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Stephen M. Ross School of Business senior Anita Bing is a firm believer in plans: making them, executing them, and helping others do the same.
In September 2008 she launched Powerful People Plan, a low-cost planning service targeted at underrepresented minorities. The venture grew out of a need Bing identified among her peers for better financial and academic planning while in college. She offers a budget planning service, a GPA goal-creation service and tax advice.
“Being African-American and engaging with other minority communities, I felt there was a need for people to plan better,” says Bing. “I just felt like they weren’t accomplishing their goals, not because they couldn’t or because they were inadequate, but because they didn’t plan correctly.”
Powerful People Plan melds Bing’s entrepreneurial drive and interest in accounting with her desire to serve others. She charges clients $5 for budget planning, $5 for GPA goal creation and $10 for tax advice.
“The pricing is something that makes me a rebel and I’ve gotten a lot of backlash for it,” Bing says. “I have to explain to people that this company is fueled by my passion to help people. I feel like if someone wants help, they should be able to get it and cost shouldn’t be an issue.”
Bing’s passion for helping people won her the 2009 BBA Entrepreneurship Award, presented each year to a graduating student who takes a risk and utilizes the resources and experiences at Ross to start or enhance a business.
“When I decided to create the company, all of the core classes I had been taking started to become useful to me,” she says. “When I was giving people my business plan, I felt like we could speak a common business language.”
While at Ross, Bing was involved in a variety of student groups, including the Black Business Undergraduate Society, National Association of Black Accountants and the Michigan Gospel Chorale.
After graduation she plans to continue running her business in addition to working full time for PricewaterhouseCoopers in her home city, Atlanta.
