Future Leaders: Annie Hillman Of 1428 Financial On How Ambitious Young Adults Are Redefining Success
An Interview With Eden Gold
Collecting experiences, not things — Success used to mean the shiny new car or expensive designer item, and to some it still does, but to many young adults, experiences are what success means.
In a world rapidly changing through technology, societal norms, and global challenges, a new generation of leaders is emerging. Ambitious young adults are not just aiming for traditional markers of success; they are redefining what it means to be successful. Beyond the corporate ladder and financial milestones, they prioritize impact, sustainability, and personal fulfillment. They are entrepreneurs, activists, scientists, and artists who are shaping the future with innovative ideas and actions. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Annie Hillman.
Annie Hillman is the founder and CEO of 1428 Financial. While finishing her college degree, she took a temporary accounting job and instantly fell in love with accounting. She worked her way up to staff accountant and stayed there until starting her agency in 2020. Now, she spends her days helping business owners treat numbers like a tool, not a threat so they can run empowered, profitable businesses with calm confidence. She helps business owners embrace numbers, increase profits, and stress way less with monthly money management. Besides crunching your numbers, she loves fitness, baking bread, and hanging with her husband, daughter and two dogs.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about cultural sensitivity, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
While in college studying to be a high school math teacher, I took a temporary accounting job and fell in love with accounting. I stayed at that job until starting my agency in 2020. While I loved what I did, I didn’t love the long hours and lack of flexibility. I realized there were so many small business owners who needed help managing their finances and understanding what all the numbers meant. Starting my company has allowed me to use my love of teaching to educate and empower business owners to know and love their numbers.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
I started my finance career in the wine industry, which is a very interesting and unique industry to work in, but running a bookkeeping agency has been far more interesting. Becoming a business owner means wearing all the different hats, especially in the infancy of the business. Every day is something new and this makes things very exciting.
You are a successful individual. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
I think that the three traits that have helped me as I’ve grown my business are persistence, empathy, and patience. Success or even progress does not come overnight when growing a business, so being patient has been key. In the same vein, so has persistence, because entrepreneurship can be a rollercoaster with a lot of curveballs. Because we are dealing with finances, empathy has been integral in dealing with clients. I understand that there can be baggage when it comes to finances, and it’s important that our team is sensitive to that and empowers our clients to see how useful knowing their numbers can be.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview about how ambitious young adults are redefining success. How would you define success?
Success to me is doing what we are passionate about while living the lifestyle that we desire.
How do you incorporate social responsibility and sustainability into your definition of success?
I believe we all have different ways of defining social responsibility, which is a beautiful thing because that means we are all doing something different to contribute to improvement. For my company, we feel that our social responsibility is empowering business owners to manage their finances well because that trickles into their personal finances and how they spend their money, and in turn effects our society as a whole.
Can you describe a moment or decision that significantly redirected your path toward leadership?
Reading the book Grit by Angela Duckworth changed the direction of my career and ultimately my life. That read talks a lot about passion and perseverance and how that plays out in your daily life. One section was on creating a life philosophy which is JUST what I needed to read at that moment because my philosophy wasn’t lining up to my life at the time of reading the book. I had this lightbulb moment, went home, and told my husband I was going to quit my job and run my company full time…3 months later I did exactly that.
What role do mentorship and community play in shaping your approach to leadership and success?
These things are a huge part of leadership and success. Entrepreneurship can feel lonely at times, but I truly believe that we get farther when we have others to share the journey with. Community has shaped my approach to success because it helps me to stay aware of my clients and their needs, which is the most important part of what we do.
In what ways do you think your generation’s view of success differs from previous generations?
I truly believe our generation is redefining success. Our parents’ generations defined success by the standard American dream, but that has become outdated. Success to our generation has become flexibility and freedom. The coolest part about how our generation defines success is that is unique to each of us. We define success based on what is important to us.
Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Ways Ambitious Young Adults Are Redefining Success?”
1 . Freedom + flexibility — This was my “why” behind leaving my exciting but exhausting career in the wine industry. I wanted freedom to spend my time how I please, and the flexibility of taking my daughter to an appointment on a Wednesday afternoon without having to ask anyone’s permission.
2 . Collecting experiences, not things — Success used to mean the shiny new car or expensive designer item, and to some it still does, but to many young adults, experiences are what success means.
3 . Redefining their careers — Entrepreneurship is on the rise because it allows us to have more autonomy over our time, energy, and money. So many young people are redefining success by becoming their own boss because it allows them the freedom and flexibility to do things their own way.
4 . Making success look different for everyone — After working with business owners in a variety of industries, my biggest takeaway is that success means something different to everyone, and our generation has embraced that.
5 . Being ok with shift — It used to be common for people to stay in the same career, and even work for the same company for their whole career. Nowadays, success may mean shifting to something new. By closing one door, we’re believing that we can be successful no matter what we do.
How do you navigate the challenges of innovation and change while staying true to your values and vision for success?
To navigate these challenges, we must have a strong foundation. If we have a weak idea of our values and our vision, we cannot expect to navigate these challenges, but if we are strong in our vision and values, it is so much easier to overcome challenges.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I’d love to start a movement to improve the education system in our country, because improving how we educate our youth would have a ripple effect for generations to come. This would be no easy task, but I think it would help our society grow and improve so many areas.
How can our readers further follow you online?
You can find us on Instagram @1428financial.
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About The Interviewer: Eden Gold, is a youth speaker, keynote speaker, founder of the online program Life After High School, and host of the Real Life Adulting Podcast. Being America’s rising force for positive change, Eden is a catalyst for change in shaping the future of education. With a lifelong mission of impacting the lives of 1 billion young adults, Eden serves as a practical guide, aiding young adults in honing their self-confidence, challenging societal conventions, and crafting a strategic roadmap towards the fulfilling lives they envision.
Do you need a dynamic speaker, or want to learn more about Eden’s programs? Click here: https://bit.ly/EdenGold
Future Leaders: Annie Hillman Of 1428 Financial On How Ambitious Young Adults Are Redefining… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.