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Protea Conversations: Destiny Burns

Protea Conversations: Destiny Burns

by | Mar 18, 2021 | Accounting, Protea Conversations, Wine Industry

Protea Financial was founded in 2014 to provide high quality out-sourced accounting at an affordable price.  Given Protea’s flexible work environment, the Company especially appealed to accountants who wanted to re-enter the work force after taking time off to start a family. This allowed Protea to attract extremely talented individuals who were overlooked.  Over 80% of both Protea’s leadership and accounting teams are women.

We selected the name Protea because is the national flower of South Africa and is a symbol of our connection. The Protea flower has become an ornamental flower because of this striking beauty and is included in arrangements and bouquets as a symbol of courage or daring to be better or a sign of positive transformation.

Protea Conversations focuses on a successful woman in business and their achievements.  The hope is that these conversations will create a forum to discuss the experiences, opportunities, and challenges women face, and how we can build a more diverse, inclusive, and successful environment for everyone.

Destiny Burns is a native Clevelander (born and raised in Euclid), and she recently moved back home after more than 30 years to be near family and to live my dream of opening an urban winery here in her beloved hometown. Destiny is a retired U.S. Navy officer (served for 20 years on active duty (thank you!), and then spent more than 13 years as a business development executive in the defense industry in the Washington DC area. Destiny is also a former volunteer firefighter/EMT and has a great love and respect for first responders and for all those who serve our country and communities in uniform.

Wine has always been a great passion of hers having lived and traveled all around the world throughout her adult life, studying and enjoying wine and food. Destiny has advanced degrees in Business and professional experience in all aspects of business development, marketing and management, and also pursued formal and informal training and professional development opportunities in the wine industry. All of her experience and education, combined with a passion for wine and for her wonderful hometown, has culminated in her decision to open and run her own winery in the metropolitan Cleveland area and provide the “wine companion” to all the great craft beer and spirits made here! As they say, let’s have fun, celebrate, connect, support charitable causes and drink some great wine together at CLE Urban Winery! 

How did you get into the wine industry and how did you come up with the concept of CLE URBAN WINERY?

I always wanted a food- or wine-related business of my own as a “someday” dream. When I turned 50, newly divorced after a long marriage with an adult child fully launched, I decided to get serious about achieving this dream. I left my high-pressure career in the Washington DC area and returned to my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio to open my own business.

After performing a market analysis, I decided that opening a restaurant was too risky (too much competition), but I discovered that I absolutely loved the craft brewery culture of Cleveland. I decided to build my business based on my love of wine and my hometown, so I created a craft brewery-style urban winery and Tasting Room in a 100 year old former auto repair garage in my suburban Cleveland neighborhood. I call it Good Wine Made Fun that Celebrates Cleveland and Creates Community, and I will celebrate my 5 year anniversary this July!

 

What has been the biggest challenge you have experienced in reaching your current success (personally and professionally)?

I would say the biggest challenge that I have faced as an entrepreneur (aside from COVID-19, which has presented a number of significant challenges for all of us) is really understanding the costs, key performance indicators and other financial measures of my business. The unique business model I created is a bit of a hybrid, and I struggled with generating the financial reporting I needed to truly understand how to profitably manage and grow the business. I finally found my financial bookkeeping partner in Protea Financial – I can’t say enough good things about how they have helped me truly understand the unique financial aspects of my urban winery business model and to effectively manage my books. The resulting financial confidence has been a godsend as I have worked to successfully navigate my business through the COVID-19 crisis.

 

What are your short term goals of your career/business and yourself?

I think I have the same short-term goal as many other small business owners… to survive the pandemic, both personally and professionally. Both aspects are challenging in this stressful and unpredictable environment, and that is doubly so as an entrepreneur. I have had to continually hustle and pivot throughout this crisis – no staying home and making a sourdough starter for me!
The other short term goal that I have been working on in 2021 is to launch the Urban Wine School™ – a comprehensive wine appreciation and education learning community that is affordable, accessible and fun! I plan to bring the first courses online this spring.

