Meet Nikki Langford | Tax Preparer & Mother Baby Nurse

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

Hi Nikki, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I wanted to do something that I had more control of. When you’re working for other companies you’re confined within their policies and rules and on their time. I wanted to create something that I could run my way. My ultimate end goal in anything I do financially or investment wise is financial freedom. That was a major reason for me wanting to begin my own tax company. So many of these larger companies use taxes to their benefit and my first thought was, why can’t I? And past that, why can’t other people in my community? As an Afro-Latina, I learned early on about the lack of knowledge and access to resources for people of color. In beginning this tax business I thought to myself, here we go! My mission is going to be to learn as much as I can so that not only myself and my family benefits, but so does my community. Financial literacy is SO important and can make such a huge impact in quality of life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am currently a mother-baby nurse and I recently started my own business, Nikki Lang Tax Services. I’m very excited about both of these because they allow me to help people in different ways. As a mother baby nurse it’s important to me to educate and help new mothers and the new life they’ve created. A lot of people are unaware that women of color, especially black women, are more likely to die due to pregnancy complications both during and after pregnancy. As a postpartum nurse, while they are in the hospital I am their advocate and provide them with resources that they can access when they go home. Nursing has opened so many opportunities for me to advocate and bring more awareness to this population. I’m very proud of that.

I started my tax business because I saw how these corporations benefited from taxes and the owners had knowledge about finances in general from retirement accounts, the importance of saving, budgeting, credit, etc. Growing up I was never taught about these things and certain communities are at a huge disadvantage from a lack of knowledge. I fell in love with saving and paying off debt became a new obsession of mine. I wanted to teach others how they could do it too. Financial literacy is so important and can make such a huge difference in quality of life. My drive has always been giving back to my community and making sure future generations can live comfortably.

It was definitely a challenge getting to where I am now even though I still have such a long way to go. I was a first generation college student and I faced a lot of financial challenges in my young adulthood as well as battling my mental health. Getting to where I am now took a lot of faith and perseverance. There were times I didn’t know how I was going to pay for tuition and the security of my jobs were threatened. I depended a lot on my support system and had to learn to ask for help. While I was in nursing school, I also was working a full time job and a part time job. It was often challenging to balance work and 6-7 classes with clinicals all at once. It was very overwhelming and there were many times that I spent hours crying (not to mention that this was all during COVID). I learned SO many things on this journey. Two of the most important lessons I learned is to always ask questions and to get out of your own way. A lot of my challenges came from my fear of speaking up and just asking questions, as well as doubting myself and my ability to accomplish my goals. Once I realized that nothing was standing in my way but myself and started changing the way I thought, things got easier and I was able to push forward. I want people to learn from my story that even though there are challenges you can and will face when pursuing a dream, to never give up and to take it one day at a time. We all struggle with something but nothing can stop you from accomplishing your goals but yourself. Get out your own way.

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?
Let me start off by saying I LOVE Atlanta. There is always something to do for all interests and people. I just recently started to get out more this year and my favorite thing to do is grab food. Some of my favorite spots for food include Jinya (the best Ramen), Broni in college park (amazing fufu and egusi, and the owner is the sweetest), Barcelona (best tapas and sangria), Rum Punch (Such a vibe! They play Caribbean music and there are open bars, food trucks, and sections). The Battery is also a super dope place to go to grab a drink and vibe/dance on the weekend. For nature lovers there are amazing places to go hike. I love hiking on the East Palisades trail on the Chattahoochee river and Stone Mountain (lots of history here). When the weather is warm I love grabbing a scooter and riding around the city, ending my adventure with a new local restaurant I happen across. Going to the Coca Cola factory, Georgia Aquarium, and National Center for Civil and Human Rights Museum is a must.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are SO many people I want to dedicate a shout out to! I want to first and foremost thank God, and my parents, Rob and Bruni. If it weren’t for my parents I would not have been able to make it as far as I have! I also want to shout out my titi Marlene, my abuela Lolita, my mentor LeRoy Reese, my partner, Kenny, and my best friends Guylaine, Jamila and Dayvone. They have encouraged and pushed me at times where I wanted to give up or doubted myself and I am forever grateful for that. Also shoutout to TaxxWiz for teaching me the skills I needed to even do what I’m doing!

Instagram: @_trillestboricuaaa

Other: Instagram: nikkithetaxpro TikTok: _trillestboricua

Image Credits
Robert Langford Photography LLC