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Why: Entrepreneurs are people. People have emotions. Finances are EMOTIONAL. When a client comes to us, it’s usually because their financial systems are not working. You are stressed, overwhelmed, and possibly embarrassed.
How: We encourage radical candor. We approach each client with an open mind. We ask questions. We establish trust. We put your mind at ease so that we can get to work.
Why: When there is a system, you are more likely to make lasting, sustainable changes to your behavior, which will have a positive impact on your well-being as well as on your bottom line.
How: We perform an efficiency audit to identify opportunities to leverage technology to save time and energy. We utilize existing workflows to implement systems that are simple and easy to maintain. We support a culture of financial transparency and encourage delegation of tasks across teams to create company-wide accountability and buy-in.
Why: A genius pastry chef or expert closet organizer should not be expected to have MBA level knowledge of finance, accounting, HR, compliance, or a host of other topics that come up regularly as a business owner. We instill confidence by perpetually increasing our clients’ knowledge base in direct response to their current needs.
How: We do our research. We are not afraid to say, “Let me get back to you on that next week.” We walk through financial reports and answer questions at their root. We are reactive in what information we bring to our clients; responding to their specific needs and situations.
Finance Friend defines being an anti-racism organization as creating an environment where all employees regardless of race or the color of their skin know they are valued. We acknowledge that racism can be unconscious or unintentional and identifying racism as an issue does not automatically mean those involved in the act are racist or intended the negative impact. As an anti-racism organization we will purposefully identify, discuss and challenge issues of race and color and the impact(s) they have on the organization, its systems, and its people. We will also challenge ourselves to understand and correct any inequities we may discover within our organization and gain a better understanding of ourselves during this purposeful process. Being an anti-racism organization is a journey and it is the learning along the way that makes this work worth all of our efforts.
Melanie Hopkins’s career began in the finance departments of nonprofits, but while employing her skills to help an entrepreneurial friend open her business, she discovered a passion for helping business owners become empowered in their financial management.
Over the past decade Melanie has worked with over 200 companies, ranging from human rights nonprofits to artisanal cheese makers to tech startups. She has been featured in Forbes, CNBC, Katie Couric’s Wake-Up Call, the New York Post, and US News & World Report. Melanie has taught “Artistpreneur” workshops at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts to recent graduates, and has been featured as a guest speaker with Emerging Leaders in New York Arts.
Melanie is a one-time but still proud triathlete, a voracious reader who is always looking for new book recommendations, and a self-proclaimed scholar of the Shondaverse.
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