Author: Kristen Hendricks

When Kristen Hendricks joined Marshall Jones, she wasn’t looking for a partnership — she was looking for connection. After discovering that remote work left her feeling disconnected, she began exploring opportunities in Atlanta and stumbled into what would become a defining chapter of her career. A four-hour conversation with founder Charlie Jones sealed the deal. “We talked about everything but Marshall Jones,” she recalls. “We just decided we liked each other.” That connection set the stage for what Hendricks would later call her life’s work: building the systems, culture, and human-centered leadership that have helped transform the firm.

From Administrator to Partner

When Hendricks arrived, the firm was modest — barely a million in revenue and operating out of a single Atlanta office. “It was small but full of heart,” she says. “Even back then, it was the people who made it special.” Over time, she became the organizational anchor that allowed Marshall Jones to scale responsibly, leading administrative strategy and cultivating the firm’s internal culture.

Her eventual appointment as a non-CPA partner was both unconventional and defining. “It’s a big risk to name a partner in a CPA firm who isn’t a CPA,” she says. “But Charlie believed in my drive to make things better and keep evolving.” That trust paid off. Hendricks built the firm’s administrative infrastructure and helped align its operations with its people-first mission. “Nobody had to remember when payroll had to happen or how to manage collections,” she explains. “They could just focus on their work and know I’d handle the rest.”

That division of strengths — technical excellence on one side, operational leadership on the other — became one of Marshall Jones’s quiet advantages. As the firm grew from ten employees to more than thirty, Hendricks ensured that growth never came at the cost of connection.

The Partner of the People

Ask Hendricks how she defines her role and she’ll answer without hesitation: “I’m the partner of the people.” Her philosophy is grounded in a simple truth: happy, supported employees create better client experiences. “If you focus on your people and treat them really well, they’ll care about your clients,” she says. That focus has shaped everything from internal communications to performance evaluations.

The firm’s open-door culture is something Hendricks both inherited and fortified. “A door doesn’t have to be open for you to say something,” she says. Through anonymous employee surveys and routine check-ins, she ensures that every team member has a voice. “If nobody knows something’s wrong, nobody can fix it.”

Culture, for her, is not an abstract concept — it’s measurable. Employee satisfaction scores are among her key performance indicators, alongside recognition as one of the “Best Places to Work,” which is determined by staff feedback. “If our people are voting that this is their favorite place to be, we’re doing something right.”

Core Values that Drive Growth

As the firm continues to expand, Hendricks keeps its core values front and center: Rock Solid, Down to Earth, Make It Matter, No Man Left Behind, and Refuse to Settle. “I can tell right away if someone has those values,” she says. “You either have them or you don’t.”

That mindset guides recruitment as much as it does professional development. Marshall Jones invests heavily in training, even when there’s a chance employees might move on. “People will leave,” Hendricks says. “But if we’re not constantly pouring into them, what’s the point of what we’re doing?” She measures success not by retention alone but by how valued people feel while they’re there. “If someone leaves, I just want it to be a hard decision.”

Her approach to team building borrows from a metaphor she calls “The Energy Bus.” Each firm, she says, is like a bus filled with the right people in the right seats. “You can have the right people in the wrong seats — they won’t be productive. But the wrong people in the right seats will drain the energy from everyone else.” Protecting the firm from those “energy vampires,” as she calls them, is a key part of maintaining the culture she’s built.

Independence and the Road Ahead

Looking ahead, Hendricks is clear about the firm’s direction: steady, independent growth. “There’s a lot of noise in our industry about mergers and acquisitions,” she says. “For us, the goal is to remain independent — to be a safe haven for accountants.” That vision reflects both her entrepreneurial mindset and her loyalty to the firm’s founders. “Charlie always said he wanted Marshall Jones to live on beyond him. My promise to him was that it would.”

Staying independent, she acknowledges, brings its challenges. Competing with larger firms backed by private equity means making careful, forward-looking investments. “We’re in that teenager phase. Too big to be small, too small to be big,” she says with a laugh. “So we have to make smart choices and move quickly, but make good decisions.”

