A conversation with the founder of Crowe PR on authenticity, resilience, and the unexpected path from Big Four accounting to entrepreneurial success
What happens when a Big Four CPA discovers that creativity matters more than spreadsheets? For Anna Crowe, founder and CEO of Crowe PR, that realization sparked a journey that would take her from the structured world of accounting to building a nationally integrated public relations firm, all while staying true to her core values.
In a recent podcast conversation, Anna shared the unconventional path that led her to entrepreneurial success, offering insights that will resonate with anyone contemplating their own leap into business ownership.
The Unexpected Pivot
Anna’s story begins in the numbers. After college, she joined Deloitte (then a Big Five firm) as a CPA, where she developed a deep understanding of how businesses thrive. “I enjoyed learning about the ins and outs of business when it comes to financials,” she reflects. “How companies thrive, what drives their businesses forward, what they’re doing really well.”
But something was missing. Despite her love for numbers, Anna craved creativity in her daily work. “You can only get limited creativity in accounting,” she explains with a laugh. “They don’t want creative accountants. They want to make sure that the numbers speak for themselves.”
This realization led to a strategic transition: Anna moved into financial analysis at the world’s largest global fragrance and cosmetics company, based in New York. It was there that everything clicked. “That’s where I fell in love with brands. I fell in love with the idea of creating a strong brand and telling a story in a way that drives people to buy products or services.”
The Entrepreneurial Spark
What ultimately pushed Anna toward entrepreneurship wasn’t just creative ambition—it was a fundamental disagreement with corporate inflexibility. Working at several major companies, she repeatedly encountered situations where she’d suggest improvements, only to be told, “No, that’s somebody else’s department. This is how we’ve done it, and that’s how we’re going to do it.”
“How we’ve done it before may no longer work,” Anna argues. “We should be in a place where we’re continuously re-evaluating if our old system is still applicable. It’s a different world, different people, different skill set.”
This frustration became the catalyst for Crowe PR. Anna wanted to create a business that could evolve continuously, stay on the cutting edge, and always do right by clients. These values would become the foundation of her company’s culture.
Turning Challenges into Windows
Perhaps the most striking aspect of Anna’s approach is her perspective on failure and rejection. Rather than viewing challenges as roadblocks, she sees them as opportunities for growth and redirection.
“I really see challenges and failures as an opportunity to grow and learn something,” she explains. “I really do believe that things happen for us, not to us.” This mindset shift, she notes, has opened up countless opportunities that might otherwise have remained hidden.
Anna uses a powerful visual metaphor: instead of seeing obstacles as ceilings pressing down, she views them as windows, openings to new possibilities. “You’re trying to break through the ceiling, right? It’s really not thinking about it as a ceiling, but as a window, as a hole, and be like, ‘I can go over here. What does this present to me?'”
This optimistic outlook isn’t just natural talent. It’s a practiced skill fueled by daily gratitude and intentional self-care. “When you practice gratitude daily, you see the light, the positive, the upside,” Anna shares.
The Power of Authenticity in Leadership
Anna’s book, “Get Real,” speaks directly to what she considers the most crucial leadership quality: authenticity. “I think it’s important to connect with people on a real authentic level so people know where they stand with you,” she emphasizes.
This belief stems from her own experience immigrating to the US as a teenager. Struggling with language barriers, she discovered that “when the world is confusing on the outside, it’s peaceful to go inside and learn a little bit about yourself.” The lesson stuck: “When I am being able to be myself is when I’m the happiest.”
For Anna, authentic leadership means more than just being genuine. It requires actively listening, maintaining a growth mindset, and creating safe spaces for team members to bring their best selves to work.
Marketing: The Business Backbone
One surprising insight from our conversation was Anna’s perspective on marketing’s role in business. Having started her career in accounting, she initially thought financials were the backbone of any company. Experience taught her otherwise.
“I’ve later learned that really it is marketing because it all starts with a product or service idea,” she explains. “Marketing is coming up with that, testing it, bringing it to life. Marketing is also taking that product or service and promoting it, engaging with your customers.”
This broader understanding of marketing (encompassing everything from product development to customer research to pricing strategies) has been instrumental in Crowe PR’s success.
Values as Your North Star
When asked for her final advice, Anna returned to a theme that had woven throughout our entire conversation: the importance of knowing and living your values.
“It’s important to really connect with yourself and know what’s important to you and what your values are,” she advises. “And then not to compromise those values, but to continue to shape them.”
Anna credits this values-based approach with helping her make better decisions, both personally and professionally. “If it’s not aligned with my values, I shouldn’t do it. But that took a long time to figure out.”
Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Anna’s journey offers several key takeaways for anyone considering the entrepreneurial path:
Start with small experiments. Anna’s numerous side hustles while working corporate jobs helped her understand her entrepreneurial tendencies and test different ideas with low risk.
Embrace the activator mindset. When self-doubt creeps in, Anna’s approach is simple: “Just going for it. Just doing and then assessing.” Action creates clarity faster than overthinking.
Build systems for vision. Success requires balancing big-picture thinking with disciplined execution. “Anything is possible. We can really truly do anything, but we do need to have a structure in place.”
Invest in continuous learning. Whether through books, mentors, or community, Anna emphasizes the importance of growing just 1% better each day. This compound approach leads to dramatic improvement over time.
The Road Ahead
Today, as both CEO of Crowe PR and president of the San Diego chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, Anna continues to evolve her impact. What started as a desire for creative freedom has transformed into something bigger: the ability to create meaningful change for her team, clients, and community.
“I can control how much impact I can make,” she reflects. “We can take a small idea and really nurture it. We can change course quickly, and we can really service our clients to the best of our abilities.”
Anna Crowe’s story reminds us that the most successful entrepreneurs aren’t necessarily those with the most linear paths or the clearest initial vision. Sometimes, the greatest success comes from having the courage to pivot when something doesn’t feel right, the resilience to view challenges as opportunities, and the authenticity to build a business that truly reflects your values.
As Anna puts it: “When we are ourselves, we are the most brilliant, the brightest people we can be.” In entrepreneurship, as in life, that authenticity might just be your greatest competitive advantage.
