Part 7 of Four Years On - Nishe the Brand

BLOGS

October 11, 2020

Part 7 of Four Years On – Nishe the Brand

A reflection on our entrepreneurial journey as we are about to celebrate the fourth anniversary of Nishe.

“It’s important to realize that brand is much more than a logo and slogan. A brand is who your company is: how you function and make decisions.” ~ Joanna McFarland, Co-founder of HopSkipDrive

I think any individual who sets up a business for the first time, knowingly or unknowingly, infuses it with his or her own personality. I am no different. I moulded Nishe based on my life philosophy, my work ethic, my world view.

So here’s what you can expect from Nishe:

Nishe wants to the do the best for everyone it deals with (and for itself) and strongly believes that it is not a zero-sum game.
Nishe will always be fair to you, but also expects fairness back.
Nishe strives to provide the highest quality and expects the same from anyone it deals with.
Nishe believes in equality and equal opportunity and strives for it.
Nishe is very logical in its approach.
Nishe will always be honest with you and will tell you like it is (whether you like it or not).

Nishe is not a low-priced accounting firm. We charge a decent fee, but you can – you should – expect high quality, integrity, professionalism and lots of care in return. If you are not happy with your experience with Nishe, I’d like to, I’d want to, hear from you. We know we are not perfect. No one is. But we are open-minded, are ready to accept when we make mistakes and are willing to learn.

A key feature of our firm is our focus on women.

I wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out when I set off. (I mean, I wasn’t sure how anything was going to turn out when I set off, but that is beside the point.) I joke sometimes that Nishe has a “she” in it, and if the she-only model doesn’t work, it also has a “he” in it.

So how did it turn out? I think the women-only model has worked fantastically well so far. We have an excellent team of people who truly care, are sincerely dedicated to giving quality service to our clients, and are passionate about the brand. They are strong, honest women who will speak their mind when they have to, who have the courage to acknowledge and apologise when things go wrong, who have the desire to learn and improve themselves. And most importantly they have each other’s back.

All of this makes my job so much easier.

I have been asked if Nishe isn’t being discriminatory and anti-diversity because of the women-only model. I acknowledge these concerns. My take? They are true if you take a very simplistic view of things from a firm-specific perspective, but if you are looking at the wider ecosystem, we are actually bringing diversity and helping in reducing discrimination.

At present, our plan is to continue with the women-focus until and unless it becomes legally unacceptable (which is the case in certain jurisdictions).

Or if the world becomes so gender-balanced that nothing further needs to be done on this front.

Or, most importantly, we will also consider changing if the women-only model negatively impacts the growth of the Nishe team somehow.

Because our team’s wellbeing is integral for us.

And because we understand very well that a skewed balance can potentially lead to undesirable consequences, as is amply evident from the many imbalances that exist in the society right now.

[For Part 1, please click Four years on – Part 1]

[For Part 2, please click Four years on – Part 2 : Why did I walk away?]

[For Part 3, please click Four years on – Part 3 : The Idea of Nishe]

[For Part 4, please click Four years on – Part 4 : Early days of Nishe]

[For Part 5, please click Four years on – Part 5 : Entrepreneurship and decision making]

[For Part 6, please click Four years on – Part 6 : Solo or Partnership?]