Mission Driven Business Finding Your Focus with Tuesday Brooks
Brian chats with Tuesday P. Brooks, a business owner, educator, trusted tax and accounting advisor, and U.S. veteran. Her company, AJOY, champions profitability for women-led micro and small businesses. On the episode, Tuesday shares the power of being open to suggestions and how following where you're led can lead to some incredible outcomes. She also breaks down how prioritizing profitability can help entrepreneurs better support their mission and create impact.
Episode Highlights
Revenue is a primary focus for mission-driven businesses.
Tuesday describes a mission-driven business as one in which the people running it understand that revenue and sales have to be a key focus. If you're running a business with a good cause that doesn't make any money, then you're essentially volunteering.
"The only way you can support your mission is if you have the resources to do it," Tuesday said. "And resources mean money."
The need for revenue to support a mission is particularly impactful for Tuesday as her company AJOY teaches financial fluency to business owners. The company specializes in helping womxn-led businesses achieve profitability through three tiers of support: bookkeeping, cash management, and tax strategy.
"If they're employing all of these things, they have no choice to but to be profitable," she said.
You can't grow if nobody knows what you do.
Before AJOY existed as a financial management firm, Tuesday used the brand name to provide a wide variety of business services to clients. The problem was that the company didn't grow because nobody quite knew what she did.
"If during that time you were to ask 10 people, 'What does Tuesday do?,' you would have gotten 10 different answers because I was capable of doing a lot of things," she said.
Then, in 2009, she decided to focus on accounting and tax for small businesses. Once she claimed her niche, the business started to grow because people became very aware of her services and did not come to her for anything else.
"I have not wavered from what we do, and how we do it has only gotten better," she said. "People started to understand they could rely on us."
Follow where you're led.
Before leaning into running a financial management firm for womxn-led businesses, Tuesday had a winding career path. She got her Master's in Education based on a friend's suggestion and her Business Degree in Media Management because her Mom saw a flier for a program. She also discovered her niche because her mentor and business coach suggested she go to a boot camp. Her experiences have led her to espouse the power of being able to follow.
"Everybody talks about leadership, but there's also power in being open to suggestions and doing things," she said. "It led to so many wonderful experiences that brought me to where I am now, and it's how we're able to support our business because I tapped into so many industries."
Resources + Links
About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast
Brian Thompson, JD/CFP, is a tax attorney and certified financial planner who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit.
On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.