When Jacob Dobbs joined the team at Market Street Partners as an intern in January 2018, he had high hopes of launching his career alongside a growing firm. At that time, MSP was in the early stages of its own growth, just two years out from its founding, and Jacob saw a bright future for the firm that included, and aligned with, his own personal career trajectory and goals.
Today, Jacob serves as a Supervisor in our Audit department and is a shining example of our team-centered ethos.
Jacob’s hard work and dedication recently earned him a spot in RSM Alliance’s Breakthrough Leaders Institute program, so today, we’re shining the spotlight on Jacob’s experience and the benefits it’s brought him individually, as well as to MSP.
Q: Tell us a little about your backstory — what brought you to MSP, and how have the past five years been building your career?
Jacob: I was a member of the accounting fraternity Beta Alpha Psi at UTC in college, and that organization always puts on a “Meet the Firms” event where I met Kyle [Bryant, founding partner]. We had a great conversation, and as it turns out, MSP wound up being my only callback from that event. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I guess the rest is history.
It was exciting to come into a small team environment where I had a lot of opportunities to do meaningful work and build my skillset a lot faster than I might have at a larger firm. I think it really helped me get ahead of the game for someone my age. I had a good feeling about MSP — I knew things were going to expand, get bigger — and I knew I wanted to be a part of it.
Q: Okay, let’s talk about the Breakthrough Leaders Institute program. How did you get in, and what was the program like?
Jacob: I was nominated for the program by my managers — it was an honor that they considered me for the program, and I was really excited when I found out I got in. Breakthrough Leaders is tailored for experienced seniors, supervisors, and new managers. I attended an in-person kickoff at a three-day leadership conference in Dallas in early June, and it was great to have the chance to meet the other participants in person.
The primary focus of the program, in addition to the monthly sessions and general leadership curriculum, was to complete a capstone project at your firm. For me, that was implementing Suralink (a secure file-sharing system) for the tax team.
Our final capstone session was also in person in Tempe, Arizona, in early November. And in fact, MSP benefited from that experience because we wound up implementing another technology solution called LeaseCrunch that I learned about from another participant’s capstone project.
Q: What did you learn during the program? What would you say is its greatest value?
Jacob: This program was valuable to me in so many different ways. The first is just building relationships with people all across the country, expanding your professional network to include other people who are dealing with the same challenges you are and who can help you solve some of those by sharing their experiences.
It was also really refreshing to get out of the everyday routine of my job — I think certain parts of any job can become a little monotonous, and it’s nice to pick your head up and take a step back once in a while. Whether it was hitting pause to participate in the monthly session or to do my assigned reading, the program got my brain working in a different way and offered a sort of reset that was really energizing.
It’s one of those experiences where you get out as much as you put in or want to get, but I felt so supported by the firm — reminded that they valued me as a leader and wanted me to have that opportunity to learn and grow — that I felt really invested in the entire program. The whole thing exceeded my expectations.
Q: How did this experience align with or add to/support your growth within the firm?
Jacob: Everything we talked about is going to be applicable to my growth and personal development as a leader throughout my entire career. The curriculum provided information that everyone in a leadership role needs to have on their mind, especially as our team keeps growing.
MSP has always had such a strong team environment, where we’re always working toward the same goal and everyone pitches in to make sure no one is left struggling on their own. But I’d say this experience gave me an even better set of tools to understand different personalities and to adapt my leadership style to meet those needs. In the long run, that will help us retain our culture and our ability to deliver excellent customer service as we continue to grow.
Q: If a seasoned CPA is reading this, would you encourage him/her to get involved with a program like this one?
Jacob: I’d definitely encourage a seasoned CPA to do it — if you’re nominated, you should take advantage of it. Like I said earlier, you get out what you put in, so just be ready to invest in the program, and you’ll get a great deal in return.
Q: What about younger accountants or students who might be reading this? How would you encourage them to get involved in a way that they’ll be positioned for opportunities like these down the road?
Jacob: I still learn something new every day that I come in to work. Be humble enough to realize that you don’t know everything, and know that there’s so much to learn. Never get to a place where you think you know all there is to know.
I’d also say, similar to what I said about the program, your career is very much a give and take — you get out what you put in. If you’re willing to learn and do great work, you’ll be much better positioned to have people invest in you. It’s been an honor for me to have invested in MSP, where my managers have made it a priority to invest in me and my career growth as well.
If you’re interested in building your career at a growth-centered firm, check out our Careers page to learn more about joining our team.