Spotlight

Nick Tootle

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Hi! My name is Nick Tootle and I work in the audit department at Kaufman, Rossin & Co. I’ve been with the Firm since 1993. When I started here I was primarily working with the IT consulting department and have since worked my way up to partner! I was born and raised in Miami and am a graduate of Florida International University, where I majored in Accounting and played soccer.

My typical day begins with dropping my 11 year old son Nicholas off at school, and arriving at work around 8 am. I work out of our Miami office, but occasionally I make a trip up to Boca and work from our office there.

My job consists of auditing our financial services clients such as broker dealers and investment companies. I spend a lot of time reviewing the work of 15 employees to ensure accuracy and quality. I also have to be a resource to my team and provide guidance and expertise to help them solve problems and make decisions. I work closely with the Fund Administration side of our business as well.

One of my favorite things to do is go out to clients. I spend about a third of my time on site reviewing work for the engagement teams and helping to resolve problems. I really like being in the field because of the change of pace it provides. A smaller portion of my time is split between selling, speaking, and writing articles for publications.

What I love about Kaufman, Rossin is the people. The firm is very diverse, yet there is an incredible common bond. There is great chemistry that spans across our firm as everyone understands each other. Many of us grew up and studied accounting or finance together. Others share similar interests such as sports and boating.

There is a difference between being an accountant for a company compared to actually working for an accounting firm. In one role you’re viewed as a cost center, while in the other you are directly generating revenue. I prefer the latter as you tend to do more selling and have much more flexibility with your schedule. I discovered this when I decided to leave Kaufman, Rossin & Co. to become the CFO of a public company. While I enjoyed my time there, I ultimately missed it here and returned.

As in any industry there are various challenges that arise. We provide a service for our clients so ensuring their satisfaction is something that we must constantly strive for. Mutual respect and understanding is essential to finding the happy medium of meeting their needs while remaining within the budget and deadline.

Maintaining a good work-life balance can be difficult at times as well. For example, the nature of our business requires us to work on Saturdays during tax season. I always need to be “on” too. You never know when or where you’re going to meet someone that has a need or is in a position to refer you business. The connections you make with people are truly vital to improve business, but also can build lifelong relationships.