Exploring Life & Business with Claire Tinkler of Tinkler Professional Accounting Services

Today we’d like to introduce you to Claire Tinkler.

Claire, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Oh man! Where do we start??

I’ve always walked to the beat of my own drum. With everything. I’ve also never been able to force myself into a mold. That mold being society’s ‘norm’.

I was also a complete wild child. Getting caught smoking cigarettes, joints, and throwing back a few wine coolers at the ripe age of 13. We all have our own story, right? Mine starts at a young age. I’ve always been a rebel. Wanting to party and have fun! But – with all of this being said – I always did what needed to be done in school to keep my grades up. In high school, my Dad stayed on my ass to make sure I obtained the TOPS scholarship (fully paid in state tuition) & kept it all through college. While also obtaining my CPA license a few short years later (all while partying still, of course, and obtaining the necessary hours to sit for the exam).

My first year of college was crazy. I started in pre-pharmacy, actually. I just could not figure out the periodic table and it’s calculations. For the life of me. I felt as though there were no other majors for me. I mean, at 18 – who knows what the hell they want to do until they retire?! My Dad always had the answers, though. I asked him what I should aim for next. “You’re really good at math (which I was, I was obsessed with Math and Physics) and numbers, why don’t you go into accounting. You’d be a really good CPA”. Dad always knew best and whatever he says to do, you better do, so that’s what I did. But this led to misery. Working in corporate accounting, public accounting firms, governmental state accounting, ALL OF IT. I wasn’t helping people. I wasn’t growing. I couldn’t be myself. I had to cover my tattoos. I couldn’t have piercings. I couldn’t talk about how much I loved using cannabis and mushrooms to heal from so much trauma and craziness that is life. This was me trying to fit into society’s ‘norm’. Do the public accounting thing, put the hours in, and not really help anyone because all you have time for is to just plug numbers into tax returns. My hourly rate was $12/hour and I was working 80 hours a week or more when I was fired for no reason in 2016.

This crushed my soul. What to do now? Go back to another place I hate? Per usual, I turned to my Dad. At this point in my life, I was an adult and he was one of my best friends. “Who cares that you got fired, Claire. Just start your own firm”. Start my own firm?? What?? I just got fired as a staff accountant, DO WHAT??? But… I did. And from 2016 to 2023. It sat there, brewing and growing by word of mouth as a ‘side gig’. I still had my state and public accounting jobs and fit myself into the mold, but in 2023 I had to break free. My mental capacity couldn’t take the burnout and working 80+ hours a week for over 8 months. During 2023 (and after a few psychedelic trips and some soul searching), my vision had become clear. I wanted to help the ‘misfits and rebels’ like me save taxes and build wealth. I wanted to show them everything my Dad had taught me about finances, and more. I wanted to show them that they were worthy of wealth and anything that they truly desire. I wanted to provide people with tax planning, not just tax preparation. I wanted to do so much more than that… and this was only the beginning. I quit my day job and didn’t turn back. At first, my firm ‘niched’ into cannabis and the sex industry because that was the majority of our clientele but it made me feel like I was leaving my friends and so many people that needed help.. out. That didn’t sit well with me. So I increased my ‘umbrella’ to rebels and misfits. We’ve got Cannabis and Psychedelics. Healers and Coaches. Actors and Influencers. Entertainers and Strippers. Musicians and Screenwriters, Movers and shakers, Makers and Mama’s and SO MUCH MORE. We also have veterinarians and doctors and Real Estate Agents. Our clientele is VAST and we wouldn’t want it any other way.

I mean… we all have a little rebel and misfit in us. Right?!

I was with my brother and all of his childhood friends for his 33rd birthday the other day. These are people that have literally seen me at my best, and at my worst. As a mean, childhood babysitter, haha. They asked me how business was going. I told them how it had become so much more awesome as it just keeps growing, and I asked them what my business seemed like on the outside. Because let’s be honest. I’m on the inside, so I have no idea. They told me that I am a CPA/CPA firm, showing individuals and business owners who feel like maybe they aren’t worthy or deserve a CPA or they feel like they’d be judged by one – that they can have a CPA, too. And they do deserve it!
I think that’s what it’s all about.

