Marcus Rien
Creating a legacy
August 25, 2025
Imagining how the accounting profession can succeed is often top of mind for Marcus Rien — so much so that he engraved it on a Legacy Brick that is now in U.S. Bank Stadium:
Belief inspires success.
But for Marcus, success means the most when it's shared with others and the aim is to turn personal wins into opportunities for others to rise.
“The thought is that if you can get people to believe in themselves, they will be inspired to pursue their passion, which will then lead to success,” he said. “That success reinforces their belief in themselves, creating a snowball effect that can propel them forward in their careers and, hopefully, inspire others.”
Hard-won letters
The emphasis on the link between belief and success comes from personal experience. With no exposure to accounting in high school, Marcus went into college not knowing what he wanted to major in. A general interest in business — and a deep love of golf — landed him in finance but a professor soon introduced him to the profession and, by the end of his freshman year, he had found what would become his career.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
“I sat for the first test the year I graduated and I performed poorly,” he said. “I couldn’t believe that happened, I had just studied that topic! I remember thinking maybe this career wasn’t for me.”
Fast forward three years, he was working at a private company with a supportive CFO who encouraged Marcus to try for his CPA, providing support by covering tuition and adjusting his schedule as needed to ensure he didn’t burn out. This time, Marcus was ready. He devoted whatever free time he had to studying and, after some hurdles, passed all sections of the exam.
“It was definitely a rollercoaster,” he said. “I failed, then passed multiple sections three years later, then was knocked down by audit twice, until I was able to crawl out of that failure and finally pass. It’s not for the faint of heart; perseverance is key!”
Belief in yourself, belief in others
It’s this belief in himself and the profession that led him to diverge from the usual path more commonly traversed by CPAs to begin his own company geared toward bringing CPAs and clients together, Waves CPAs.
“Through my time talking to other CPAs, I realized that many of them were struggling with the same things: They want flexibility to choose when, where and who they work with and they want to feel properly compensated,” he said. “But not all CPAs know how to leverage the skills they have for a side hustle, which means both clients and the CPA miss out on great opportunities.”
Pinpointing a need in the market to encourage entrepreneurial CPAs, Marcus created and self-funded the online platform, which facilitates a connection between client and CPA, while overseeing administrative issues, business development, cash management and so on.
For Marcus, the mission is to develop alternative paths for CPAs, whether that means creating a flow of income for them as they transition from one role or firm to another or providing a start for newer CPAs who may not have the resources or robust client list to start a new firm from scratch.
“I truly believe that with a CPA you can do anything,” he said. “You can begin in public accounting or industry and then become an entrepreneur later. I believe that creating more avenues for CPAs will help the profession thrive into the future.”
Topics: Member Profiles
Julia Shiota
Julia Shiota is the MNCPA’s communications coordinator, bringing her passion for storytelling to members through content development, media relations, and covering member accomplishments and events. Outside of her work with the MNCPA, Julia enjoys knitting, reading, and keeping track of all the birds she encounters on nature walks. You can reach Julia at 952-855-5533 or at jshiota@mncpa.org.
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