Employee Spotlight: Carly Collins, Financial Consultant at Bridgepoint Consulting

Our Employee Spotlight is here to help you better understand our people, culture, and what it’s like to work at Bridgepoint Consulting.

We believe we have a great balance of challenging work and collaborative people that enables each of us to enjoy being part of #TeamBridgepoint thoroughly.

Today’s featured Employee Spotlight is on Carly Collins, Financial Consultant at Bridgepoint’s Austin office.

About Carly Collins, Financial Consultant at Bridgepoint Consulting

Carly Collins started her accounting career at a local start-up in Austin in 2013.  She had earned a degree in Finance, but had a passion for Accounting.  Carly moved onto a publicly traded company shortly after, which introduced her to firm internal controls and being accountable to external investors.  During this time, she was attending an MBA program, which Carly completed in 2017, before moving on to several other accounting roles that were start-up-to-medium sized businesses.  This led up to her start at Bridgepoint Consulting.

Carly realized the importance of becoming a CPA and began her journey towards that during 2019.  She attended evening accounting classes at a local community college in Austin, part of which were online after the pandemic made its appearance.  Carly completed the program in 2021 and went on to examinations. She recently completed her last exam and is working on completing the final paperwork for certification. 

Q&A with Carly Collins, Bridgepoint Consulting

What led you to a career in consulting?

Consulting was my calling; I was excited about consulting following the completion of my MBA.  The idea of having a home base with one company but getting to move around to other companies felt exciting.  I loved accounting, but I didn’t love doing the same tasks day-in and day-out with one company for years on end.  Consulting was a way to keep the resume not looking flimsy, while also getting to engage in different projects and make a difference at local companies.

How would you describe the culture at Bridgepoint?

I came onto Bridgepoint in April of 2020.  What an odd time to join a company, but especially joining a company that prides itself on harboring such unique and personable relationships with its employees. They absolutely rose to the occasion!  When there was nothing we could do other than virtual touch bases, we did them regularly.  It was incredulous to be on-deck with no project and to be regularly thanked by management “for hanging in there” – a constant promise there would be projects soon.  I have systematically been supported through personal and professional growth that makes me feel like I am a part of something much more than a company – I won’t say “family” because it sounds so tacky, but this is a support system where I have developed so many friendships. 

What attracted you to Bridgepoint and when did you know #TeamBridgepoint was for you? 

I applied to Bridgepoint originally in 2017.  I was met by professionals that I admired and respected, and I saw not only a role I wanted, but a company I wanted to be a part of.  Unfortunately, at that time, I only had performed accounting for two companies. Bridgepoint relayed that they thought personality-wise I was a great fit, but I needed to get a few more companies under my belt to fully serve their diverse clientele.  They told me, go get that experience, come back, and we would love to have you here.  And through sheer luck, I managed to hop around to a couple of companies over the span of the next three years.  I came back to Bridgepoint, and they kept their promise – I excitedly joined the team. 

Bridgepoint’s reputation allows us to do what we consultants love doing and help the companies get what they need from our services.  I appreciate being trusted by our clients to take the reins on projects and improve the situations they are in. 

 Talk to us about who you are outside of consulting 

Like most other Austinites, I love my dog (shaving years off retirement to give him the perfect life, which he absolutely deserves).  When I am not tending to the munchkin’s every single need, I enjoy food (cooking and dining out), running, socializing, and traveling.  I also partake in nerd activities, such as Sudoku puzzles, watching artsy movies and reading through their ScreenRant.com explanations, and adult paint-by-numbers (you should see the elaborate stuff they’ve rolled out with in recent years). 

What advice would you give someone who is considering a career in consulting? 

Keeping an open mind and being yourself both sound cliché, but they are both imperative for consulting.  We have to approach each new project with our dynamic backgrounds and professional know-how, without imposing biases that we accumulate along the way so that we can fully assist our clients.  It’s really all about being comfortable with your expertise and taking the time to understand the needs of those who we are serving.  It sounds simple – sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t.  Be dynamic, be understanding, take the time to get to know the people you are helping.