 

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received that has helped you in your success?

The best piece of advice I ever received was from a former boss who once told me that “Hope is not a strategy.” The only way you will be successful is through hard work and by developing a strategy and executing a plan to get you where you want to go… just hoping everything will work out is not going to get you very far.

  

What is the piece of advice that you wished you had gotten when you were starting out?

I knew this when I started out as a small business owner, but I didn’t fully understand how important this advice was until I was neck-deep in it… CASH IS KING.

  

What advice you give to others to help them be better leaders?

Don’t be afraid – and the best way to mitigate that fear is through knowledge. Do your homework, leverage resources, work hard and stay focused. Don’t take no for an answer. Set clear expectations and goals, and then hold yourself and your team accountable for achieving them. Surround yourself with great people and do everything you can to make them successful and productive, both personally and professionally – they, in turn, will then take care of you and your customers.

 

As a thank you to our interview and Protea’s commitment to more diverse and inclusive leaders, Protea will make a donation to Vital Voices. Vital Voices Global Partnership is a global movement that invests in women leaders who are solving the world’s greatest challenges. They are “venture catalysts,” identifying those with a daring vision for change and partnering with them to make that vision a reality. They scale and accelerate impact through long term investments to expand skills, connections, capacity, and visibility. Over the last 22 years, we have built a network of 18,000 change-makers across 182 countries who are collectively daring to reimagine a more equitable world for all.

Tax Preparation Enablement

We provide your organization a true end to end solution to all of your tax needs. Tax season is year round to Protea – if you aren’t preparing daily, it’s too easy to get behind. We are always working with your organization to streamline your businesses tax management.

Ask Questions
Protea Conversations: Nastassia Lopez

Protea Conversations: Nastassia Lopez

by | Feb 25, 2021 | Outsourced Accounting, Protea Conversations

Protea Financial was founded in 2014 to provide high-quality out-sourced accounting at an affordable price.  Given Protea’s flexible work environment, the Company especially appealed to accountants who wanted to re-enter the workforce after taking time off to start a family. This allowed Protea to attract extremely talented individuals who were overlooked.  Over 80% of both Protea’s leadership and accounting teams are women.

We selected the name Protea because is the national flower of South Africa and is a symbol of our connection. The Protea flower has become an ornamental flower because of this striking beauty and is included in arrangements and bouquets as a symbol of courage or daring to be better or a sign of positive transformation.

Protea Conversations focuses on a successful woman in business and their achievements.  The hope is that these conversations will create a forum to discuss the experiences, opportunities, and challenges women face, and how we can build a more diverse, inclusive, and successful environment for everyone.

In February 2021 we spend time with Nastassia Lopez. Nastassia is a partner in Booker and Dax, a kitchen equipment design company. Additionally, Nastassia co-hosts the weekly podcast “Cooking Issues,” with host Dave Arnold, the highest-rated show on the Heritage Radio Network. She also co-founded Pasta Flyer, the critically-acclaimed, fast pasta concept with Chef Mark Ladner. 

Nastassia also created the controversial Wine Santa and introduced it to bars and restaurants in NY and LA. Dave hates it because he didn’t think of it.

Prior to her work with Booker and Dax, Nastassia opened Salumeria Rosi with Chef Cesare Casella in New York’s Upper West Side in 2010. She also managed the Culinary Technology Department at the French Culinary Institute with Chefs Nils Noren and Dave Arnold before launching Booker and Dax.

Nastassia currently sits on the Culinary Board of the Museum of Food and Drink, and the Junior Council at the American Museum of Natural History. 

Nastassia worked in restaurants to pay her way through Stanford University, where she earned degrees in both Creative Writing and Communications. In 2015 she graduated from Stanford Business School’s Entrepreneurship Program. She lives in Hell’s Kitchen and has a passion for hosting and entertaining.

