Kevin Murray

Owner, Murray Tax Services/Murray Financial Group; Age 38

Kevin Murray says he’s always been entrepreneurial, starting with a paper route when he was a kid. Today, he’s charting his own route, establishing and running two successful businesses simultaneously, while also finding time for family, fun, and his community.

Murray was working for a Fortune 500 financial corporation during a transitional time for the company. “A lot of my colleagues who had been there for years were being let go, and it made me realize I wanted to work for myself and my own bottom line, and not be at the mercy of someone else’s.”

He went back to school while he was still working, and got a master’s degree in taxation and accounting. He also scored a part-time job for a tax firm to learn the ropes, and got married. With a son on the way, he realized he didn’t want to lose precious time running on a corporate treadmill, and he launched Murray Tax Services, starting with about 35 clients.

By the time he cut the corporate cord for good and went out on his own, he had about 230 clients, but was just getting started.

“The financial-planning side is what I always really wanted to do,” said Murray. “The tax business is an asset that pays year-round, and that set the base for the financial-planning piece.”

Murray says being a business owner is a completely family-driven proposition. “I put my kids on the bus every day and get them off every day,” he explained, adding that he enjoys the flexibility that comes with being the owner. “I go to every hockey practice, and I try not to miss things; I work around their schedules.”

Of course, tax season takes a toll. “Right now [late March], I’m working 20-hour days, but my wife, Christa, and I work it out. I couldn’t do any of this without her. To us, it’s all about family, and we always make time for them.”

Murray also makes time for his community, serving on  Wilbraham’s Finance Committee and as treasurer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampden County. He also coaches hockey for his daughter, Adalyn, and his son, Jameson.

Murray also likes to brew craft beer as a hobby. “I’m really passionate about it,” he noted.

But home brews don’t compare to the home life he cherishes with his wife and kids, he said. “They’re what it’s all about.”

—Alta Stark