Sean McCabe

There aren’t many people who get to play blackjack with Tiger Woods at a fundraising event, but then again, there aren’t many people like Sean McCabe, CPA and celebrity schmoozer.

Sean, a son of the Navajo Nation, has worked in both public accounting and private industry; been a CFO and a CEO (twice); and started his own CPA firm. And he’s done all of that since his poker buddy Tiger went pro in 1996.

Sean started his career as a staff auditor at a regional accounting firm in his hometown. After a few years, one of his clients was so impressed with him that they asked him to be their CFO. Sean was so good at making operational recommendations based on the financials he prepared, they decided he should be the CEO when the position opened up.

So, at ripe age (not) of 28, Sean was appointed to be the CEO of a successful business.

After playing his best hand at that business, a few years later he was asked to become the CEO for another company. During his second CEO gig, Sean identified his greatest strength and passion was in business financial strategy and coaching. And then the entrepreneurial light bulb went off – if he started his own firm, Sean could focus on what he loved most.

So Sean teamed up with another guy named Sean (also a talented, entrepreneurial CPA) and they started a consulting firm. They work entirely with Native American tribal governments and enterprises like casinos, newspapers, and that glass walkway over the Grand Canyon.

After 6 years of being his own boss, Sean still loves it. His firm now employs three staff accountants, giving Sean the chance to still get down into the nitty-gritty of the accounting principles that he loves. “I don’t think you should ever ask your staff to do something you won’t do yourself. I spend a lot of time reconciling financials and putting together balance sheets for my clients instead of pushing that down to other people.”

Being his own boss has also given him the ability to get heavily involved in professional organizations. He’s the Chairman of the Board of the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise (which is why he gets to play cards with famous people) as well as a member of the AICPA Minority Initiatives Committee (MIC).

As part of the MIC, Sean has been able to speak to students about the benefits of education and becoming a CPA. He tells students that “any notion you have of being a minority needs to go out the window. You’re a professional first. Let your work speak for you. You overcome barriers and discrimination by being a hard worker. And remember that there’s a demand for what you do.”

Sean and his firm are in high demand, but he makes time to do what he loves outside of work, too – like spend time with his family, golf, play guitar and listen to U2 (Fun fact: He secretly wants to be in a U2 cover band). Sean’s advice to achieve work-life balance is a familiar refrain: Just do it. “It’s easy to work a lot, and you have to prevent it from happening or else work will swallow you up.” Size up Sean’s day planner to see how he does it.

Interested in consulting or rubbing elbows with celebrities? Learn more about the wide world of consulting and how to get involved with professional organizations like Sean.

• 6am: Get up; get ready

  I like to get up early so that I have a little time before work to spend time with my kids (ages 3 and 1). We eat breakfast and play before I have to go to work.

• 8am: Day planning and Travel to Client

  Before I start on client visits, I check my schedule and then respond to the emails I received last night and this morning. After I’ve completed my planning, I drive to my first client’s office.

• 9am: Work with Client A

  Our consulting firm doesn’t do audits – we do the audit preparation. This morning, I’ll be reconciling bank statements and accounts receivable reports, putting together files for the auditors, and reviewing my work with the management team.

• 12pm: Lunch/Meeting

  During lunch, I have a call with the Navajo Nation Gaming Board. As the Chairman of the Board, I run the meeting. As a member of the Board of Directors, we are responsible for setting policy for the organization. Today’s call will be about the development of the next Navajo casino project.

• 1pm: Work with Client B

  After lunch, I drive to my next client. This afternoon, I am meeting with this company’s auditors to discuss the financial statements and get them any information that they need to complete the audit.

• 3pm: Family time

  In the early afternoon, I pick up my older child from school and we head home to play before dinner. We eat together, play a little more, and then put the kids to bed.

• 7pm: Emails and Wrap-up

  Once the kids are asleep, I check my email and phone messages to see what happened during the afternoon. Many days, I’ll have a conference call for one of the other associations that I’m part of (like AICPA’s Minority Initiatives Committee), but today I’ll just take on my inbox.

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