This post is part of our Behind the Books series, where we introduce you to the incredibly talented and hardworking people that make up the Acuity team. We’re excited for you to get to know them.

In this part of the series, Matthew May interviews Nita Mistry, who has been a controller with us at Acuity since 2017. To watch the full interview, check out the video at the bottom of this post.

How did you get into accounting?

So it goes back to high school. I had a high school teacher, and we did accounting the old way, with the whole books, writing the books. And I loved it. From then on, I just continued it.

What was your first job?

First job out of college was – I did a little bit of contracting work, so I did everything. I worked for Simon Schuster, and then I went for a permanent job at a Portuguese bank. Then, Simon Schuster called me. They’re like, “do you want to work full-time?” But I didn’t. I stuck with the Portuguese bank.

How did you find Acuity?

How I found Acuity was actually through a corporate moms website. My goal was to find an accounting job where I could have some kind of balance, because I always worked like 40 to 50 hours, or maybe even 60 hours, either doing tax work or accounting work. So, we had tight deadlines, three days, five days, six days, seven days, and it was a nightmare.

Once I had kids, it was hard. I really wanted to find some work-life balance, and in 2009, I didn’t find anything. There was no such thing as remote work. In 2017, I applied in February, and then in April, I left the other job. And then in May, Kelli gave me a call.

I was in awe when I spoke with Lisa and she said, “Oh, you don’t have to start right now. I understand it’s summer and you have kids.” And that just really felt like, “Okay, this is a company where not only you could continue your career, but you could have some kind of work-life balance.”

Tell us about your family.

My three wonderful boys. I was going to say senior, but no – he’s a freshman at Georgia State University.

I have a sophomore. He’s a big soccer player. He loves soccer. He tried out for the Northview High School soccer team, and he got in.

And my youngest is a fifth grader.

Who has been your favorite client and why?

I’ve had so many. Some came and went. I did a couple of crypto clients as well.

End of last year, I found Refuge Coffee. I really love working with the CFO, Melissa, and also while working on Refuge, you feel like you’re making an impact as well. I mean, what Refuge Coffee does for everybody, it feels great to work with that kind of client. And you want to make it better – make them have better processes as well, and help them grow as they’re progressing.

What do you want to say on camera here at AcuityCon?

Well, Acuity itself is a great company. And over these last four years, I’ve seen it develop so greatly. When I spoke with Lisa four years ago, she said, “This is a company where you’re always looking for new technology.” And that’s what I like to see.

I’m a big technology person. I love to be efficient – to keep up with technology. I think this is where Acuity is going. And in the last four years, I’ve seen it grow so much. I definitely wish to be here longer as it’s growing and be part of that growth as well.