She’s also focused on training the next generation of leaders, even if it means preparing someone to eventually replace her. “That’s the goal,” she says. “To grow the firm so well that one day we won’t have jobs. It’s a strange mindset at 36, but it’s the right one.”

A Culture that Lasts

For Hendricks, the firm’s culture goes beyond workplace satisfaction — it’s about legacy. The same spirit that drew her into that first four-hour conversation with Charlie Jones continues to define how she leads today. She still bakes cakes for employees’ birthdays, plans firm-wide celebrations, and serves on the board of Brewable, a nonprofit coffee shop that employs adults with disabilities.

“Work is my favorite place to have my birthday,” she admits with a smile. “It’s the one time it’s about you — but really, it’s about everyone.” That sense of shared joy, humility, and purpose threads through everything she touches.

Marshall Jones has grown far beyond its modest beginnings, but Hendricks ensures its foundation remains human. “We spend so much time together,” she says. “We should want to enjoy each other.”

Under her leadership, the firm continues to balance growth with authenticity, proving that in an industry defined by numbers, people remain its most valuable asset.

As a college student, you have a lot of navigating to do when entering the workforce. That’s why the partners at Marshall Jones want to offer you some tips as an accounting major! Since beginning their own accounting careers, our partners have gained valuable knowledge, and they want to bestow their wisdom upon you. Consider these tips as you continue your accounting education and career.

1. Study, Study, Study

As a student, you’re probably no stranger to studying. However, much of the studying mentality revolves around studying material to pass a test. Our partners at Marshall Jones want to suggest that you should study to learn, not just to pass your exams. One of our audit partners, Nathan, admitted, “The thing I realized after I graduated was that the material actually mattered in the field I was pursuing. I had to research things I should have known because of that test mentality that I had [in college].”

Studying to learn the material will benefit you in the future and make you more knowledgeable after your exams end. It also allows you to hone highly sought-after accounting skills before entering the field. Rather than spend time relearning these skills later, you should take the free time you have now to ensure you’re ready for the accounting world.

2. Know Which Degree You’re Getting

Some schools have more than one version of an accounting degree. To become a certified public accountant (CPA), you need a certain amount of credit hours. While a few states allow accounting majors to take the CPA exam after completing the standard 120 credit hours of a bachelor’s program, most states require 150 hours through a master’s program. Make sure you know what degree you need. 

Either way, try to complete all your schooling at once so you’ll be eligible to get your CPA license right away.

3. Network With Professionals

Randy, another audit partner at Marshall Jones, emphasizes that “relationships are everything.” Join honors fraternities, attend expo events and take advantage of professional gatherings. These are all great ways to network and meet new people who could potentially help you with job or advancement opportunities. Nathan also suggests, “Make sure to focus your attention on networking events that will benefit you in the search for your accounting position,” instead of attending just any networking event.

4. Embrace Speech Classes

We know public speaking classes are among the least popular courses. However, having confidence when speaking with peers, coworkers and clients is an important skill to have. Kristen, a partner of firm administration, shares, “Clients are the backbone of everything that you do. So, you want to be able to talk with them, build relationships, build the trust with them. A lot of that comes from just how you explain things or discuss things with them.” 

You’ll do a lot of speaking as a public accountant, so use speech classes as a beneficial tool to help build skills early. 

5. Know Mistakes Can Lead to Future Success

We think this tip is important because of its versatility. Randy reminds accounting students, “Realize that mistakes are often steps to future success. Everybody makes mistakes, but the key is to learn from them so that they’re not repeated.” Embrace the possibility of making mistakes, as they’re meant to teach you valuable lessons, even if they don’t always seem like it in the moment.

6. Be Involved and Build Your Resume

During your time in college, be sure to join clubs and become a leader in that club if possible. Susan, one of our tax partners, tells students that “belonging to clubs demonstrates personal skills, [so] if you are an officer of the club it demonstrates leadership skills, [and] charitable activities show character.” These are all great ways to build your resume, which Susan suggests is something accounting students should begin to think about during their first couple years of college.

