Chicago Social Article continued 
"I was sitting there thinking about how I'd just bombed the CPA exam for the second time, and it hit me that accounting wasn't for me," Misch explains. During his commute from work to Palatine, where he then lived, Misch set out to figure out what his ideal job would consist of. "I wanted to drive a Jeep, I didn't want to work for any one person, I wanted to wear a polo shirt and boating shoes in the summer, and Timberland boots and a rugby shirt in the winter," he decided. And then he remembered something -- an afternoon in high school when he got home early to find his dad waiting for a plumber who was four hours late. "When I told him that somebody else should be waiting for the plumber, he asked me whether I was going to change the plumbing world."
Less than a month after this recollection, Misch quit his accounting job, went back to bartending, and in November 1993, launched In
APinch, Inc. from his Palatine apartment. To establish his first clients, he canvassed local strip malls, offering his services to small business owners. In January 1995, he relocated to Chicago. Now his more than 780 regular clients are made up predominantly of young professionals, particularly women and transplants between their late 20's and middle 40's.
With a flat rate of * per hour (* for businesses), Misch is the first to recognize that he is not making a lot of money. But, he does like the fact that he owns his schedule. So while many of his former classmates are out there toting expensive briefcases, laptops, and Palm Pilots to offices with fancy views (and windows that don't open), Misch is content carrying a power drill in a black JanSport backpack, and showing up wherever necessary to help those in need
If you're in a Pinch, you can reach Richard Misch by calling 773-269-9051
*Article was written in 2001. Address, contact information and rates have changed.
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