Name: William Whitehead

Title: Tax Accountant/Bookkeeper, Entrepreneur

Major: Accounting

Mr.Whitehead and I discussed many topics throughout this interview, including his personal and career background. We also went into a description of his job and the best path to take in order to be successful in his field of occupation.

Now for the interview:

• Let’s start by you telling me your job title and a brief summary of what a typical day looks like for you?

A: I’m the Owner & President of Whitehead Business Solutions, which is a tax and bookkeeping development company. We prepare tax returns for corporations, individuals, foundations, and non-profits. In addition, we do bookkeeping for companies, small to medium corporations. Also, we do business development in the case that a company may want to incorporate the business and form an LLC. We also help with the formation of the Legal Business Infinity. Flexible hours based on the amount of client work for that day.

• Did you already have an idea of what you wanted to do before you got to college?

Yes, my parents own an accounting firm outside of Detroit, Michigan. So I’ve been preparing tax returns since the age of 14. It’s not something that I necessarily thought I’d be doing now, but it gave me a background in accounting. Which led me to decide that I wanted to pursue it as my profession.

• What was your major? Do you feel like it actually helped you in your career?

Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of North Texas. It was tough but it most definitely prepared me.

• Is there anything you want to change about your career path or how you got to where you are?

No, I’ve been very blessed in my journey. Being able to start off at JCPenney, a Fortune 500 company. It’s so large that 13 years I was there, I was able to get promoted to different disciplines of accounting over that 13-year period. So, I started relatively green as a staff accountant, then I moved to financial reporting. Then, I moved to the tax department, so I was able to work on the JC Penny corporate tax return for about 3 years. Then, I was promoted to the real-estate department. So, being able to be that young while working for a company that large, and being able to move up every two years has been a huge blessing. I’ve learned a lot along the way which is why I felt comfortable opening up my own shop since I have experience. I would recommend pursuing an internship in order to make sure that it is really what you think it is. Pick a career path that you’re passionate about instead of trying to follow the money.