The Hustler's Digest StaffIt takes a lot of work to make your name in the business world. There are countless hurdles that one can overcome with incessant efforts, creative genius, and a knack for facing challenges. However, every aspiring individual does not have the same problems dished out for them – female entrepreneurs of color often face the blunt edge of the knife, given the status quo of gender and racial bias in the corporate world. Thus, it is essential to highlight the stories of these inspiring women. Jayanthi Ganapathy, a seasoned accountant, founder, and CEO of FinAccurate, is one such voice. She overcame obstacles and status quo bias through sheer perseverance, cultivating a space for striving female entrepreneurs.
Growing up in a small town in India, Jayanthi found a strong female role model in her mother. In a patriarchal society, her mother bravely left an abusive relationship and raised four children without external financial support. Being a child of a courageous woman, Jayanthi got a taste of the problems women face while caring for their families and striving for economic empowerment. Her mother’s determination taught her a valuable lesson – that she must not let differential treatment towards women limit her growth. Acknowledging her mother’s positive influence, Jayanthi notes, “I lead my professional and personal life with the same conviction every day.”
Having a natural talent and affinity for numbers, Jayanthi started her career as an accountant, landing a position at a multinational firm’s global accounting service center in India. Based on her proficiency, she was offered a spot in the company’s international headquarters in Sydney and then Massachusetts, cementing her status as a competent member of the industry.
After working for nearly 11 years in the corporate world, Jayanthi decided to start her own accounting firm FinAccurate, aiming to help small businesses achieve sustainable financial milestones while legally reducing taxes. Her excellent work ethic and amazing results quickly built her a praise-worthy reputation in the American accounting industry.
Looking back at her successful journey, one feels absolute awe. Yet, failure is inevitable in any journey, and Jayanthi’s success story is incomplete without mentioning her struggles. Jayanthi has candidly discussed the problems she faced in establishing her career as a mother and wife. Aside from navigating routine corporate matters, Jayanthi has faced gender and racial bias. At the start of her career, there were only a handful of women working in the financial sector. There were even fewer women of color. In such cases, women had to prove their mettle, working twice as hard as the men around them – Jayanthi rightly points out that “It at least takes twice the effort for a woman to become a leader than it does for a man.”
It becomes even more complicated when one considers the double lives that women in the corporate sector lead – juggling their responsibilities as a wife and mother while also achieving milestones in their professional life. However, Jayanthi does not see this challenge as a setback. She believes that it indicates the multi-talented and dedicated nature of women in corporate, “with raising kids, the challenge even multiplies, but that is what sets us apart. Once you set your mind to something, dedication will get you great results.”
Fortunate enough to have an empowering figure in her mother, Jayanthi now hopes to motivate other women to achieve their goals. Her story is a testimony that it is possible to dismantle biases with resilience and dedication. Click here to keep up with Jayanthi’s future plans.
