Jaimie Nichols: She Left Firm Life. Two Years Later, She Works Less Than 20 Hours a Week. | Big 4 Transparency

"I make more money now, but more importantly, I'm not miserable."Big 4 TransparencyBy Dominic Piscopo, CPAFor CPA TrendlinesJaimie Nichols expected her accounting practice to grow faster. Two years after leaving firm life, she is glad it didn’t.Nichols started the practice around the time she learned she was going to become a mother. Now, she tells host Dominic Piscopo on The Big 4 Transparency that she has earned more than she did at her former job while spending far more time with her young son.“It was the best decision ever,” she says.MORE Dominic Piscopo | MORE Private Equity | MORE Pay & CompensationNichols reports $120,000 in revenue and roughly $10,000 in expenses for 2025. She says she worked fewer than 20 hours a week, even during tax season, and fewer than 10 hours a week outside it. Family members helped with childcare for several weeks during tax season, but she had no paid childcare that year. She estimates that saved her at least $35,000 in infant care costs.The numbers are striking. Nichols is just as interested in what they leave room for.