7. Get Internships

One of the most important tips the partners at Marshall Jones have for accounting students is to get internships — more than one if possible. These opportunities can be valuable for several reasons. Susan encourages students to get more than one internship because you’ll have “more information to determine the precise area of accounting you would prefer.” 

Kristen also suggests getting an internship because “you’re going to get a firsthand feel for how CPA firms work, especially if you’re interested in working in public accounting.” More importantly, internships provide you with valuable work experience, and you can apply the things you’re learning in school. 

These positions allow you to understand the nature of the business and what you should expect from this field. 

8. Understand the Accounting Industry

Get to know the accounting industry. Understand the different divisions of accounting — auditing, tax and consulting — to determine which might be most interesting to you. Think about what you want in your career. After five years with a CPA firm at the beginning of his career, Charlie, one of our founding partners, realized that real estate development was something he was interested in, so he made the change. Therefore, he suggests that if there’s a specific industry you know you’re passionate about, pursue it.

Greg, a managing partner, encourages accounting students to understand the types of firms because they’re all different. “CPA firms often take on the personalities of their leading partners, and this leads to a great variety between CPA firms and their cultures.” Because of how different every firm can be, it’s also essential to understand yourself so you can find a firm that will be the best fit for you as you build your accounting career.

9. Realize There’s No Rush to Figure It All Out

If you’re struggling to determine what aspect of accounting you’re passionate about or feel unsure about which firm you want to join, we’re here to assure you there’s no rush to have your whole career figured out. Greg emphasized this idea: “…The answers about what kind of firm you want to join and what kind of accountant you want to be cannot always be known until after you start your career.” It’s important to remember many people don’t have the answers at first — and that’s OK!

Start Your Career at Marshall Jones

As you approach the end of your college career, consider starting your accounting career at Marshall Jones. Our team of CPAs and advisors creates a supportive environment for you to find what you’re passionate about. Learn more about our team to discover why we’re the right move for your career.

Smart project management is crucial for the success of projects of any scale. Whether you’re overhauling an entire employee onboarding process or optimizing a recurrent project, following a systematic approach is crucial. To ensure efficiency from beginning to completion, you must first understand the project’s life cycle.

Learn to take a project from an idea to a completed deliverable with this guide to handling project management step by step.

What Is Project Management and Why Is It Important?

Project management is the practice of planning, organizing and overseeing a project to completion. Project managers must apply processes, methods, skills, knowledge and experience to complete a project within defined constraints. This practice is a cornerstone of operational efficiency and can be the difference between project success and failure to achieve business goals.

Effective project management has both small- and large-scale impacts. A well-executed plan will increase stakeholder satisfaction and reduce risks and costs. Having a skilled project manager overseeing the work will help ensure wise resource allocation and keep the work moving according to the established timeline.

Key Project Management Concepts

To better understand how you can improve your project management efforts, it’s important to understand some key concepts, including:

• Project scope: Scope defines the limits of the project, or which work it includes and excludes. The scope includes deliverables, tasks and resources you’ll need to achieve your objectives. 
• Project deliverables: These are the results and products of a project. Think of what you will deliver to stakeholders at the end of the project, such as an improved process or a piece of equipment.
• Project timeline: A timeline is the roadmap of a project, including a visual representation of your schedule, tasks, milestones and deadlines in chronological order.
• Project budget: The budget is more than a number — it is a financial plan. Here, you will outline the estimated costs for all tasks and activities of the project, including labor and equipment.
• Project resources: Resources are any essential components you will need to complete a project successfully. People, equipment, materials and information can all be listed as resources.

Essential Phases of Project Management

The project management process involves different phases that may change depending on the complexity of the project. Creating a thorough project management plan can turn a daunting task into a series of actionable steps. Understanding the essential phases of project management is key to meeting your deadlines, staying within budget and achieving your goals.