Now, this is what we call a successful leader.

 

 

How did you get into the food industry and specifically your current role at Booker and Dax?

I paid my way through college by working in restaurants in Palo Alto (I went to Stanford). I was the first in my family to ever attend college. I hated working in restaurants—I would see a lot of my classmates come in and I’d have to climb under their table and fix the wobbly leg or pretend I knew the difference between Grey Goose and Absolut when making their bloody mary. When I graduated, I resolved to never work in food again. I went on to work in music at MTV and fashion. On a trip to Italy to visit a former roommate when I was 24, I remembered how much I loved food. When I got back to NYC, I applied and started working as the assistant for Italian chef, Cesare Casella. The Food Network had just launched, and “foodie” wasn’t a thing yet. Cesare introduced me to Dave Arnold, who was/is a crazy, food tech, philosophy undergrad at Yale/art master’s at Columbia. Dave and I became friends for a few months, and then eventually became business partners because we both realized we had similar weird backgrounds, but also loved food and could think strategically.

 

 

What has been the biggest challenge you have experienced in reaching your current success (personally and professionally)?

Misogyny, verbal abuse, psychological abuse, some physical abuse. This industry is no joke, and I’ve had to act like one of the guys to get by, while also taking on a lot of shit.

 

 

What are the short-term goals of your career/business and yourself?

Sell our business to a larger company, and do something completely different career-wise after that. 

 

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received that has helped you in your success?

Be nice, work hard, and never sign the contract.

 

 

What is the piece of advice that you wished you had gotten when you were starting out?

Don’t hold on to the way things “should be.” Everything changes in ways that you will and won’t be prepared for, so don’t try to control the environment or the outcome. Ride the wave and be flexible. Everything usually always shakes out the way it’s supposed to. Worrying and fretting makes you age faster and does absolutely nothing for you.

 

 

What advice you give to others to help them be better leaders?

Managing people is incredibly hard, and trusting a team execute your vision is even more difficult. Go with your gut if someone isn’t working out. Don’t waste time thinking they’ll “get better.” Cut them as soon as you feel they’re not on course.

 

As a thank you to our interview and Protea’s commitment to more diverse and inclusive leaders, Protea will make a donation to Vital Voices. Vital Voices Global Partnership is a global movement that invests in women leaders who are solving the world’s greatest challenges. They are “venture catalysts,” identifying those with a daring vision for change and partnering with them to make that vision a reality. The scale and accelerate impact through long-term investments to expand skills, connections, capacity, and visibility. Over the last 22 years, we have built a network of 18,000 change-makers across 182 countries who are collectively daring to reimagine a more equitable world for all.

Tax Preparation Enablement

We provide your organization a true end to end solution to all of your tax needs. Tax season is year round to Protea – if you aren’t preparing daily, it’s too easy to get behind. We are always working with your organization to streamline your businesses tax management.

Ask Questions
Protea Conversations: Suzanne Briel

Protea Conversations: Suzanne Briel

by | Jan 28, 2021 | Protea Conversations

Protea Financial was founded in 2014 to provide high-quality out-sourced accounting at an affordable price.  Given Protea’s flexible work environment, the Company especially appealed to accountants who wanted to re-enter the workforce after taking time off to start a family. This allowed Protea to attract extremely talented individuals who were overlooked.  Over 80% of both Protea’s leadership and accounting teams are women.

We selected the name Protea because is the national flower of South Africa and is a symbol of our connection. The Protea flower has become an ornamental flower because of this striking beauty and is included in arrangements and bouquets as a symbol of courage or daring to be better or a sign of positive transformation.

Protea Conversations focuses on successful woman in business and their achievements.  The hope is that these conversations will create a forum to discuss the experiences, opportunities, and challenges women face, and how we can build a more diverse, inclusive, and successful environment for everyone.

