We recently connected with Janiel Youngblood and have shared our conversation below.

Janiel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Please tell us about starting your own firm and if you’d do anything different knowing what you know now.

I decided to start my own church financial consulting firm when I was being recognized by my home church for just being crowned Miss Virginia Union University. I said that I just wanted to be used by God but wasn’t quite sure what that may look like since I was not a preacher or good singer or doing any of those things I considered really spiritual. When an elder told me that I would be a church accountant, it was like a light bulb came on and I saw for the first time how I could connect my technical skill with my passion for ministry.

In order to have the credibility I needed to earn the trust, confidence and respect that I needed with church leaders, I decided to get my CPA license. This was an arduous goal. Although I failed the exam many times, took a hiatus from the process and decided to focus on getting my MBA and starting a family, I later returned to the process and was able to finally achieve my goal. I was motivated by the passion to finish what I started, not let the exam defeat me, and fulfill what I felt was my purpose. I now have the opportunity to do what I love to do, serving the faith community with my accounting expertise while sharing the same passion for ministry. And I just celebrated my 8th business anniversary.

One piece of advice that has helped me tremendously is having a business coach and mentors. I didn’t feel the need to be a pioneer per se, I wanted to learn from the expertise of others and refine my craft. It not only has helped my business to grow but I have grown personally too, learning to balance my home life and my whole person.

Janiel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My firm, Janiel Youngblood & Associates, LLC is a church financial consulting firm. I pride myself on being a church financial lighthouse guiding church leaders toward greater financial stewardship. I feel that if any organization should handle its money appropriately, it should be the church, because while the church is not accountable to the SEC or shareholders on Wall Street, the church is accountable to God and its donors for how it handles its resources.

More than just focusing on the dollars and cents, I like to work with my clients on principles of money management, proper internal controls, and change management.

I am unique in that I share the same passion for ministry with my clients and not only concerned about the numbers balancing but more importantly that we partner together to maintain a positive reputation of stewardship in the community as a testament of faith and commitment to God and the mission of the church.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One lesson that I had to unlearn and that I’m still working through is pricing too low. When I was just getting started, I underpriced because I thought the non-profit/church community couldn’t afford to pay me more. I though because I love to do the work the work and wasn’t motivated by the money alone that I didn’t have to charge as much as others. What I had to adjust and realize is that people would not respect or value my work if the price was too low. I’ve been gradually making the adjustment as appropriate.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My resilience was exhibited when I continually failed the CPA exam. Right out of college, I took the four-part exam over two consecutive days and passed one part. During those times, you had to pass at least two parts for the scores to stick. I took the four parts again and passed two parts. I failed the other two a few times, and then finally passed a third. I only had an 18-month window to get all four parts passed but unfortunately, I didn’t meet that deadline and I lost my 3 passing scores. I was devastated. I took some time away, almost 10 years, in fact. During that time, I decided to go to grad school to get an MBA, I got married, and had two children all while still working in the accounting field but feeling a little defeated by not passing the exam. Passing the test was more than just about getting the credentials, it was a test of my will. As valedictorian of my high school class, I was accustomed to being a straight A student. My ego was challenged when I encountered some other CPAs, and I thought to myself, if they could do it, surely, I could do it if I focused and put my mind to it. Even in my attempt 10 years later, it was not a breeze, I still struggled, still failed a few more times, but I didn’t quit. I did successfully pass all four parts and became a certified public accountant.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.janielyoungbloodassociates.com
• Instagram: @janielyoungbloodassociates
• Facebook: Janiel Youngblood & Associates, LLC
• Youtube: Janiel Youngblood, CPA