December 10, 2024 • 28 mins
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Join us as we welcome John Parms, the visionary founder and managing officer of Parms & Company, who takes us on a captivating journey through his 40-year business legacy. Growing up as the youngest of eight children in Akron, Ohio, John shares how the unwavering support of his family and community laid the foundation for his success. With anecdotes from his upbringing and insights into the values instilled by his parents and siblings, John illustrates the power of faith, community, and family influence in achieving long-term goals. His story is a testament to the grace, blessings, and resilience that have shaped his path.
Emphasizing the significance of mentoring the next generation, John inspires with his commitment to fostering talent and building a legacy. He believes in going beyond financial success, encouraging young professionals to have a clear vision and plan for their future. The qualities he values in potential employees—initiative, critical thinking, and effective communication—are pivotal in sustaining the legacy he has built. As we reflect on John's impact and aspirations, this episode becomes a source of motivation for anyone looking to use their gifts to make a positive mark on the world.
John’s entrepreneurial journey is rich with lessons on integrity, fairness, and the importance of a strong faith foundation. From his early career aspirations as an architect to becoming a CPA, John underscores the role of hard work and adaptability in navigating his professional life. His transition to business ownership highlights the perseverance required to overcome challenges such as finding employment. Through his narrative, John reveals the ethical framework that guides both his business practices and personal life, rooted in values learned from his family and faith. Tune in to glean insights from a seasoned expert and learn how to chase your dreams with purpose and integrity.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I think there are a number of ways of being
successful.
I think you just have to have awillingness, a frame of mind
that you could be successful.
You have to show a certainamount of initiative.
You can't sit back and wait forthings to happen.
You really have to take aninitiative.
So we're looking at that, we'relooking at someone, certainly
(00:20):
certain skills, criticalthinking skills, being able to
communicate effectively, beingable to present themselves
effectively.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Welcome to Be A Baller podcast where we're
building a lifelong legacy forfamilies, communities in the
world, communities in the world.
I'm your host, Coach Tim Brown,and I'm excited today to
introduce my guest, John Parnes,who's founder and owner and
managing officer of ParnesCompany, who recently celebrated
40 years in business.
John is a certified publicaccountant and a mentor to young
(00:56):
up-and-coming accountants andbusiness owners.
Today on the show, John willshare his journey to building a
lifelong legacy in business.
John, welcome to the show.
Thank you.
Yeah, first of all, now thetie's off.
So you got to loosen up now.
I know you're the accountant, Iknow you're the accountant, but
I got to get that smile.
I got to get that out of you.
First of all, congratulations.
You just recently celebrated 40years of the company.
(01:18):
Can you talk about reachingthat milestone in business, Boy?
Speaker 1 (01:22):
yeah, you, that milestone in business Boy.
Yeah, you know, I didn't reallylook at it as a milestone.
We have a young lady who's ourfirm administrator, linda
Spencer.
She was the one who really saidyou know, we need to celebrate
40 years.
I'm not a big person forcelebrations, necessarily, but
you know it's interesting.
(01:43):
One question she asked me iswell, how did you do that?
How did you stay in businessthat long?
And I said by the grace of God,because really, you know, you
really don't achieve I don'tbelieve, anyway, that you
achieve anything of any.
You know length of time, unlessyou are grounded and have some
(02:03):
blessings right.
You have to have a certainamount of grace, I believe.
And so you know, I had a momwho used to pray for me all the
time.
You know a father who didn't dothat, but he, you know, he
provided a foundation for ourfamily.
So I really have to just lookat all the things that occurred
(02:26):
throughout my life, and so it's,it's really just a number of
things that were blessings to me, um, that allowed me to to, you
know, be able to, um, standthat long.
And so, yes, I, I, I can'tclaim um, all that.
You know, it's a village.
It's a journey that a lot ofpeople supported me during that
(02:47):
time.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Awesome, awesome you know, I know you grew up in
Akron, ohio, correct, and youwere the youngest of eight
children Correct.
Can you talk about your family,and you kind of alluded to that
.
What were some of thosevaluable lessons you learned
from the Parnes family,especially being the youngest
and being a boy?
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Yeah, yeah, essentially four girls, four
boys and, um, you know, I had,uh, my sisters uh kind of was
was a, you know, not asubstitute, but an additional um
guidance.
And my older brothers as well,they were, uh, you know, role
models.
So I, my brother, my oldestbrother, was an attorney and you
(03:23):
know he was well known in theAkron community.
My dad was a businessman formany years.
He also worked at Firestone,you know, and he, a lot of his
brothers, worked in the rubber,you know rubber industry.
But he had the I won't say theforesight, but certainly the
(03:44):
desire to be in business.
At one point, I think, he had ashoe shine shop, you know.
He shined shoes, you know, andthen from there he started a
business.
And so, being the youngest ofeight, I think I had an
advantage because I had a lot ofmodels that I could learn from
(04:08):
and, of course, my parents wereexcellent parents.
They, you know, instilled in usprinciples, I think, that were
helpful.
You don't realize that growingup, right, but as you look back
you can see, you know they theywere always there and and guided
us, and so that was all.
Those things were very helpful.
So, you know, all my brothersand sisters were able to, I
(04:31):
think, provide some guidance tome Right, and so I.
I just had a chance to benefitfrom all of that.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Nice, good, good.
You know, speaking of that, youtalked about your mother
praying for you.
Can you talk about yourpersonal faith foundation?
I know, even today, I knowyou're a member of Second
Baptist Church.
Can you talk about your faithfoundation?
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Yeah, well, you know, I think you have to have a
foundation and something that'smeaningful and certainly God
can't be more meaningful thanthat and so I get that from my
mom.