 

In January 2021 we spend time with Suzanne Briel. Suzanne is a successful business owner with an accounting practice, Bobst & Briel Certified Public Accountants, in Auburn California.

Suzanne has been providing valuable advice to her clients since 2012. Her practice consists of closely held businesses, typically family owned in a variety of sectors including fuel, solar, real estate development, manufacturing, technology, automotive and service providers. 

Prior to joining Bobst & Briel, Suzanne was a Senior Manager with Brown, Holder, Alfaro in St. Helena, California focusing on wineries, farming and high net-worth individuals. Suzanne began her career at Ernst & Young LLP in the Sacramento office working on a variety of publicly traded and private entities, primarily in the tax department. Suzanne graduated with Honors from UC Davis with a degree in Agricultural and Managerial Economics in 1993 and has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of California since 1997.

In her free time, you will find Suzanne enjoying time outdoors with her husband of 25 years and their 2 college age children.

How did you decide to become a CPA and how did you get your start with Bobst & Briel Certified Public Accountants, Inc. ?

My major at UC Davis was Agricultural and Managerial Economics and I was fascinated by the tax classes that I took while there.  During that period, I spoke with a Price Waterhouse Partner who told me that their ideal tax candidate was someone who was not a strict Accounting major.  He explained that being successful in the tax specialty required one to be able to problem solve and analyze law; I have found this to be true.  After several years at Ernst & Young LLP, a few years working in a private company tax department and many years at a Napa Valley Accounting Firm, I was excited to run my own tax practice.  I was fortunate to find a terrific practice in Auburn, CA with a retiring owner and purchased the practice in August 2012.

What has been the biggest challenge you have experienced in reaching your current success (personally and professionally)?

Before owning Bobst & Briel, I had managed teams that were larger and managed a similar size book of business.  The responsibility of being the sole owner and person who is solely responsible to the clients was the most challenging aspect. It was an intangible pressure that I should have expected but did not.  It took me about a year to integrate this extra weight of responsibility so that it no longer felt like a challenge.

What are your short term goals of your career/business and yourself?

It is easy to slip into thinking of Tax and Accounting as a transactional commodity.  At Bobst & Briel, we focus on the transformational aspect of our relationships with our clients. We rely on an agreed upon fee structure so that we can stay in contact with our clients throughout the year without the clients being concerned with an increase in cost.  Our clients can meet with us at will and we become integrated into their planning structure.  Many small business owners do not have an advisory board to bounce ideas off and we are able to provide that feedback and strategic planning for our clients.  Our continued goals are to bring this type of transformation to more clients.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received that has helped you in your success?

The first year I was working, the tax partner at Ernst & Young told me two things: 

1) the employees are the most valuable asset in a professional service firm, and

2) you can never have too many employees.

I worked for many partners and including this partner, only three agreed with this philosophy.  Those three partners had the most successful clients, client relationships and all the employees wanted to work on their jobs.

I strive every day to live up to the example of those three partners.

 

What is the piece of advice that you wished you had gotten when you were starting out?

Everything will work out in the end, so take a day off here and there.

What advice you give to others to help them be better leaders?

Make every decision as if it will always be made public.

As a thank you to Suzanne and Protea’s commitment to more diverse and inclusive leaders, Protea will make a donation to Vital Voices.

Vital Voices Global Partnership is a global movement that invests in women leaders who are solving the world’s greatest challenges. They are “venture catalysts,” identifying those with a daring vision for change and partnering with them to make that vision a reality. They scale and accelerate impact through long term investments to expand skills, connections, capacity, and visibility. Over the last 22 years, we have built a network of 18,000 change-makers across 182 countries who are collectively daring to reimagine a more equitable world for all.

Tax Preparation Enablement

We provide your organization a true end to end solution to all of your tax needs. Tax season is year round to Protea – if you aren’t preparing daily, it’s too easy to get behind. We are always working with your organization to streamline your businesses tax management.

Ask Questions