Name: Sid Lefjer

Old gig: CPA/Healthcare CFO

New gig: IT entrepreneur

When Sid Lefjer was a student at Bentley College, accounting was the anchor of their famed business program. Upon graduation, he took a job with accounting juggernaut Ernst & Young.

"When I joined Ernst & Young, I felt that working for a large firm would give me diversified business experience," Lefjer explains.

After almost a decade, Lefjer decided to go in a new direction.

"I wanted to further broaden my business experience," he says. "So first I went to work as a CFO for a healthcare company.My ultimate goal, however, was to start my own business, which is the reason that I left."

After months of careful research, Lefjer decided to get into the world of information technology (IT), and founded the customer-relations management and IT firm Harvest Solutions.

"When I entered the IT field in 1987," Lefjer recalls,"it was the at the beginning of the PC boom, so the PC industry offered the most dynamic opportunity."

Lefjer says that he could not have taken advantage of this new opportunity, however, without first working in the private sector.

"That gave me some real-life experience, which was very valuable in starting and running my own organization," he says.

Lefjer says one of the biggest lessons when looking into any potential new venture, is to make sure you have your financial ducks in a row.

"Knowing that you have enough money in the bank to pay for your mortgage for an extended period of time will allow you to concentrate on your new career," he says. "Such focus is key when starting something new."

He also stresses the need to be quick and flexible.

"The industry changes daily," he says, "and unless you are nimble and willing to change, it will eat you up."