This week’s “Business Highlight” interview was with the amazing Nisa Cooley, accountant and author of “My Mommy is an Accountant.” Cooley is also the CEO and Founder of Open Books Financials, a virtual accounting and tax firm. AJ Roberts, Pocket Change associate, had the chance to sit down and ask some of their favorite questions about her experiences in Pocket Change and how it’s affected her book and its sales.
The first question was, “what inspired the decision to sell your book at Pocket Change?” A question to which Nisa responded, “I knew it was a space for Black vendors, so it made sense. It’s a great staple for Bardstown Road and it deserves to be here. I’m not in sales so it’s an honor to be here and a part of a retail space.”
When asked how long she had been selling her book at Pocket Change, Nisa did her best to reflect and truly remember, but with the constant fast-pace changes in the world, time is hard to keep track of. But after a few moments of thinking, Nisa recounted “it’s been about 3 or 4 months, but definitely no more than 6 months for sure.”
With all the open and available space to host events and make your mark on Bardstown Road, and the Louisville community, I always wonder in what other ways do our vendors utilize the space we provide. Nisa stated, “Honestly, right now I haven’t been able to. This is my first time in the actual store itself, so I definitely plan to frequent more and be able to start utilizing the space as much as possible.”
By this point in the interview, Roberts was ready to ask her favorite question: “How has selling her book at Pocket Change affected Nisa’s book and its sales?” It was at this moment that Roberts had the opportunity to listen to Nisa’s testimony and be in awe. “Before being here, I was putting it out into the world myself and whatever happened, well it just happened. Then someone bought it here and read it aloud on her homeschooling series and it opened my eyes on the way that it was showing how important representation is. Being in this space has made it possible for people in the world and different walks to truly be able to have access to my book.”
They couldn’t close out their interview with Nisa without asking her opinion on what can we do better? “I honestly think you guys are doing a good job. There’s such a wide amount of diversity amongst products. You guys are truly incubating and helping grow black businesses. As an accountant I get to understand the scope of what you guys are facing on a lot of fronts financially. But you guys having a space is really helping make a lot of people’s dreams come true. So, no real suggestions, other than just keep continuing to grow.”