Unfollow The Rules With Sharrin Fuller

What happens when you stop following the “rules” everyone says you’re supposed to live—and build something entirely your own way?

In this episode of the Tax Rep Network Podcast, Eric Green sits down with entrepreneur and author Sharrin Fuller to unpack her unconventional journey from teenage worker to salon owner… to self-taught accountant… to building and selling multiple firms.

They dive into the real story behind her book Unfollow the Rules—including the highs, the hard lessons, and the parts most people never talk about. From skipping the traditional college path to navigating private equity deals, Sharrin shares what it actually takes to build a business that works for you—and what can go wrong if you’re not prepared.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure how to scale—or exit—your firm, this episode is a must-listen. Raw, honest, and packed with hard-earned insight—this is one conversation you don’t want to miss.

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Watch the episode here

Listen to the podcast here

Unfollow the Rules: Rethinking Success, Business, and the Path Forward

In a recent conversation with entrepreneur and author Sharrin Fuller, one theme came through loud and clear: there is no single “right” path to success. In fact, some of the most impactful careers are built דווקא by unfollowing the traditional rules.

Sharrin’s journey is anything but conventional. She didn’t follow the typical college-to-career pipeline. Instead, she started working at just 13 years old, eventually becoming a licensed manicurist, salon owner, and later—almost unexpectedly—an accounting professional. What began as a necessity to understand payroll and bookkeeping in her own business turned into a passion. She taught herself accounting using borrowed college textbooks and hands-on experience, proving that curiosity and determination can rival formal education.

That mindset—figuring things out and refusing to accept limitations—became the foundation of her success.

Building a Business on Your Own Terms

After working as an operations manager, Sharrin found herself at a crossroads when the company was sold. Instead of returning to a traditional job, she saw an opportunity. Multiple businesses wanted her help—but only part-time. So she combined those opportunities into one full-time venture, launching her own firm.

From there, she scaled into a fractional CFO and controller firm working with venture-backed startups—a remarkable evolution from her beginnings in the nail industry.

Her story reinforces a powerful idea:
You don’t need a perfect plan—you need the willingness to start and adapt.

The Hard Truth About Selling a Business

One of the most valuable lessons from Sharrin’s experience came when she sold her company. While she was well-prepared for due diligence, she was not prepared for what came after the deal closed.

The biggest mistake?
Not having everything clearly defined in writing.

What she envisioned for the future of her company didn’t align with what actually happened—because those expectations weren’t documented. The result was a difficult emotional and professional experience that ultimately reshaped her perspective on business ownership.

Her advice is blunt but critical:
If it’s not in writing, it doesn’t exist.

She also emphasizes that once you sell—especially to private equity—it’s no longer your business. Decisions become driven by numbers, efficiency, and return on investment, not necessarily your original vision.

Build to Sell—Even If You Never Do

Perhaps the most actionable takeaway is this:
Every business owner should operate as if they might sell someday.

That means:

Systemizing operations
Automating repetitive work
Reducing dependency on the owner
Creating a structure that someone else can step into

When Sharrin sold her later ventures, she did exactly that. With strong systems and minimal reliance on her, she was able to command significantly higher valuations—something rare in the accounting world.

As she puts it, if your business depends entirely on you, you don’t have a business to sell—you have a job.

From Operator to Advisor

Today, Sharrin focuses on helping other business owners avoid the mistakes she learned the hard way. Through her advisory work and community, she helps entrepreneurs get “unstuck,” implement systems, and think strategically about their eventual exit—whether that’s selling, transitioning, or simply building a more sustainable operation.

Her message is simple but powerful:
You can do more than you think—but only if you’re willing to challenge the rules, learn from failure, and take action.

Important Links

About Sharrin Fuller

Sharrin Fuller is a serial entrepreneur, business strategist, and author who has built and sold two full-service accounting firms for seven-figure exits, with no outside funding, while running her companies three days a week.

She is the author of Unfollow the Rules: The Messy Truth of Burnout, Bad Decisions, and Building Again (Until It Worked), published in 2025. The book is a direct, practical guide for business owners ready to stop following a playbook that was never written for them. Sharrin’s work centers on one thing: fixing broken businesses and getting owners out of the Dependency Trap. Through Glass Wallet Ventures, she provides strategic advisory to firm owners and service-based business leaders who are stuck, overwhelmed, or scaling in ways that are not sustainable. She is also the founder of the Clone and Conquer Hub, a membership community where firm owners learn to build the systems, processes, and remote teams that let them step back without things falling apart. She is the creator of The Clone and Conquer Method™, From Start-Up 2 Seven Figures™, and The Remote Team Roadmap™, frameworks built from nearly two decades of real-world operating experience since 2006.

A three-time Intuit ProAdvisor Top 100 and Top Educator ProAdvisor in 2025, Sharrin serves on the Executive Board of Directors for the Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance as Treasurer and chairs the Women Who Count Conference, an event she has helped reshape to better reflect the future of the profession. She is a sought-after speaker and advisor known for cutting through noise, naming what is actually broken, and building plans that work in the real world.