You know she took us all tochurch when we were growing up
Second Baptist Church in Akron,ohio and so certainly having
(05:16):
that foundation andunderstanding God's principles
and what he teaches and what hehas stored for us, I think is
always helpful, because life canbe very difficult sometimes and
you could go astray and thingsare difficult, and so if you
don't have that foundation, Ithink it doesn't, it helps,
(05:37):
right.
It allows you to understandthere's something bigger than
yourself and that you knowthey're principles that God lays
out.
I think I've tried to use inthe business that I have, in the
business that I run, and Ithink that serves me well.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
You know, speaking of that, can you expound on some
of those principles that you use?
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Well, certainly, I think you know.
I think there are a number ofimportant principles.
One is you have an obligationto do the right thing.
You could take shortcuts, butthat never, I thought, had a
long lasting benefit.
(06:24):
So, just, you know, just beingfair to one another, being fair
to your employees, being fair toyour customers, I think is
understanding that you have tohave strong principles and
understanding that you get whatyou put in.
So I always felt that If wecouldn't be credible, if we
(06:50):
couldn't be honorable, if wedidn't have integrity, that is
not going to allow you to stayin business long, it's not going
to serve you well.
So certainly I think you knowhard work, you know faith,
believing that.
You know you can do it, eventhough obstacles seem to be kind
(07:13):
of difficult.
And so I think those are someprinciples.
I guess I could think someother ones, but right now those
come to mind.
Those are solid.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Those are tried and true.
Yes, you know those are triedand true.
You know working in a familybusiness.
I know you worked in thereafter school and doing some
summer breaks or whatnot.
Can you talk about how thatexperience helped you when you
got to open your own business?
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Yeah, you know, I think sometimes it's hard when
you're at that moment to reallyunderstand what's going on right
.
But certainly, just being in theenvironment with my dad and one
of my older brothers who ranthe business for a long time,
there are principles, there arethings that you learn.
(07:56):
That may not necessarily be youknow, you're sitting down and
someone says you do this andthat and that, but you really
gain an understanding by justlooking, watching, I think, and
so just understanding you knowwhat it took to be in business,
how you need to reinvest in yourbusiness, reinvest in yourself,
(08:16):
understanding that yourcustomers are our assets and are
very valuable and you want tomaintain those relationships,
those relationships, uh, andagain, just doing, doing right
by your customers, I think isvery important.
And then having a plan,understanding that you just
can't go into business willynilly.
(08:37):
You really have to have, um,well thought out plans, um and
um.
You have to have supportsystems and mechanisms that help
you, um, in areas that youcan't do yourself.
So you know you need to haveprofessionals who can guide you.
(08:58):
So advice is very important.
So those are some of the thingsI learned at a very young age,
working in the cleaning businessin the summers and after school
.
How was that?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
wage for you.
I'm Right, how was that wagefor you?
I'm sorry.
How was that wage for you?
You make $10 an hour, you knowI don't really remember how much
I made.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
That's not something I think that I really view.
You know, one of the things Ican say is that growing up, I
always had money Okay, I alwayshad a way of earning money where
my friends may not have.
I always had very clean clothes.
I was always well presented,well pressed, so those things
(09:38):
were benefits that I think wouldhelp me when I was growing up.
Yeah, those are benefits I gotfrom that.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Just think about being in high school.
Uh, were you involved in a lotof business classes and I know
you went on to be a CPA.
Did you always love math?
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Did I always love math?
No, not necessarily.
I mean, I think you know I hadcertain aptitudes.
You know critical thinking wasan important aptitude.
I really wanted to be anarchitect when I really, when I
went from high school to collegebut found out that I didn't
really have all of the aptitudesnecessary to be that.
But I did see that I could bein a profession like accounting
(10:18):
and I understood how that worked, relating to business.
But I don't necessarily think Iwas very good at any particular
subject.
I was an average student but Ijust worked hard when I needed
to and I think that's how Iovercome, overcame.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
What was your inspiration and vision to start
your own business?
What was the vision behind that?
Speaker 1 (10:39):
I couldn't find a job .
That's interesting, isn't it?
Um, yeah, I, I, um.
I lived in cleve, I got marriedand I moved to Columbus.
So I had passed the exam, I wasa CPA, but I found it very
difficult to find employmenthere.
(11:00):
This is back in the middle 70s,right?
And so I had a couple of goodfriends I had met in Cleveland
when I worked for a CPA firm, anAfrican American firm, watson
and Rice, and there's a greathistory with them.
They've brought along a lot of,I think, cpas during a certain
(11:23):
point in time.
But I had two friends who theywere in transition as well.
Okay, we got together and saidlet's start a firm.
And so a lot of times peopledon't understand the best time
to start a business is when youdon't have another opportunity,
right, you have much less atrisk.
I didn't have kids.
I was married, but I didn'thave any other obligations that
(11:48):
prevented me from taking thatleap.
I didn't have a lot.
I didn't view myself as havinga lot at risk, so that's how I
did it.
Now, did I start out in?
When I graduated from college?
I was going to start a business?
No, I didn't.
I just realized that I had agood skill.
(12:09):
Accounting was the knowledge ofbusiness, and so I understood
the background of that, and sothe opportunity presented itself
, and that's what happened.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
That sounds good.
That's a good story.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Didn't have a job so I could create one.
Couldn't find a job.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Couldn't find a job.
Speaking of that, what words ofadvice and encouragement would
you give to young entrepreneurs?
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Yeah, you really have to be prepared.
I think business is not.
It can be a rewardingundertaking, but it can be very
challenging and you really needto have a base of knowledge.
You need to understand, have anappreciation for the things
(12:54):
that are going to make yourjourney difficult.
