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What really happens in the first year of launching a startup?

In this episode of The Growth Department, Chelsey sits down with Marcus Rien, a CFO and CPA turned tech founder and the brains behind Waves CPAs. We'll unpack the messy, high-stakes, and deeply rewarding reality of going from corporate life to taking the entrepreneurial leap.

Waves CPAs is a tech-driven platform helping businesses find fractional finance talent AND helping entrepreneurial CPAs build flexible, meaningful careers. Marcus shares how his background in corporate finance and accounting led to spotting a major gap in the market, and why solving it required launching a startup of his own.

They dive into:

• What to expect in your first year as a founder
• How to grow a marketplace business from scratch
• The value of fractional CFOs and controllers for small and midsize businesses
• Why perfection kills momentum (and what to focus on instead)
• Lessons from sales, moonlighting, bootstrapping, and burnout
• Why the future of CPA work is flexible, remote, and founder-led
• Plus: How golf, springboard diving, and startup life actually overlap

Whether you're a CPA considering entrepreneurship, a founder building your first platform, or a business owner wondering if fractional finance support is right for you, this episode is packed with real-world insights you won't find in a startup playbook.

About Marcus Rien:
Marcus is the founder of Waves CPAs, a marketplace connecting companies with experienced, independent CPAs for fractional finance work. He's also a scratch golfer, former controller, and lifelong learner with a legacy brick outside U.S. Bank Stadium that reads: Belief Inspires Success.

Resources Mentioned:

• Connect with Marcus on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusrien
• Learn more about Waves CPAs: https://www.wavescpas.com

Stay in the know with all-things Growth Department:

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Each week, we interview founders, business leaders, and experts in their field about how to grow a business and the personal growth that comes with the journey. #LetsGrow !

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If you’re building a business and avoiding sales like it’s the plague… this one’s for you.

John Kennelly is the founder of I Hate Sales, and he helps smart, scrappy founders get over their fear of selling without sounding sleazy. In this episode, we dig into why sales feels so cringe, what to do instead of cold spam, and how to reframe your role as a founder (spoiler: you’re the head of sales whether you like it or not).

We also cover:

• The biggest mistake John ever made in sales (and what it taught him)
• The most annoying sales tactic of 2025
• What LinkedIn gets wrong for founders trying to sell
• And the one skill you have to improve if you want to grow

Cringe-free, jargon-free, and full of real talk.

This is the sales convo every founder needs.

Stay in the know with all-things Growth Department:

Website | LinkedIn | TikTok | YouTube | X

Each week, we interview founders, business leaders, and experts in their field about how to grow a business and the personal growth that comes with the journey. #LetsGrow !

Send us a text

What if your dream job dropped you with zero warning... right after naming you Salesperson of the Year?

That’s exactly what happened to Dee Henry. In this episode, she shares the raw, real story of how a shocking layoff turned into the launchpad for two successful businesses. From imposter syndrome and Moet-for-breakfast moments, to building a sales and marketing agency and productivity app, Dee gets brutally honest about what it really takes to start over.

We talk about:

• What no one tells you about layoffs and self-worth
• How to rebuild your confidence from scratch
• The power of consistency when no one is watching
• Why small businesses need better customer journeys
• How ADHD entrepreneurs can organize their chaos
• Launching a consulting business (and an app!) before you're "ready"

Whether you’ve been laid off, are thinking of pivoting, or just need a reminder that starting small is still starting, this one’s for you. Let's Grow!

Stay in the know with all-things Growth Department:

Website | LinkedIn | TikTok | YouTube | X

Each week, we interview founders, business leaders, and experts in their field about how to grow a business and the personal growth that comes with the journey. #LetsGrow !