Episode 14: Growing a Mission-Driven Business with Brian Thompson
About
As a tax attorney and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Brian provides comprehensive financial and business planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. He holds a special place in his heart for small-business owners. He spent a decade defending them against the IRS as a tax attorney and has become one as a financial advisor. He also understands the added stresses of running a business while being a person of color and a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Because of his service to the LGBTQ+ community, Brian was awarded the Inspiring Leader Award by the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) in 2018. He was also named to InvestmentNews’ 2018 “40 under 40”. Brian is a senior contributor to Forbes and NAPFA Advisor Magazine’s Efficient Planner Column. You can learn more about Brian and his story in his profile in the New York Times and on his podcast interview featured on The Huffington Post.
Brian graduated cum laude from DePauw University and obtained his Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law. He earned his Certificate in Financial Planning from Boston University Center for Professional Planning and received his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation in 2012. He became a Registered Life Planner through the Kinder Institute of Life Planning in 2020 and a certified Profit First Professional in 2021.
When he’s not doing what he loves professionally, Brian enjoys working out, cooking (and sometimes baking), and exploring Chicago, the best city in the world!
In this episode, we chat about the convoluted professional journey he took to get to where he is today, the number one thing that gets business owners in trouble with the IRS, the foundational financial skills every entrepreneur should have, his thoughts on staying connected to your original mission for your business, the internal work entrepreneurs need to do when it comes to their finances, the knowledge gap he notices a lot of LGBTQ+ clients have, what the Profit First model is and why he chooses to utilize it, common financial traits in the LGBTQ+ community, and so much more!