You need to have good advisors,but you also have to have a
plan.
I think you have to do yourhomework and understanding.
You know what are theopportunities, but also what are
the challenges in starting abusiness, and there are many.
(13:15):
But I think you know America, Ithink, is unique in that it
provides a number of importantsystems to help business owners
be successful, and probably morenow than when, when I first
started my business many, manyyears ago.
But there are a number ofsupport mechanisms that I think
(13:37):
you need to as a business owner.
You need to know what, uh, whatthey may be, what they are in
terms of providing assistance,in terms of you know,
information, in terms of capital, in terms of um, legal advice,
um, and so you have to, and soyou have to make those
opportunities, those tools andbenefits available to yourself,
(13:59):
because they're going to beneeded.
I mean, it's very difficultrunning a business.
You have to know a lot and youhave to be committed.
And so, yes, I would say thoseare the things that commitment,
knowledge, understanding, theability to listen, to seek
advice.
So some of those, I think arevery, very important.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Those are great words .
I heard you mention the wordplan a few times in our
conversation.
We have a concept.
I work with young guys orstudents, period, we call it the
MVP, and MVP is for my visionplan, not for most valuable
players, it's for my vision plan.
And the key in that we tellthem we go through all this, but
the bottom line is you got tohave a plan, you got to plan,
(14:42):
you got to be willing to commitit to the plan, work the plan,
seek out advice, people that canhelp you with, but it's your
plan.
You know it's your plan, butyou got to, and once you have
that plan and have thatownership, you know it can
happen for you.
It can happen for you.
You know the longevity of PinesCompany.
There's a slogan that you use.
It's called beyond the bottomline.
(15:03):
Beyond the bottom line.
That's your tagline, Right,what does that mean?
Beyond the bottom line um well,first of all, it sounds real
good.
Well, it sounded good now,that's why I wrote it down yeah,
but you know it.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
It really means that you know we want to go the extra
mile, that you know to do morethan just um, you know what's
expected, um, and I think that'swhat it means is that we're
committed to your, your success,and we go, you know, beyond
just what you might think or wemight think is necessary,
whatever it takes to help you besuccessful.
(15:40):
So you know beyond.
We used to have a tagline doingwhat works and someone bought
that from us.
They thought that was such agreat tagline many, many years
ago, and so you know it'slooking at what we're trying to
project in terms of our imageand what we're trying to do for
(16:00):
our clients and our employees aswell.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
No, it works.
It works.
I think that adds to thelongevity of the company,
because you're looking at beyondthe bottom line.
You go anywhere and the bottomline will grow.
That's what accountants do.
That's why I was there.
They help you grow the bottomline, but there's something
beyond the bottom line.
So, speaking of what, whatvalue are you adding to that
company besides the bottom line?
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Well, certainly, I think you know our commitment to
their success, um, ourexpertise, our experience that
we bring to the relationship.
I mean, we've been doing thisfor a little bit of time.
We've been committed to ourclients and we're committed to
(16:45):
building our knowledge base sothat we can help our clients.
So, yeah, it's just havingunderstanding that things don't
just happen.
You have to apply a number ofthings that make it work in
terms of commitment, expertise,knowledge, and so you know,
that's what I think I canprovide in that regard.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
You know you are in a season of time and in your
business where you're kind ofthat company you mentioned in
Cleveland.
You know you're that one nowwho's mentoring that next
generation.
You know a lot of peoplestarted with you and now doing
some big things.
But as you're in that season ofmentoring and sponsoring the
next generation, can you talkabout your relationship with my
(17:31):
alma mater, ohio UniversitySchool of Business?
You know, and the things thatyou've done?
I know you have two graduatesthere working for you now.
Can you talk about thatcommitment?
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Yeah, I can't claim that.
Our firm administrator, lindaSpencer, and one of our audit
manager, naomi Robinson, madethat happen.
They were looking for arelationship with a school to
(17:59):
help as a feeder for potentialemployees.
One of the challenges that ourprofession is dealing with right
now is a shortage of talent,and so you have to be more
(18:26):
creative in finding availabletalent, potential um employees,
students that we could uh startrelationship with early on in in
their development, whichincreases our ability to retain
them Um.
So that's that's.
That was the impetus behindthat and the reason for that.
(18:46):
But we're just starting thatout.
Uh, our first, I think ourfirst activity will be first
quarter of next year, butcertainly I wasn't the
brainchild behind that.
Someone else in our firmstarted that, understanding that
we had a couple of staffmembers who were alumnus of OU,
(19:06):
and so that's why that happened.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
You know when you're interviewing or you're looking
for talent, as you mentioned,what kind of skills are you
looking for besides just havinga degree?
What are some of the otherskills set that young people
need to have to be successful,not just in your profession, but
in any profession?
Speaker 1 (19:23):
I don't know.
I mean, I think there are anumber of ways of being
successful.
I think you just have to have awillingness, a frame of mind
that you could be successful.
You have to have show a certainamount of initiative.
You know you can't sit back andwait for things to happen.
You really have to take youknow, take an initiative.
(19:45):
So we're looking at that.
We're looking at someone youknow certainly certain skills
critical thinking skills, beingable to communicate effectively,
being able to presentthemselves effectively, some of
those intangibles.
But you know it.
Really, I don't know if I cansay in every case what drives us
to hire someone versus someoneelse.
(20:07):
I just think it's theirpresence, their confidence,
their commitment, theirpreparation.
You have to come to the gamewith skills and preparation, and
so that's what we're looking at.
We're also looking at someonewho has a certain level of work
ethic.
It would be great if we all canlay around and make things
happen, but that doesn't happen.
(20:28):
It doesn't work that way.
