About Pixel Financial Group

Badass
Accounting
Ninjas

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The ORigin Story

Once upon a time in a land not so far from you, resided two accounting ninjas. These badass ninjas roamed the land alone working to right the wrongs prolific in their industry. While their work had them crossing paths on multiple occasions, they continued their quests in solitude. One fateful day the young Padawan Ninja, Nichole, faced an epic dilemma. Her quest had become tenuous and she had to decide if she would pursue a CPA license or continue on her journey as a CMA.

Pixel Team

This question, thrown out into cyber-space (otherwise known as social media) prompted a meeting of the two ninjas where the Master Ninja CPA, Misty, proposed a mutually beneficial contract between the two ninja enterprises. This agreement proved far more beneficial than either ninja first anticipated and, before long, they decided to merge forces and create the League of Legends, known today as Pixel Financial Group! This joining of forces has proven to be powerful beyond measure as they continue to save the world, one jacked-up hot mess at a time.

Our Team

Misty Leinberger, CPA, MBA

Misty Leinberger, CPA, MBA

Badass Tax Wizard

She is the all powerful Wizard of Pixel. Even when you can’t see her, she’s busy working her magic behind the curtain and reaching out when she sees a tax or compliance disaster about to happen.

Nichole Payne, CMA, MBA

Nichole Payne, CMA, MBA

Cheshire Cat Decoder

She spends most of her time down a rabbit hole, and she absolutely loves it. Budgets, spreadsheets and decision analyses are her Wonderland.

Andrew Spencer

Andrew Spencer

Quickbooks Maestro

Andrew may be his name, but QuickBooks is his game and he plays those keystrokes like a world-class pianist.

Our Core Values

Passion

Too often we see accountants who are in the industry for the wrong reasons, and generally those are the accountants that are awful to work with. We want our clients to feel our energy and passion oozing from every interaction.

Value

As small business owners ourselves we understand that not every business owner can afford the high priced accounting fees that are prevalent in the industry. We seek to offer value that can be viewed as an investment, rather than an expense. We always aim to pay for ourselves in cost- and time-savings.

Knowledge

We do everything we can to stay on top of changes in our industry so we can be the leading experts in our field, but we don’t want to keep all that knowledge for ourselves. Instead we aim to share it as much as possible by educating our clients in every way we can.

Our History

Master Ninja CPA Misty started her training very early in life. At the spry age of 15 she began working for a CPA in an entry-level position. This position, while short-lived, granted her a wealth of knowledge about the profession and peaked her interest. Being the young, enterprising individual she was, she continued gaining knowledge and experience working through many accounting positions at various small businesses while supporting herself in her schooling.

Throughout her schooling the intrigue of accounting called to her, so she majored in Accounting and Business Administration, receiving her Bachelor’s Degree from Western Washington University. After receiving her degree she practiced her craft for many years, working her way up through various corporations until she found herself as a Ninja Manager with a large company. She was thriving, but little did she know the evils that where happening behind closed doors amongst “Public Accountants” that were about to turn the entire profession, one might even say the entire economy, upside down.

Around this same time, while Master Ninja Misty was working her way up in corporate accounting, Young Padawan Nichole was beginning her career in the art of accounting as well. She decided very early on in high school (also around the age of 15) that accounting was the life for her, so each employment she pursued was related to the craft in some fashion. 

While studying accounting at Brigham Young University she was enticed with promises of prestige and fortune offered by the well-known “Public Accounting” firms. As she prepared for graduation and took job interviews, it became clear that she had been wearing some rose-colored glasses. Those rose-colored glasses were stripped away when several scandals within the “Public Accounting” firms became publicized. It was obvious that the “Public” firms had many dealings that were never intended to be public.

In a very short period the entire country was rocked due to the evils pervasive among the “Public” firms, so many lost their life savings when the economy crashed. Young Padawan Nichole vowed she would not contribute to that type of devastation, knowingly or unknowingly. Instead, she took a position with a local company that had big dreams for growth, and Nichole planned to help them along the way.

As the accounting world turned topsy-turvy, Master Ninja Misty went back to her studies. Her husband was overseas, serving the country in a time of need, and with two small children under the age of four she chose to focus her career development on studies, rather than practice, so she could be available for her children. In two short years she had earned an MBA in Healthcare Administration with an emphasis on Finance from Bellevue University. 

Unfortunately, it was 2010 and the industry was still recovering from the fallout around the “Public Accounting” scandals, and the job market was in the toilet. Accounting Ninjas with over a decade of experience were all vying for any available position, for which they were over-qualified.

So instead of settling for a downgrade in position and working for a company as an under-valued employee, Master Ninja Misty decided to start her own company, where her mission was to right the wrongs plaguing the small business industry. Along the way she studied for and obtained the highly coveted title CPA, and earned her rank as a Master Ninja CPA.
Meanwhile, in a land far from Master Ninja CPA Misty, Young Padawan Nichole had taken a manager position with a financial company in the heart of the Deseret State. It didn’t take long for Nichole to realize this financial company was not only exploitative of their workers, but also practicing predatory lending. By this point she was working her way through her own MBA at the University of Utah and she was feeling a little jaded by the industry she loved. As a result she made the decision to become a free ninja, working independently for the small business community.
When Young Padawan Nichole finished her Professional MBA with emphases on Entrepreneurship and Finance she moved to the Land of The Old Dominion, which is where she met Master Ninja CPA Misty. After two years of crossing paths the two decided to merge forces and the rest is history! Now nearly a half a decade later Nichole has earned her Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and ranked up to Master Ninja CMA. The passion both Master Ninja CPA Misty and Master Ninja CMA Nichole started their enterprises with still shines in all they do!

Certifications & Awards

Top Accountants in Chesapeake
COVA Reader's choice best of winner

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