When it comes to accountants, most people picture three-piece suits and stuffy offices. Though the picture is true of some, it’s not true of every accountant. More and more professionals are turning to entrepreneurship as a way to break the shackles of working for large conglomerates. Here’s how they’re making it happen:

1.Forgetting the Degree

Any accountant that has started a successful home business has had to forget that they had a degree. Not literally, of course, but an entrepreneur is a business owner first and a professional second. No matter how skilled an accountant is with other people’s numbers, if he can’t handle his own, his business will experience a failure to launch. Successful entrepreneurs all have one thing in common: a head for business.

2.A Statement of Purpose

If you are considering making your accounting degree work for you rather than someone else, ask yourself why? What is it that you want to offer and what is it that you want to do? It can take years to find your passion, but you should start your home-based business with a purpose in mind. You may want to help other entrepreneurs balance their books. Maybe you want to help stay-at-home moms tighten their budgets and get out of debt. If you don’t have a purpose, you may as well keep working for someone else.

3.Sacrifice

Starting a business isn’t done on a whim, and running a successful company isn’t done without sacrifice. It’s not unusual for entrepreneurs to sell their homes to gain capital, forego a salary in order to grow their business, or even forget that they used to have a social life. Entrepreneurship isn’t without struggle and stress. Successful business owners are willing to do what it takes to get their companies off of the ground.

4.Relationships

Any entrepreneur needs to establish positive relationships with the right people. An accountant may need someone to create a website, a marketer to promote the business, or even a person to answer phones and respond to emails. Even the best accountant is unable to run a business on her own. It’s important that you understand that you can’t do it all well. You may be able to dabble here and there, but your concentration should be on following your purpose. Hire others to do the things that you can’t do for yourself.

5.Flexibility

One of the most important lessons that any entrepreneur should learn, no matter their profession, is the art of flexibility. You may have a purpose now, but be prepared to change it midstream. Working closely with one employee may work for the immediate future, but be prepared to hire when you grow. Successful entrepreneurs aren’t afraid of change; they embrace it.

Accountants aren’t the first professionals that come to mind when people think of entrepreneurs. Virtually any professional can ditch the 9-to-5 in favor of working for themselves. Entrepreneurship, when approached correctly, can be the perfect choice for almost everyone.

Brett Harris writes articles for colleges that offer a Master of Accounting online as one of many online degrees.