You really have to take theinitiative and do the work
necessary to be successful.
So those are some of theingredients we look for in terms
of our talent, that we look for.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Well, you dropped some gems there, just life
things, and those are thingsthat you learn.
I really believe you learnthose early.
You really look at what isingrained in you.
You saw that with your dad.
You saw that with your brothersand your sisters.
You saw that work ethic, thatcommitment, that confidence.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
I mean, if you have someone who shows you a vision,
it's easier to understand, right?
I think that was one of thethings that was very helpful to
me is I had role models.
I had someone I could seebecause I saw things in them and
they provided insight in howyou could be successful.
So it gives you a confidenceand understanding and a
confidence to be to make it work.
(21:20):
So, yeah, very important.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Yeah, and it's like now you are that person.
You know, now you're in thatseat.
You're in that seat.
Jordan Miller was on the showfrom Fifth Third Bank, adolfo
Bank, and Jordan said this.
He said all guys, young people,need a mentor, but they also
need a sponsor, and what hemeant by that.
He broke it down.
They need somebody in the room,you know, pounding the table
for him.
(21:41):
Hey, get him an opportunity,get him a chance, and that's
what I see you doing with theseyoung people at OU.
You know, just giving them anopportunity because you're in
the room, right, you know, beinga sponsor.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
Well, that's just paying forward, right.
Someone gave me an opportunitymany times.
I can just think back ofsupporters that we had.
There was a doubt whether ornot we should get an engagement,
for example, and someone wasthere to say, yep, I've worked
with this firm, you can rely onthem and I recommend them.
So that's always very, veryimportant.
(22:11):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
It's important as we come around the corner.
This is a legacy podcast.
I mean, think about that word,legacy.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
What does that word mean to you?
Well, it means you're going tocontinuation.
You know you're going tosupport others or provide
opportunities, so others can,you know, grow from that,
benefit from that, right, and soI think that's one of the
(22:41):
things that our firm is tryingto do is understanding.
You know you don't see a lot ofblack CPAs or accountants, and
so you know if we can providethis is what we're trying to do
right now with some of our youngtalent is to provide an
(23:02):
opportunity for them.
They don't have to start fromscratch.
They could benefit from ourknowledge, our experience, our
position, and so that's reallyhelping others who may not have
that opportunity, right, and soit's really building for the
future, allowing them to benefitfrom the knowledge and hard
(23:28):
work of someone coming beforethem.
Right, so they don't have tostart from scratch, and that's
one of the things we talkedabout what's needed to be
successful in business andexposure and knowledge is one of
the key things, right.
And so mentoring and supportingand building knowledge base and
(23:48):
understanding, I think, isreally what we're trying to do
in continuing the legacy of ourfirm and you know, the legacy
that we built on, right?
Yes, we all start fromsomeplace, and so if you can
benefit from that, if you canpiggyback on that, it helps.
(24:11):
It helps your ability to besuccessful in the future.
Others rather.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
You know people have described you as, when they say
John Parnes, they describe youas being humble, Well-respected.
You know, committed Christianman, family man.
Those are qualities that peoplehave described you.
How would you describe John?
Speaker 1 (24:38):
That's not fair.
I don't know, I mean it's hard.
You know I try to be realistic,but I mean being humble, I mean
it's.
I don't think that I'm all thatbig of a person, right?
I don't think that I'm all thatbig of a person, right, it's
just my position andunderstanding that you know that
(25:00):
there are a lot of people whoare doing a lot of great things,
and you know, but certainly Idon't know.
I think I've been intentionallytried to be, stand for something
right, to be principled right,and so you know, be hardworking,
committed, be honest.
(25:20):
I mean I think I'm not tooflashy.
You know I try not to be thecenter of attention, but I want
to be effective, right, and so Ithink you can do that without
being very grandiose.
But but you have to, you know,you have to be, you have to have
(25:42):
the ability and commitment, thepreparation, the knowledge to,
to, to take advantage ofopportunities.
I think I'm that kind of aperson.
I've tried to be that kind ofperson.
Let me say it that way it'ssomeone who can get things done,
who's effective but not humble,I guess, is a good word.
(26:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
I think you did a good job.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
You did a good job with that one.
I'm just grabbing myself.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
Okay, very good On the spot here.
That was pretty good, right,that was pretty good, thank you,
and that's what I've said aboutyou.
That's who you are.
You are who you are Now peopleare.
You know, what you see is whatyou get Many times, yeah, what
you see is what you get.
You know what you're gettingwhen you come to Parnes.
You know what you're getting.
You're getting that commitment.
You're getting that beyond thebottom line.
(26:30):
You're getting thatprofessional.
You're getting that.
The other thing about yourcompany is you're getting that
professionalism.
You know that it's going to be,professionally done.
You know it's going to be donethe right way.
You know and not cut anycorners and I know that from my
son working for you.
You know how rigid it is.
You know how focused and howserious that you are.
And the other thing, I thinkyou've set a standard.
(26:50):
You've set a standard.
You know you set a standard andthat's important in today's
world.
Sure, principle you mentionedthat word principle.
You know we need men that havesome principles, some values.
We're going to stick to it.
You know we're not going tosway with well, this is the way
everybody else is going.
There's certain things andthose you've been following.
So I want to thank you for that.
(27:11):
Sure Well, that's all the timewe have for today's episode of
Be a Baller podcast.
I want to thank our specialguest, john Parnes, for sharing
his wisdom and experience inbuilding a successful business
with us.
Thank you, john, for your modelof excellence in business and
inspiring the next generation tochase their dreams.
Hope you enjoyed theconversation as much as I did.
