Inspiring Entrepreneurs - Nesha Pai, Pai CPA
Nesha’s Story
After graduating from NC State and passing the CPA exam, Nesha joined the number one accounting firm in the world as of 1993. She was excited about this major opportunity as Charlotte was booming.
Then her dream was quashed. As a female of color, she felt the systemic barriers present in the corporate environment. She recognized that the leadership network at the time, all white males, would prevent her from becoming a partner. Even though her reviews were good, she was let go from the firm. She cites this as one of her defining moments.
She left the firm and found a job at a Fortune 500 company. After several career promotions, she got married, had a baby, and stayed home for 6 years. After a divorce, Nesha got back into the workforce and joined a local firm. She asked for a raise after 5 years, but her boss declined to increase her salary, stating the “mom gap” in her resume did not put her where her peers were.
Nesha says something inside her just snapped at that moment. She said, “I quit.”
Entrepreneurship
Nesha walked out of the company that day with 1 major client who wanted to stay with her. She had no plan, but the ideas were spinning. Then reality hit when she got home. She had a son, a mortgage, and no other options but to figure it out.
In 2011, she started her business with 1 client. She started going to every networking event that she could find. She found her niche with a neglected group – companies $0 to $10M – that didn’t offer the large revenue opportunity required by the bigger firms. She pounded the pavement, added a client at a time, then built a team.
She also created a unique business model that brought loyal, highly dedicated talent to her clients. She hired only stay-at-home moms (which she still does), and a few interns. Her value was not only servicing a neglected market segment, but also supporting stay-at-home moms, a neglected resource pool.
Business Success
Pai CPA has acquired over 80 clients in the 11 years since its founding. She has done it all herself, but she cites the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) of Charlotte’s Accelerator (EOA) program as giving her the support group she needed. EOA taught her the skills she needed to scale her business.
Nesha says, “I love EOA and everyone I’ve met in the program. It has been life-changing for me to be surrounded by EO and likeminded peers. Having mentorship from entrepreneurs who have walked my same journey has had tangible impact on the growth of my business. It has helped me create the success bubble.”
Nesha has become an influential entrepreneur in the Charlotte area. A noted speaker and podcast host, she was named one of the 50 most influential women in the 2020 Mecklenburg County Times. In 2020, Nesha’s first book was published, Overcoming Ordinary Obstacles, a guide for personal growth and success.
“The book chronicles my life as a multi-generational female, the struggles I’ve faced, my conversion to Christianity, and how I’ve created my ‘best life.’ My audience was intended for ethnic women – but my biggest fan so far has been a white millennial male. After reading the book, he said he went out to find his passion.”
Nesha says she is always thinking outside the box, writing the next chapter. “I have a whole plan to hit the road, travel the world and share my story.”
Lessons for the Entrepreneur
Nesha says the key learning she would share with entrepreneurs is, “Believe in yourself 100%. There can be no room for doubt.
“Especially for single mothers who venture into entrepreneurship, we must make it. There is no other option. I COULD NOT FAIL. And I couldn’t let someone else dictate my destiny. I didn’t want to give control to anyone else – I had to provide for my child. There is something about the whole survival instinct that propels you into an action that creates success. I have never worked harder in my entire life to make something successful. In the early days, I worked around the clock. It became another child.”
Another lesson Nesha shares is, “You can’t let another human or circumstance define you. Only your Creator does that.” Nesha has been able to overcome the challenge of a boss making her feel less than. “I won’t let another human dictate my value. I was stumped twice in my career, by men whom I let make me feel inferior. The reality is I was too good and threatened the status quo. But there is no concept of being too good to a customer.
“Today, I answer to myself, and the good news is I have very high standards. I am a little bit of perfectionist – but having high standards is a good thing.” Nesha kept her performance review papers from her time at the Big Six accounting firm until 2020. She burned them a bon fire. “It was a release of all these negative thoughts, of the time I let people tell me I was a failure. I’ve overcome that now.”
Nesha says the keys to her success were finding a good niche and understanding her finances. “You MUST understand the financial aspects of your business. That has really helped me. In the ebbs and flows of my money, I was able to keep my business going. I knew if I needed cash, when I would need it, how to get it, etc. If you don’t know these things, join EOA. You will learn the things you MUST know, from entrepreneurs who have made all the mistakes before you, so you don’t have to.”
Nesha is a true inspiration for all entrepreneurs, but especially those who face cultural barriers, and those who are forced to be successful not only for themselves, but for their children and the people who depend on them.
Well done, Nesha.