The main steps for managing a project include: 

Phase 1: Initiation

The first phase is when concepts and ideas become meaningful goals. During the initiation phase, you’ll need to define the project on a broad level, pinpointing why it’s needed and developing a project charter to determine the outcome’s feasibility. 

Some key activities during the initiation phase include:

• Creating a business case: Outline the justification for initiating the project. In this document, you’ll explain the reasoning for addressing a particular business problem or seizing an opportunity.
• Setting the project’s objectives and goals: Set a clear goal for the project and the major deliverables you’ll need to produce.
• Conducting a feasibility study: Assess the practicality of the project and analyze its strengths and weaknesses to know if it’s worth pursuing.
• Identifying key stakeholders: Identify the people who will be involved in the project and create a register detailing their roles, designation, communication requirements and influence.
• Drafting a project charter: This document will summarize all previous information about the project in a clean visual presentation.

Phase 2: Planning

Now that you have a clear view of your main goals, it’s time to develop a detailed roadmap for achieving them. This phase is crucial to determine the project’s scope, and it often takes as much as half of the entire project’s lifespan. Effective planning is key to preventing the main causes of project failure, such as inadequate vision, poor communication and inaccurate estimates.

Some key activities of the planning phase include: 

• Determining the project’s objectives: Analyze your goals and use a methodology to create specific and actionable objectives. 
• Creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS): This document splits the entire project into tasks for stakeholders to see and understand each action item.
• Developing a project schedule and timeline: A detailed timeline will inform stakeholders what tasks they need to complete and how much time they have to do so.
• Establishing a budget: A detailed budget must include the cost of every expenditure, including what tools you’ll be using.
• Identifying and assessing risks: Every project comes with risks. Efficient project risk management will ensure you prevent and react appropriately to every possible scenario.
• Designing a communication plan: This document will help you manage and monitor your team. Here, you’ll outline how information will be shared with project stakeholders.

Phase 3: Execution

This phase is where the action begins. Here, your team will implement the plan you designed, produce the deliverables and share progress reports. 

Some key activities of the execution phase include:

• Assigning tasks to team members
• Managing resources
• Implementing the project plan
• Communicating with stakeholders

Phase 4: Monitoring and Controlling

Monitoring occurs along with or shortly after execution begins. You need to track project progress, identify deviations from the plan and take corrective actions to ensure project success.

Some key activities involved in monitoring and controlling include:

• Measuring project performance against the plan
• Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Identifying and managing risks
• Managing changes to the project scope, schedule or budget
• Reporting on project status

Phase 5: Closure

The final phase of the project management process is reached when all deliverables have been completed and accepted. To ensure constant optimization, most teams hold a reflection meeting to analyze their successes and improvement points during the project. 

The key activities of the closure phase include:

• Obtaining final acceptance of the project deliverables
• Documenting project outcomes and lessons learned
• Releasing project resources
• Closing out contracts
• Celebrating project success

Tools and Techniques for Effective Project Management

There are many techniques and tools for managing a project available. You can streamline your operations with management software, ensure efficient communication with group organizing tools and follow task management techniques to ease workflow.

Some of the most popular tools and techniques for project management include:

• Project management software: Programs like Jira, Trello and Asana simplify your project management process with intuitive interfaces and give you a clear view of each stakeholder’s performance.
• Communication apps: Communication tools allow you to connect with your team even when you have members at different locations. Some examples include Slack and Microsoft Teams.
• Task management techniques: The right techniques will help your team improve their workflow. Some popular task management techniques include Kanban boards, Gantt charts and Agile methodologies.

Tips for Effective Project Management

There’s room for growth after every completed project. Successful project management is all about methodology, versatility and optimization.

Some useful and simple project management tips to execute tasks successfully include the following:

• Develop a realistic project plan
• Communicate effectively
• Manage risks proactively
• Be flexible and adaptable
• Learn from your mistakes

Improve Your Operations With Marshall Jones Financial Management

Marshall Jones Certified Public Accountants And Advisors offers full-service accounting solutions to help you save time and manage your resources so you can focus on completing projects successfully. Contact our team online for more information.