Remember, building a lifelonglegacy is not just about what we
(27:35):
achieve in life, but also howwe use our gifts and talents to
make a positive impact on theworld around us, and don't
forget to subscribe to ourpodcast, as you can stay up to
date with all our latestepisodes.
Our podcast guests are alwayswilling to share wisdom and
inspire others to build a legacyfor their lives.
Thanks, john.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
Tim, thank you for the opportunity Talk to you If
you enjoyed this episode, pleaseshare it with family and
friends.
The Be A Baller podcast isavailable on all major podcast
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This podcast was created byCoach Tim Brown and recorded and
edited by the video productionclass at Portland Christian High
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Be sure to come back next weekas we continue to discuss on how
(28:15):
to build a lifelong legacy.
Until then, don't forget to bea baller.
I think there are a number of ways of being
successful.
I think you just have to have awillingness, a frame of mind
that you could be successful.
You have to show a certainamount of initiative.
You can't sit back and wait forthings to happen.
You really have to take aninitiative.
So we're looking at that, we'relooking at someone, certainly
(00:20):
certain skills, criticalthinking skills, being able to
communicate effectively, beingable to present themselves
effectively.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Welcome to Be A Baller podcast where we're
building a lifelong legacy forfamilies, communities in the
world, communities in the world.
I'm your host, Coach Tim Brown,and I'm excited today to
introduce my guest, John Parnes,who's founder and owner and
managing officer of ParnesCompany, who recently celebrated
40 years in business.
John is a certified publicaccountant and a mentor to young
(00:56):
up-and-coming accountants andbusiness owners.
Today on the show, John willshare his journey to building a
lifelong legacy in business.
John, welcome to the show.
Thank you.
Yeah, first of all, now thetie's off.
So you got to loosen up now.
I know you're the accountant, Iknow you're the accountant, but
I got to get that smile.
I got to get that out of you.
First of all, congratulations.
You just recently celebrated 40years of the company.
(01:18):
Can you talk about reachingthat milestone in business, Boy?
Speaker 1 (01:22):
yeah, you, that milestone in business Boy.
Yeah, you know, I didn't reallylook at it as a milestone.
We have a young lady who's ourfirm administrator, linda
Spencer.
She was the one who really saidyou know, we need to celebrate
40 years.
I'm not a big person forcelebrations, necessarily, but
you know it's interesting.
(01:43):
One question she asked me iswell, how did you do that?
How did you stay in businessthat long?
And I said by the grace of God,because really, you know, you
really don't achieve I don'tbelieve, anyway, that you
achieve anything of any.
You know length of time, unlessyou are grounded and have some
(02:03):
blessings right.
You have to have a certainamount of grace, I believe.
And so you know, I had a momwho used to pray for me all the
time.
You know a father who didn't dothat, but he, you know, he
provided a foundation for ourfamily.
So I really have to just lookat all the things that occurred
(02:26):
throughout my life, and so it's,it's really just a number of
things that were blessings to me, um, that allowed me to to, you
know, be able to, um, standthat long.
And so, yes, I, I, I can'tclaim um, all that.
You know, it's a village.
It's a journey that a lot ofpeople supported me during that
(02:47):
time.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Awesome, awesome you know, I know you grew up in
Akron, ohio, correct, and youwere the youngest of eight
children Correct.
Can you talk about your family,and you kind of alluded to that
.
What were some of thosevaluable lessons you learned
from the Parnes family,especially being the youngest
and being a boy?
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Yeah, yeah, essentially four girls, four
boys and, um, you know, I had,uh, my sisters uh kind of was
was a, you know, not asubstitute, but an additional um
guidance.
And my older brothers as well,they were, uh, you know, role
models.
So I, my brother, my oldestbrother, was an attorney and you
(03:23):
know he was well known in theAkron community.
My dad was a businessman formany years.
He also worked at Firestone,you know, and he, a lot of his
brothers, worked in the rubber,you know rubber industry.
But he had the I won't say theforesight, but certainly the
(03:44):
desire to be in business.
At one point, I think, he had ashoe shine shop, you know.
He shined shoes, you know, andthen from there he started a
business.
And so, being the youngest ofeight, I think I had an
advantage because I had a lot ofmodels that I could learn from
(04:08):
and, of course, my parents wereexcellent parents.
They, you know, instilled in usprinciples, I think, that were
helpful.
You don't realize that growingup, right, but as you look back
you can see, you know they theywere always there and and guided
us, and so that was all.
Those things were very helpful.
So, you know, all my brothersand sisters were able to, I
(04:31):
think, provide some guidance tome Right, and so I.
I just had a chance to benefitfrom all of that.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Nice, good, good.
You know, speaking of that, youtalked about your mother
praying for you.
Can you talk about yourpersonal faith foundation?
I know, even today, I knowyou're a member of Second
Baptist Church.
Can you talk about your faithfoundation?
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Yeah, well, you know, I think you have to have a
foundation and something that'smeaningful and certainly God
can't be more meaningful thanthat and so I get that from my
mom.
You know she took us all tochurch when we were growing up
Second Baptist Church in Akron,ohio and so certainly having
(05:16):
that foundation andunderstanding God's principles
and what he teaches and what hehas stored for us, I think is
always helpful, because life canbe very difficult sometimes and
you could go astray and thingsare difficult, and so if you
don't have that foundation, Ithink it doesn't, it helps,
(05:37):
right.
It allows you to understandthere's something bigger than
yourself and that you knowthey're principles that God lays
out.
I think I've tried to use inthe business that I have, in the
business that I run, and Ithink that serves me well.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
You know, speaking of that, can you expound on some
of those principles that you use?
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Well, certainly, I think you know.
I think there are a number ofimportant principles.
One is you have an obligationto do the right thing.
