Modern Business Magazine May 2016 | Page 34

GETTING TO KNOW YOU Getting to Know Melissa Browne What inspired you to start your business? What are your goals and values? I have three different businesses and what inspired me was different for each. One was accidental, one under sufferance initially and one to create a legacy. Underlying each one however, my accounting business (A&TA), my financial planning business (The Money Barre) and my preschool (Thinkers.inq) is to create transformational change. The drive to make a difference is generally behind almost everything I do. business but again, the driving force for all three was to create transformational change in our tribes or communities. Personally, I generally have to have twin motivations to be involved in a business. First, the risk has to be worth the reward so they have to be able to make enough money to be worth my time and energy. But secondly they have to be capable of making a real difference and where possible, to be disruptive in their sector. With all three businesses (A&TA, The Money Barre and Thinkers.inq) this has certainly been the case. What was the driving force behind your decision to specialise in this area of business? It was different for each What types of customers do you help? What experience do you have helping small business customers? At A&TA, my accounting business, 34 ModernBusiness May 2016 we work with business owners with a growth mindset – in other words, who want to grow their business. We’ve created both online and in-person packages and solutions to help everyone from micro businesses to medium sized business. Over the years we’ve helped hundreds of business owners understand their numbers, minimise their tax and grow their business. It doesn’t matter if it’s a sole trader who wants a great home-based business or a multi-office corporation who want to expand and become more profitable – we work with business owners to help them achieve the best possible results. Do you service other sectors as well? The Money Barre which is my