her master’s in education 25 years after college, and prepared trust and estate tax returns for Robinson+Cole. She taught me to work hard, to value a quality education, to believe in myself. She told all three of her children that we could be anything we wanted to be.
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The Hartford Business Journal 2025 Charity Event Guide is the annual resource publication highlighting the top charity events in 2025.
Hartford Business Journal provides the top coverage of news, trends, data, politics and personalities of the area’s business community. Get the news and information you need from the award-winning writers at HBJ. Don’t miss out - subscribe today.
Delivering vital marketplace content and context to senior decision-makers throughout Connecticut ...
All Year Long!
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