You could take shortcuts, butthat never, I thought, had a
long lasting benefit.
(06:24):
So, just, you know, just beingfair to one another, being fair
to your employees, being fair toyour customers, I think is
understanding that you have tohave strong principles and
understanding that you get whatyou put in.
So I always felt that If wecouldn't be credible, if we
(06:50):
couldn't be honorable, if wedidn't have integrity, that is
not going to allow you to stayin business long, it's not going
to serve you well.
So certainly I think you knowhard work, you know faith,
believing that.
You know you can do it, eventhough obstacles seem to be kind
(07:13):
of difficult.
And so I think those are someprinciples.
I guess I could think someother ones, but right now those
come to mind.
Those are solid.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Those are tried and true.
Yes, you know those are triedand true.
You know working in a familybusiness.
I know you worked in thereafter school and doing some
summer breaks or whatnot.
Can you talk about how thatexperience helped you when you
got to open your own business?
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Yeah, you know, I think sometimes it's hard when
you're at that moment to reallyunderstand what's going on right
.
But certainly, just being in theenvironment with my dad and one
of my older brothers who ranthe business for a long time,
there are principles, there arethings that you learn.
(07:56):
That may not necessarily be youknow, you're sitting down and
someone says you do this andthat and that, but you really
gain an understanding by justlooking, watching, I think, and
so just understanding you knowwhat it took to be in business,
how you need to reinvest in yourbusiness, reinvest in yourself,
(08:16):
understanding that yourcustomers are our assets and are
very valuable and you want tomaintain those relationships,
those relationships, uh, andagain, just doing, doing right
by your customers, I think isvery important.
And then having a plan,understanding that you just
can't go into business willynilly.
(08:37):
You really have to have, um,well thought out plans, um and
um.
You have to have supportsystems and mechanisms that help
you, um, in areas that youcan't do yourself.
So you know you need to haveprofessionals who can guide you.
(08:58):
So advice is very important.
So those are some of the thingsI learned at a very young age,
working in the cleaning businessin the summers and after school
.
How was that?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
wage for you.
I'm Right, how was that wagefor you?
I'm sorry.
How was that wage for you?
You make $10 an hour, you knowI don't really remember how much
I made.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
That's not something I think that I really view.
You know, one of the things Ican say is that growing up, I
always had money Okay, I alwayshad a way of earning money where
my friends may not have.
I always had very clean clothes.
I was always well presented,well pressed, so those things
(09:38):
were benefits that I think wouldhelp me when I was growing up.
Yeah, those are benefits I gotfrom that.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Just think about being in high school.
Uh, were you involved in a lotof business classes and I know
you went on to be a CPA.
Did you always love math?
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Did I always love math?
No, not necessarily.
I mean, I think you know I hadcertain aptitudes.
You know critical thinking wasan important aptitude.
I really wanted to be anarchitect when I really, when I
went from high school to collegebut found out that I didn't
really have all of the aptitudesnecessary to be that.
But I did see that I could bein a profession like accounting
(10:18):
and I understood how that worked, relating to business.
But I don't necessarily think Iwas very good at any particular
subject.
I was an average student but Ijust worked hard when I needed
to and I think that's how Iovercome, overcame.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
What was your inspiration and vision to start
your own business?
What was the vision behind that?
Speaker 1 (10:39):
I couldn't find a job .
That's interesting, isn't it?
Um, yeah, I, I, um.
I lived in cleve, I got marriedand I moved to Columbus.
So I had passed the exam, I wasa CPA, but I found it very
difficult to find employmenthere.
(11:00):
This is back in the middle 70s,right?
And so I had a couple of goodfriends I had met in Cleveland
when I worked for a CPA firm, anAfrican American firm, watson
and Rice, and there's a greathistory with them.
They've brought along a lot of,I think, cpas during a certain
(11:23):
point in time.
But I had two friends who theywere in transition as well.
Okay, we got together and saidlet's start a firm.
And so a lot of times peopledon't understand the best time
to start a business is when youdon't have another opportunity,
right, you have much less atrisk.
I didn't have kids.
I was married, but I didn'thave any other obligations that
(11:48):
prevented me from taking thatleap.
I didn't have a lot.
I didn't view myself as havinga lot at risk, so that's how I
did it.
Now, did I start out in?
When I graduated from college?
I was going to start a business?
No, I didn't.
I just realized that I had agood skill.
(12:09):
Accounting was the knowledge ofbusiness, and so I understood
the background of that, and sothe opportunity presented itself
, and that's what happened.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
That sounds good.
That's a good story.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Didn't have a job so I could create one.
Couldn't find a job.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Couldn't find a job.
Speaking of that, what words ofadvice and encouragement would
you give to young entrepreneurs?
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Yeah, you really have to be prepared.
I think business is not.
It can be a rewardingundertaking, but it can be very
challenging and you really needto have a base of knowledge.
You need to understand, have anappreciation for the things
(12:54):
that are going to make yourjourney difficult.
You need to have good advisors,but you also have to have a
plan.
I think you have to do yourhomework and understanding.
You know what are theopportunities, but also what are
the challenges in starting abusiness, and there are many.
(13:15):
But I think you know America, Ithink, is unique in that it
provides a number of importantsystems to help business owners
be successful, and probably morenow than when, when I first
started my business many, manyyears ago.
But there are a number ofsupport mechanisms that I think
(13:37):
you need to as a business owner.
You need to know what, uh, whatthey may be, what they are in
terms of providing assistance,in terms of you know,
information, in terms of capital, in terms of um, legal advice,
um, and so you have to, and soyou have to make those
opportunities, those tools andbenefits available to yourself,
(13:59):
because they're going to beneeded.
