Jewish Deaf Business
by Sharon Ann Dror
Michael A. Michner Certified Pubic Accountant 19936 Mid Fines Lane Northridge, CA 81326
FAX 818/360-1704 TTY/Voice 818/360-5124 E_mail: michcpa@aol.com
Michael A. Michner
Certified Pubic Accountant
Michael A. Michner of Northridge, California is a certified public accountant (CPA). After college, Michner did an internship at Price Waterhouse, one of the largest accounting firms in the world. Then he had a series of accounting jobs with accounting firms and was cash control supervisor for Community Hospitals of Central California before he decided to incorporate his own company, Michael A. Michner, CPA in May 1998.
Michner has at least 85% hearing loss in both ears. He says he was born with the hearing loss and that his physicians are not sure as to the cause. "When I was young," he mentions, "one doctor told my parents that I should be sent to an institution. Another said I would not have any real speech until I am 21."He credits his family and special education classes forlearning to speak by the time he was 5 years old. He attended a high school in his hometown of Fresno, CA and obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from California State University, Northridge (CSUN).
Business Structured
Michner basically works out of his house although "Most
of the working days I am usually working with several corporations, working there as a controller. I do a lot of tax
work as well as doing monthly internal accounting and auditing work before my corporate clients (two are non
profit and one is service-oriented) close their monthly books and move on, knowing that their accounting department is doing their job effectively."
Communication is Challenging!
"Most of my clients are not hearing impaired. I like the
challenge of having my own practice and the human interaction that comes with public accounting. It allows me
to be with all kinds of people. Meeting different types of people helps me to maintain my speech skills. I admit that
being an effective communicator is hard work and likens it to having two full-time jobs - one as a CPA and one as
a "communicator" which I am telling you that this was the biggest challenge in starting my own practice.
"Since I grew up in `hearing' world, I speak well. I can communicate effectively with my hearing clients. I try to be with them as much as possible in person in order to accomplish the work. Otherwise, we communicate a lot through email or fax and especially through my Wyndtell pager, which my clients truly appreciate. I also use a lot of voice carryover through relay service making them feel closer like talking to a hearing person."
Mechanics of Business
"At present, I do not have any employees so basically I am
running one-man business when I am not out on the field doing controller work. Most of my work requires advanced
knowledge of tax and accounting with very little clerical work. I owe many thanks to the computer technology as
well as sophisticated accounting/tax software, which make my job easier.
"There is very little amount of start up costs to run the business. As we know, computer equipment and software is necessary to purchase in order to produce a completed accounting service. There are also annual costs of running the business that is typical for all types of business such as dues, insurance, etc.
"I feel that I am offering a more personal care accounting services than other CPA firms don't provide. I care about every client I get and seek for a long term working relationship. When there is a new business to serve, I keep my fees low as possible as I could. When I see their business grow, my fees can grow. Growing together with clients towards success is my philosophy. I also communicate more with my clients than they could ask for which allows me to double check that they do understand what they need to know and what they should be aware.
"I love every single thing about running my own business than working for a company. I am entering in my 20th year of accounting career and I have a vast knowledge of every phase of accounting and still learning due to changing tax laws. Working on my own allowing me to minimize over head costs in order to keep my fees low.
"Best Advertising Is My Clients"
Since 1984 every single year at least one organization I
am always a member of a board. I enjoy meeting people and it made me obviously visible to show who I am as an
accountant. To me it is the best advertising I can ask for. I don't do any advertising at all; my clients are like my
'salespeople' because they usually pass the good words about my services to their people."
Jewish Upbringing
Michner says his parents was very involved in the reform
Jewish community in Fresno while he was growing up. "At the age of 13 I had the honor to stand before the congregation of 450 invited guests and speak in Hebrew the
words of the Bar Mitzvah. It was the first time in Fresno Jewish history that a deaf boy like me to perform this
event. As of now my family is a member of a neighborhood reform Temple and my oldest stepson, Aaron will be
preparing for his Bar Mitzvah in May 2003." He has been happily married for seven years. "I met my wife, Amy
through our mutual friend but I have known her since my college years. That was before I turned 35 years old...
Amy brought two wonderful stepsons, Aaron, now 11 and Adam, 8 to my life and we have a beautiful daughter,
Ariana who will be two years old this coming November."