From Ukrainian Immigrant to Tax Firm Owner: Marina’s Story of Resilience & Growth

What does it take to move to a new country, learn a new language, start working at just 12 years old, and eventually build a thriving accounting and tax strategy firm?

In this episode of Life Changing Money, Barbara sits down with Marina, a fellow tax strategist, accounting firm owner, entrepreneur, wife, and mom, to talk about her incredible journey from immigrating to the United States from Ukraine at 11 years old to leading an eight-person team and serving clients across multiple states.

They also get into one of the biggest shifts that happens as an entrepreneur grows: realizing your business doesn’t need you involved in every single thing. Marina opens up about learning to trust her team, letting go of the guilt around traveling for business, and discovering that her employees, clients, and family can all thrive even when she steps away.

And this conversation goes far beyond business.

Marina shares how entrepreneurship has impacted her marriage, what she wants her children to understand about money, and the deeply personal mission behind the nonprofit she created to help families affected by Dravet syndrome, a rare condition her younger daughter lives with.

Tune in to hear:

Marina’s experience immigrating from Ukraine to the United States at 11 years old

Why she was determined to start working as soon as she could

How her early experiences shaped her work ethic and relationship with money

The tax mistake that inspired her to begin preparing taxes herself

Growing an accounting and tax firm primarily through word of mouth

Transitioning from tax preparation into higher-level tax strategy