I mean, it's very difficultrunning a business.
You have to know a lot and youhave to be committed.
And so, yes, I would say thoseare the things that commitment,
knowledge, understanding, theability to listen, to seek
advice.
So some of those, I think arevery, very important.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Those are great words .
I heard you mention the wordplan a few times in our
conversation.
We have a concept.
I work with young guys orstudents, period, we call it the
MVP, and MVP is for my visionplan, not for most valuable
players, it's for my vision plan.
And the key in that we tellthem we go through all this, but
the bottom line is you got tohave a plan, you got to plan,
(14:42):
you got to be willing to commitit to the plan, work the plan,
seek out advice, people that canhelp you with, but it's your
plan.
You know it's your plan, butyou got to, and once you have
that plan and have thatownership, you know it can
happen for you.
It can happen for you.
You know the longevity of PinesCompany.
There's a slogan that you use.
It's called beyond the bottomline.
(15:03):
Beyond the bottom line.
That's your tagline, Right,what does that mean?
Beyond the bottom line um well,first of all, it sounds real
good.
Well, it sounded good now,that's why I wrote it down yeah,
but you know it.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
It really means that you know we want to go the extra
mile, that you know to do morethan just um, you know what's
expected, um, and I think that'swhat it means is that we're
committed to your, your success,and we go, you know, beyond
just what you might think or wemight think is necessary,
whatever it takes to help you besuccessful.
(15:40):
So you know beyond.
We used to have a tagline doingwhat works and someone bought
that from us.
They thought that was such agreat tagline many, many years
ago, and so you know it'slooking at what we're trying to
project in terms of our imageand what we're trying to do for
(16:00):
our clients and our employees aswell.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
No, it works.
It works.
I think that adds to thelongevity of the company,
because you're looking at beyondthe bottom line.
You go anywhere and the bottomline will grow.
That's what accountants do.
That's why I was there.
They help you grow the bottomline, but there's something
beyond the bottom line.
So, speaking of what, whatvalue are you adding to that
company besides the bottom line?
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Well, certainly, I think you know our commitment to
their success, um, ourexpertise, our experience that
we bring to the relationship.
I mean, we've been doing thisfor a little bit of time.
We've been committed to ourclients and we're committed to
(16:45):
building our knowledge base sothat we can help our clients.
So, yeah, it's just havingunderstanding that things don't
just happen.
You have to apply a number ofthings that make it work in
terms of commitment, expertise,knowledge, and so you know,
that's what I think I canprovide in that regard.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
You know you are in a season of time and in your
business where you're kind ofthat company you mentioned in
Cleveland.
You know you're that one nowwho's mentoring that next
generation.
You know a lot of peoplestarted with you and now doing
some big things.
But as you're in that season ofmentoring and sponsoring the
next generation, can you talkabout your relationship with my
(17:31):
alma mater, ohio UniversitySchool of Business?
You know, and the things thatyou've done?
I know you have two graduatesthere working for you now.
Can you talk about thatcommitment?
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Yeah, I can't claim that.
Our firm administrator, lindaSpencer, and one of our audit
manager, naomi Robinson, madethat happen.
They were looking for arelationship with a school to
(17:59):
help as a feeder for potentialemployees.
One of the challenges that ourprofession is dealing with right
now is a shortage of talent,and so you have to be more
(18:26):
creative in finding availabletalent, potential um employees,
students that we could uh startrelationship with early on in in
their development, whichincreases our ability to retain
them Um.
So that's that's.
That was the impetus behindthat and the reason for that.
(18:46):
But we're just starting thatout.
Uh, our first, I think ourfirst activity will be first
quarter of next year, butcertainly I wasn't the
brainchild behind that.
Someone else in our firmstarted that, understanding that
we had a couple of staffmembers who were alumnus of OU,
(19:06):
and so that's why that happened.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
You know when you're interviewing or you're looking
for talent, as you mentioned,what kind of skills are you
looking for besides just havinga degree?
What are some of the otherskills set that young people
need to have to be successful,not just in your profession, but
in any profession?
Speaker 1 (19:23):
I don't know.
I mean, I think there are anumber of ways of being
successful.
I think you just have to have awillingness, a frame of mind
that you could be successful.
You have to have show a certainamount of initiative.
You know you can't sit back andwait for things to happen.
You really have to take youknow, take an initiative.
(19:45):
So we're looking at that.
We're looking at someone youknow certainly certain skills
critical thinking skills, beingable to communicate effectively,
being able to presentthemselves effectively, some of
those intangibles.
But you know it.
Really, I don't know if I cansay in every case what drives us
to hire someone versus someoneelse.
(20:07):
I just think it's theirpresence, their confidence,
their commitment, theirpreparation.
You have to come to the gamewith skills and preparation, and
so that's what we're looking at.
We're also looking at someonewho has a certain level of work
ethic.
It would be great if we all canlay around and make things
happen, but that doesn't happen.
(20:28):
It doesn't work that way.
You really have to take theinitiative and do the work
necessary to be successful.
So those are some of theingredients we look for in terms
of our talent, that we look for.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Well, you dropped some gems there, just life
things, and those are thingsthat you learn.
I really believe you learnthose early.
You really look at what isingrained in you.
You saw that with your dad.
You saw that with your brothersand your sisters.
You saw that work ethic, thatcommitment, that confidence.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
I mean, if you have someone who shows you a vision,
it's easier to understand, right?
I think that was one of thethings that was very helpful to
me is I had role models.
I had someone I could seebecause I saw things in them and
they provided insight in howyou could be successful.
So it gives you a confidenceand understanding and a
confidence to be to make it work.
(21:20):
So, yeah, very important.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Yeah, and it's like now you are that person.
