From Avoiding Accounting to Using It as a Management Tool: A Business Owner’s Transformation at CEO Master Club

For many entrepreneurs, building a successful business begins with passion, courage, persistence, and the ability to seize opportunities. But as a company grows, passion alone is no longer enough. Business owners must also understand the numbers behind their operations—because without a clear understanding of accounting and financial information, it becomes increasingly difficult to know where the business truly stands, what is working, what is going wrong, and what decisions should come next.

This reality is particularly relevant for business owners who are deeply involved in day-to-day operations. Many are capable entrepreneurs with strong industry experience, yet they may still feel uncomfortable when dealing with accounting reports, financial figures, costs, expenses, profit, cash flow, and the financial performance of their companies.

The experience of Mr. SOENG ATHIKAR, President of Master Star Land Property Co., Ltd., reflects this challenge—and demonstrates how practical accounting knowledge can become a powerful management tool for a business leader.

“I Realized That My Company Had a Gap—Especially in Accounting Management”

Mr. Soeng Athikar explained that his decision to study accounting came from a practical business need rather than a personal interest in the subject.

“I realized that my company still had some gaps, especially in accounting and accounting management. This was something I could no longer separate myself from as a business owner. I was extremely busy managing my business, but I also recognized that I needed accounting knowledge in order to manage my company more effectively.”

For many entrepreneurs, this is an important realization.

Accounting should not be viewed merely as the responsibility of an accountant or finance department. Business owners do not necessarily need to perform every accounting task themselves, but they need sufficient knowledge to understand the financial information presented to them, evaluate performance, ask the right questions, oversee their teams, and make informed decisions.

This realization encouraged Mr. Soeng Athikar to become a member of CEO Master Club of CEO Institute and participate in its Accounting Skills for Business Management coaching program.

From Disliking Accounting to Understanding Its Business Value

Mr. Soeng Athikar (Adhikāra) openly acknowledged that accounting had never been a subject he enjoyed.

“Previously, I found accounting very difficult. In fact, I was someone who did not like dealing with accounting at all. But when I realized that I needed it for my company, that necessity pushed me to come and study accounting at CEO Master Club.”

His experience highlights an important lesson for entrepreneurs: leadership development does not mean learning only what we enjoy. Sometimes, the most important capabilities are precisely those we have previously avoided.

A business owner may love sales but dislike accounting. Another may be excellent at operations but uncomfortable with human-resource management. Others may be strong negotiators yet struggle with systems, governance, financial planning, or leadership.

However, once a business begins to expand, these areas become interconnected. A leader who wants to manage an organization comprehensively must gradually strengthen capabilities beyond his or her original area of expertise.

For Mr. Soeng Athikar, accounting became one of those essential capabilities.

Turning Knowledge Into Practical Business Improvement

The most meaningful learning does not end in the classroom. It creates change in the workplace.

After gaining greater understanding of accounting, Mr. Soeng Athika began applying what he had learned to his own company.

“After studying this skill and gaining knowledge about accounting, I applied it to the development of my company. I saw very positive results, and it made the management of my company much easier.”

This is at the heart of the Business Owner Coaching Program at CEO Master Club: connecting knowledge with practical business application.

Entrepreneurs do not simply need more theories. They need frameworks, management tools, practical understanding, and the ability to apply what they learn to the realities of their companies.

Accounting knowledge becomes especially valuable when a business leader can use it to understand operations more clearly, monitor the work of the team, evaluate financial performance, identify potential problems, and make decisions with greater confidence.

Four Days That Changed His Perspective on Accounting

Reflecting on the coaching delivered by H.E. Dr. Om Sengbora, Mr. Soeng Athikar described the four-day learning experience as highly relevant to the challenges he had been facing.

“I truly recognize that the coaching by H.E. Dr. Om Sengbora was exceptional. Throughout these four days—from the beginning until the final day—everything covered was what I needed.”

Before attending the program, accounting appeared complicated and difficult to approach. He knew that there was a problem, but he was uncertain about the solution.

The training changed that perspective.

“Previously, I did not understand these things. I thought accounting was very difficult for me, and I did not know what solution could help me. I never imagined that just four days could create such a change—from someone who knew almost nothing about accounting to someone who could understand much more about it.”

The objective was not to transform a business owner into a professional accountant within four days. Rather, it was to equip a leader with the essential accounting understanding required to better manage, supervise, question, analyze, and make decisions within his own organization.

As Mr. Soeng Athikar explained:

“As the head of the company, I can now look at different operations within my company and better understand the work and transactions carried out by my team.”

That distinction matters.

A CEO does not need to replace the accountant. A CEO needs to be capable of managing through financial information.

Business Owners Must Understand the Language of Their Business

A company may generate significant sales and still experience financial difficulties. Revenue can increase while cash becomes tighter. A business can appear busy while profitability remains weak. Teams can produce reports, but without the ability to interpret those reports, management may still be operating without sufficient visibility.

This is why accounting knowledge is not merely a technical skill—it is part of business leadership.

When business owners understand their numbers, they are in a stronger position to communicate with their accounting teams, evaluate operational performance, identify risks earlier, allocate resources more effectively, and make better-informed strategic decisions.

The stronger the business becomes, the more important this capability becomes.

Escaping the Trap of Becoming a “Prisoner of Your Own Business”

One of the most powerful messages from Mr. Soeng Athikar’s testimony concerns a challenge familiar to many entrepreneurs: becoming so deeply involved in daily operations that the business begins to control the owner rather than the owner controlling the business.

He encouraged other entrepreneurs to continue developing themselves and strengthening their management capabilities.

“To everyone who has not yet become a member of CEO Master Club, I encourage you to consider joining. If you want to become a successful entrepreneur and want to move beyond being a prisoner of your own business, I believe joining CEO Master Club can be very valuable.”

His recommendation comes from personal experience.

Before joining, he had questions and doubts about what the program could actually provide. His perspective changed after experiencing it himself.

“Previously, I had doubts. I wondered whether it would really be what I expected. But now that I have become a member of CEO Master Club, I recognize that what CEO Master Club provides is truly valuable. I genuinely believe that CEO Master Club can help me continue progressing and growing in my business sector.”

Building Stronger Entrepreneurs for Stronger Businesses

The story of Mr. Soeng Athikar carries an important message for entrepreneurs in Cambodia and beyond:

You do not have to become an accountant—but if you want to become a stronger business leader, you must understand what your numbers are telling you.

Business growth creates complexity. Complexity requires stronger management. And stronger management requires leaders who continuously strengthen their knowledge and capabilities.

The entrepreneur who built yesterday’s business may need to become a different kind of leader to manage tomorrow’s company.

That transformation begins with learning.

Through its Business Owner Coaching Program, CEO Master Club of CEO Institute provides business owners, entrepreneurs, CEOs, executives, and successors with opportunities to strengthen practical capabilities across the key areas required to manage and develop a business more professionally.

The journey from working endlessly inside the business to leading confidently above and across the business does not happen by chance. It requires knowledge, discipline, practical application, stronger systems, and continuous leadership development.

For business owners who want greater clarity, stronger management capability, and sustainable business growth, investing in their own development may be one of the most important investments they can make.

CEO Master Club of CEO Institute — developing capable business leaders who are prepared not merely to own businesses, but to understand, manage, strengthen, and grow them.