My Dad’s no longer with me here on Earth, but I know we’re making him proud!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it has not been a smooth road. I’ve wrestled with imposter syndrome (and still do sometimes) ever since being fired years ago. That experience left me questioning my worth and whether I was even capable of building something great. From 2016–2023, I carried that weight with me, doubting if I deserved to have a firm of my own.

Something finally shifted in 2023. I didn’t have an emergency fund saved (which I don’t recommend at all!), but I took the leap anyway. My dad believed in me from the start, and I finally caught up to that belief in myself. But fear still lingered—I signed on for a couple of big software contracts that nearly sank me before I even got going. As an accountant who’s supposed to be “great with money,” I felt like a complete fraud.

I share this because I think it’s important to normalize the fact that setbacks happen to all of us. They don’t define us—they shape us. And those lessons allow me to better guide clients through their own challenges.

Then, in the summer of 2024, everything in my life shifted again when my dad—my biggest supporter—was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. By November, he was gone. Losing him crushed me, but it also changed me. It stripped away the noise and the fear. I realized that the only thing that truly matters is living authentically. My dad loved me, and that is enough.

That realization lit a fire in me. I stopped caring what anyone thought and leaned fully into being myself—quirky, rebellious, and completely dedicated to helping others. That authenticity has fueled the massive growth of my firm. When you show up as your whole self, people feel it, and everything changes.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Tinkler Professional Accounting Services?
At Tinkler Professional Accounting Services, we’re not your average CPA firm. We exist to empower business owners—not just by filing their taxes or reconciling their books, but by teaching them everything we know along the way. We don’t gatekeep like the old-school accounting world often does. Instead, we believe knowledge is power, and when our clients understand their numbers, they can hit goals in business and in life, whatever those goals may be.

We serve people from all walks of life—whether you’re a creative, healer, tattoo artist, cannabis business, musician, screenwriter, or a traditional business owner. Many of our clients come to us overwhelmed, sometimes not having filed taxes in years, and we help them get caught up without judgment. We meet people exactly where they are and build from there.

Our firm has grown tremendously because of what we were taught growing up: work hard, help others, and share what you know. That foundation drives everything we do. We want our clients to not just survive, but thrive—financially, personally, and in their business. That might mean setting up loan-outs and holding companies for artists, restructuring entities to take advantage of new tax law updates, or guiding someone from startup hustle to sustainable wealth.

What sets us apart is our rebel spirit and our refusal to believe there’s only one “right” way to do business. We’re proud that our brand reflects authenticity, accessibility, and a fierce commitment to helping our clients reach the next level.

At the end of the day, we’re more than CPAs—we’re your partners in growth, and you become our family. Whether it’s reducing taxes, building wealth, or simply getting finances under control for the first time, we’re here to guide, teach, and hype you up on the journey.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
My favorite Podcasts are:

The Canna Boss Babes; with Ishqa Hillman (because of my love and involvement with the industry)
Witches Get Stoned
Theo Von, Brad Leone, Bam Bam Baklava for funs
Mark Kohler and his numerous podcasts

A few of my favorite Authors are:
David R. Hawkins
Bradford Tax Institute

Gratitude Apps change everything! The more gratitude you show, the more things to be grateful for show up.

I do read a lot — but it’s all over the place from tax, accounting, bookkeeping, CFO/budgeting, investments, psychology and energy of money, to energy and spirituality – haha. I’m all over the place and wouldn’t change a thing!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tinkleraccounting.com
• Instagram: @tinkler_cpa
• LinkedIn: clairetinklercpa
• Youtube: @tinkler_cpa

Image Credits
Chase LeBlanc