You know, now you're in thatseat.
You're in that seat.
Jordan Miller was on the showfrom Fifth Third Bank, adolfo
Bank, and Jordan said this.
He said all guys, young people,need a mentor, but they also
need a sponsor, and what hemeant by that.
He broke it down.
They need somebody in the room,you know, pounding the table
for him.
(21:41):
Hey, get him an opportunity,get him a chance, and that's
what I see you doing with theseyoung people at OU.
You know, just giving them anopportunity because you're in
the room, right, you know, beinga sponsor.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
Well, that's just paying forward, right.
Someone gave me an opportunitymany times.
I can just think back ofsupporters that we had.
There was a doubt whether ornot we should get an engagement,
for example, and someone wasthere to say, yep, I've worked
with this firm, you can rely onthem and I recommend them.
So that's always very, veryimportant.
(22:11):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
It's important as we come around the corner.
This is a legacy podcast.
I mean, think about that word,legacy.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
What does that word mean to you?
Well, it means you're going tocontinuation.
You know you're going tosupport others or provide
opportunities, so others can,you know, grow from that,
benefit from that, right, and soI think that's one of the
(22:41):
things that our firm is tryingto do is understanding.
You know you don't see a lot ofblack CPAs or accountants, and
so you know if we can providethis is what we're trying to do
right now with some of our youngtalent is to provide an
(23:02):
opportunity for them.
They don't have to start fromscratch.
They could benefit from ourknowledge, our experience, our
position, and so that's reallyhelping others who may not have
that opportunity, right, and soit's really building for the
future, allowing them to benefitfrom the knowledge and hard
(23:28):
work of someone coming beforethem.
Right, so they don't have tostart from scratch, and that's
one of the things we talkedabout what's needed to be
successful in business andexposure and knowledge is one of
the key things, right.
And so mentoring and supportingand building knowledge base and
(23:48):
understanding, I think, isreally what we're trying to do
in continuing the legacy of ourfirm and you know, the legacy
that we built on, right?
Yes, we all start fromsomeplace, and so if you can
benefit from that, if you canpiggyback on that, it helps.
(24:11):
It helps your ability to besuccessful in the future.
Others rather.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
You know people have described you as, when they say
John Parnes, they describe youas being humble, Well-respected.
You know, committed Christianman, family man.
Those are qualities that peoplehave described you.
How would you describe John?
Speaker 1 (24:38):
That's not fair.
I don't know, I mean it's hard.
You know I try to be realistic,but I mean being humble, I mean
it's.
I don't think that I'm all thatbig of a person, right?
I don't think that I'm all thatbig of a person, right, it's
just my position andunderstanding that you know that
(25:00):
there are a lot of people whoare doing a lot of great things,
and you know, but certainly Idon't know.
I think I've been intentionallytried to be, stand for something
right, to be principled right,and so you know, be hardworking,
committed, be honest.
(25:20):
I mean I think I'm not tooflashy.
You know I try not to be thecenter of attention, but I want
to be effective, right, and so Ithink you can do that without
being very grandiose.
But but you have to, you know,you have to be, you have to have
(25:42):
the ability and commitment, thepreparation, the knowledge to,
to, to take advantage ofopportunities.
I think I'm that kind of aperson.
I've tried to be that kind ofperson.
Let me say it that way it'ssomeone who can get things done,
who's effective but not humble,I guess, is a good word.
(26:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
I think you did a good job.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
You did a good job with that one.
I'm just grabbing myself.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
Okay, very good On the spot here.
That was pretty good, right,that was pretty good, thank you,
and that's what I've said aboutyou.
That's who you are.
You are who you are Now peopleare.
You know, what you see is whatyou get Many times, yeah, what
you see is what you get.
You know what you're gettingwhen you come to Parnes.
You know what you're getting.
You're getting that commitment.
You're getting that beyond thebottom line.
(26:30):
You're getting thatprofessional.
You're getting that.
The other thing about yourcompany is you're getting that
professionalism.
You know that it's going to be,professionally done.
You know it's going to be donethe right way.
You know and not cut anycorners and I know that from my
son working for you.
You know how rigid it is.
You know how focused and howserious that you are.
And the other thing, I thinkyou've set a standard.
(26:50):
You've set a standard.
You know you set a standard andthat's important in today's
world.
Sure, principle you mentionedthat word principle.
You know we need men that havesome principles, some values.
We're going to stick to it.
You know we're not going tosway with well, this is the way
everybody else is going.
There's certain things andthose you've been following.
So I want to thank you for that.
(27:11):
Sure Well, that's all the timewe have for today's episode of
Be a Baller podcast.
I want to thank our specialguest, john Parnes, for sharing
his wisdom and experience inbuilding a successful business
with us.
Thank you, john, for your modelof excellence in business and
inspiring the next generation tochase their dreams.
Hope you enjoyed theconversation as much as I did.
Remember, building a lifelonglegacy is not just about what we
(27:35):
achieve in life, but also howwe use our gifts and talents to
make a positive impact on theworld around us, and don't
forget to subscribe to ourpodcast, as you can stay up to
date with all our latestepisodes.
Our podcast guests are alwayswilling to share wisdom and
inspire others to build a legacyfor their lives.
Thanks, john.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
Tim, thank you for the opportunity Talk to you If
you enjoyed this episode, pleaseshare it with family and
friends.
The Be A Baller podcast isavailable on all major podcast
platforms.
This podcast was created byCoach Tim Brown and recorded and
edited by the video productionclass at Portland Christian High
School.
Be sure to come back next weekas we continue to discuss on how
(28:15):
to build a lifelong legacy.
Until then, don't forget to bea baller.
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