Meet TSCPA Member: Shawna Ridgeway, CPA
TSCPA member Shawna Ridgeway, CPA, knew accounting was the career path for her when she was in high school. “It’s just something that came naturally to me, and I enjoyed it,” she says. After her initial plans to sit for the CPA exam were put on hold, Ridgeway received her license in 2020 and now owns her own audit firm. She advises others to never give up on their dreams. “Everyone has the potential to do amazing things, and for each individual, those things are different. Follow your dreams, and don’t give up,” Ridgeway says. “Plan A did not work for me; plan B did not either. Quite honestly, I went halfway through the alphabet, it feels like, to finally get to where I wanted to be.”
Farm Life
I grew up in the small community of Revilo in Leoma, Tennessee. My grandfather had a farm, so I grew up around a lot of animals, playing in the creek, picking blackberries and garden vegetables, and driving my papa’s old truck around the farm. I grew up very close with my two sisters and two cousins that were more like brothers to me. We have a lot of memories together on the farm.
Discovering Accounting
I was in high school when the interest first hit. I was a student in the first accounting class offered at my small high school; I’ll never forget it. My teacher was Ms. Pack, and she was a great mentor/influencer for me. I was a member of the FBLA, and on a whim and the urging from Ms. Pack and another business teacher, Mrs. Neidergeses, I decided to compete in the accounting competition for FBLA that year, where I actually placed in the top five of the state. From there on out, I was pretty well hooked. After that, I decided to attend TSCPA’s Accounting Academy program at Belmont, and that’s when I decided I wanted to go into audit. I went to Martin Methodist College, where I was lucky enough to have an amazing accounting professor, Paula Stephenson, and to receive the TSCPA scholarship and Outstanding Accounting Student award.
Major Influences
My first huge supporter was Martha Redding. She was a CPA that took me under her wing when I first started in public accounting. She taught me so much about auditing. Before she passed away, she introduced me to Greg Johnson, who became my audit manager shortly after. Greg has always supported me and has taught me so much about auditing. He’s a big reason I was able to pass my CPA exam; he has supported me in so many ways, personally and professionally. I always know he is just a phone call away for any questions I may have or for any time I am doubting myself about something.
Overcoming Obstacles
My initial plan was to sit for my CPA upon completion of my MBA program; however, my oldest son was 3 months old at the time, and I decided to put that dream on hold. It was years later, once I started working in public accounting, that I decided to pursue my license. On three of the four exams, I made a 74 the first time around. I’m not very good at testing unless it is an essay-style exam. I have a lot of testing anxiety that definitely did not help. I also had two small kids at home once I decided to pursue my license (my boys were 1 and 3 when I started the process). I worked full time, took care of my kids and studied while they slept. I typically studied from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. every night and a lot on the weekends. It was a very long road, but it was so worth it in the end.
On Self-employment
It has its challenges, but I love being able to choose which clients fit the best with my firm and being able to serve local entities. I try to cultivate an environment where my clients are comfortable calling me throughout the year to ask questions to help them better understand their books and the transactions that they are recording.
I would say one of the biggest challenges, aside from being the only employee within my firm, is that I strictly do audit and attest work. I do not offer any tax or bookkeeping services, which I get a lot of calls about.
Future Predictions
I feel like auditing is not going anywhere. There’s a great deal of skepticism around how governments and other organizations handle their money. I feel like the biggest changes in audit are that the increase in technology, introduction of artificial intelligence and changes due to COVID are changing the workplace, and, in turn, audit procedures are having to evolve to better capture and understand the transactions taking place.
Down Time
In my spare time, I love to spend time with my kids and family. Our typical outings include offroad riding in our RZR, fishing, hunting or playing at the creek. I love to cook, especially to bake, so I spend quite a bit of time in my kitchen. I also love to wind down with a good book at night or whenever I get the chance.
Favorite Advice
Accept that you will make mistakes, and that’s okay; that’s what you learn from. I have always struggled with confidence, and in my journey of trying to improve myself in that area, I was told by someone that mistakes are just the part of life that you learn from. I’ve learned a lot from mistakes. Perfection is not the goal; progress is.
This article was originally published in the September/October 2023 Tennessee CPA Journal.