Melissa Browne
Entrepreneur, accountant, financial advisor, author, speaker and shoe addict
That’s how my business card describes me but if I had to choose a few more words to describe myself they would be socially awkward, introvert, accidental entrepreneur, disrupter, innovator, frequently irritating, writer, child-free, chocolate-addict, passionate advocate for women’s issues and over-dressed. Always.
I’m often described as ‘not your normal accountant’ and I’ll happily accept that portrayal. I delight in making complex problems and concepts appear simple and in demystifying the world of business strategy, tax and money. All things that are often popped in the too hard basket, left in the dark or swept under the carpet. My job is to help switch on the light and help remove some of the ick factor so we can start to talk about and deal with subjects that are often seen as beige, boring or sometimes even taboo. And I don’t always stop at talking money, business and tax. Perhaps because I’m used to talking about difficult subjects, I’ll also happily wade into talking about relationships, being child-free, women’s issues, choice and whether crocs are really shoes.
In my day job, I have founded three businesses which may seem disparate but are connected in philosophy and strategy. I’m the founder & CEO of an award winning accounting & advisory firm A&TA (previously Accounting and Taxation Advantage), co-founder of the financial planning business for Gen X and Gen Y The Money Barre and co-founder and Director of Business at the long-day preschool that is based on play with purpose, Thinkers.inq. All three businesses are pushing the boundaries in their fields, questioning what is possible and striving to be game-changers in their respective fields. After all, my philosophy if you’re going to be in business, then you may as well create real change and do something interesting.
I lose myself in books and have always loved to write. Which is why I’ve written a couple of gorgeous, illustrated books which are business and finance books you’ll actually want to read. My first book, More Money for Shoes compares building a business to building a wardrobe and my second book, Fabulous but Broke contains thirteen financial fairy tales designed to challenge your money mindset. You can buy them at good bookstores or on this site.
