Meet Ashaki Brown: Accountant serving small businesses and non-profit organizations

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashaki Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashaki, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Since college, I had aspirations of starting an accounting services business. But when I was considering if the time was right in the latter part of 2009, I was reluctant to step out so early in my career which had only began 5 years prior. I thought that I didn’t know enough. Just so happens we were in the middle of a recession and push had come to shove. I was among the many that received exit packages from the company I worked for at the time and getting another job was proving to be difficult. Jobs were hard to come by. And when you can’t get a job, you have to create one. To answer the question, prayer and getting confirmation from God was certainly a part of my process as well as a lot of research. Among other things, my research included how others in the industry and outside of it started their businesses, what worked for them once they started and what mistakes they made along the way. The thing I realized is that no amount of research was going to make me feel like I “knew enough”. There were always going to be things I didn’t know. I was always going to be somewhat uncomfortable in starting something that had no assurances of success. Ultimately, I had to rely on a few things: that I was educated in the area of accounting, I had experience in using that education, I had done my research and more importantly for me I had confirmation from God to move forward with it. At that point there was nothing left to do, but start the journey. 

What should our readers know about your business?
What I’m most excited about right now is Bookkeeper Store! It’s a division of Higher Accounting that is relevant for the times that we are all living in due to the pandemic. It is a completely remote and customizable bookkeeping solution that allows the client to pay only for the services that they need and that works within their budget. It’s subscription based and it answers that age-old client question of ‘how much is this going to cost?’ They will know upfront what their monthly fee will be and can upgrade or downgrade their subscription anytime. It was developed with Higher Accounting’s same focus in mind. That is to provide a client-centered experience to all those that we have an opportunity to serve.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh goodness. Can I give a pre-pandemic response?! So my friends and I love to have a Skip Day! Do you remember senior skip day back in high school? You know… When the seniors skipped school to hang out with each other and do something fun. Well, sporadically, my friends and I plan a day during the week to skip work (or take a day off) and do just that. It always includes eating good food and doing something fun or relaxing. One of the last skip days included a few hours at the spa. Our spa of choice is IWI Fresh. You have to check them out if you’re in Atlanta. That particular day we had lunch afterwards at Alma Cocina. The food was great! On a normal weekend, I love to find a good festival to go to with friends. There are typically so many to choose from in Atlanta. But that is after my favorite thing to do and that’s to eat good food. A great breakfast spot is Nana’s Chicken and Waffles. They’re located right outside of Atlanta. Get there early to beat the long line of folks waiting for a table outside or in their cars . After we have over-ordered and eaten way too much food, it’s time to walk it off at a festival. Where and which one just depends on what’s going on that weekend in the city. Next, we can hang out in the historic Sweet Auburn area of Atlanta. An area to learn, shop, eat and enjoy. One of my favorite restaurants in the area was Sweet Auburn Seafood. They, like many restaurants, have been negatively impacted by the pandemic. I can’t wait for their come back!!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would not pass up an opportunity to honor the best person that I know. When I look back at how much my Mom did for her children, I’m unsure of how she did it all or how she always made a way. She consistently provided for the household, she got her busy children to our practices and activities, rarely ever missed a game, track meet or anything for that matter and made sure she instilled in us the importance of a relationship with God. I don’t know how she was always there for each of us to cheer us on. Even being right in the stands when I looked up at my week day high school basketball game that was two hours away. Totally unexpected. She drove up after working a full day and drove right back home down the very dark roads after the game to prepare for work the next day. She was always there and the same is true today. She must have had a hidden cape with a “S” on it because she is clearly Superwoman. She is simply amazing!! I couldn’t dream of a better example of what a mother or woman should be. It’s always my goal to live my life in a way that makes her proud.

Website: http://www.higheraccounting.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/higheracct
Other: https://www.bookkeeperstore.com/

Image Credits
Higher Accounting Services, Inc.