Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashleigh Poff.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My Atlanta story begins almost 8 years ago. A leap of faith brought me from Richmond, VA (the city I went to college in) to The City Too Busy To Hate. I barely knew one person in Atlanta and had never spent more than a night here, but I took a chance and moved to a new, promising place. I found my rental apartment on Craigslist on the 8-hour drive down and was excited to settle into a seemingly lovely home on sunny Sunset Avenue! My neighbors were nice, I had a city view, and the rent was incredibly cheap. What I did not realize – I had moved into the fifth worst neighborhood in the entire country and was living right in the middle of one of the largest open-air heroin trade areas.
Most of my neighbors had lived in this community their whole lives and were proud of the history of Vine City and English Avenue. I respected their values so much – tenacity, tradition, faith, and after learning more about the Westside I felt honored to be calling it home. I did witness prostitution transactions, come across dope zombies, and see extreme child neglect, but I never really felt scared to be there – I always felt at home. I made a living working as a model and as an event coordinator for various companies and after a month or two as an Atlanta resident, I started volunteering my time to give back to my community and meet new people who cared about the same things I did.
After hundreds of hours volunteering while simultaneously taking contract gigs in entertainment event management, I came upon what would be my life’s work. With my charismatic personality and execution experience, I defaulted into leadership roles in projects and events for large volunteer organizations. So much so, that those for-profit companies that were investing in employee volunteer programs and corporate social responsibility requested me to lead their projects. Almost weekly, I was being invited to lunch to brainstorm and strategize on the most impactful ways for these businesses to give back.
I felt totally fulfilled, as what I was great at and what I enjoyed doing met an apex! But juggling jobs, volunteer responsibilities, and working on my entrepreneurial endeavors became tough to manage. I decided the solution was to monetize my skill and create an LLC that served companies with knowledgeable and compassionate event planning and project management for all of their community investment work.
Drawing on my childhood, where money was tight and surviving outranked thriving, I named this business Rich Beyond Wealth®. Because the spark I had in that apartment in the Bluff, my lifelong experiences, and coming across some of the most jovial and faithful people I’ve ever met proved to me that riches don’t come in just tangible things. Wealth is acquired by the depth of the stories we pass down through generations and in the fire that radiates through your soul when goosebumps arise from witnessing an incredible act of kindness. True wealth is experiencing solitude, gratitude, peace, wellness, and so many more things that money just can’t buy.
Some people go their whole lives without recognizing vocation or pursuing work that makes their heart sing. I’m so thankful that Rich Beyond Wealth® was born out of a true love of giving back and using my personal and professional strengths to support the individuals who welcomed and encouraged me, no matter my naivety.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Just shy of two years after moving to this great city, I met a guy and got pregnant shortly thereafter. Both of us are extremely driven and dream as high as the sky, so we were both super deep in grinding it out career-wise to pursue our ultimate life goals. Neither of which involved becoming parents so early in our twenties. We both made sacrifices, and ultimately I chose to put a hold the entrepreneur life and get back into the 9-5 workforce to facilitate a steady support system for this new baby boy.
I felt like my dreams were derailed and would never come true. But the dichotomy of working so many long hours at a job I hated but coming home to an oxytocin-induced love story with my life’s greatest gift further encouraged me that hey, the best life lived is really rich BEYOND wealth. I struggled to make ends meet but spent several years just thankful to provide for my son. I was totally uninspired by my day job, so I decided to dedicate any free time I had on building my business. If I wasn’t working, sleeping, or being a mom, I was up creating a business canvas, researching marketing strategies, and taking on free clients to further develop my brand.
Eventually, I signed my first paying client! But becoming a business owner and trying to start a social impact movement is not just about paying the bills on time. Transitioning from employee to employer, learning to squash the doubting voice in your head, and managing literally 1,000 personal and professional tasks simultaneously all require a learned hand as well. After almost 2 years of moonlighting – staying up until 3am working on Rich Beyond Wealth® to be up at 7am to nurse my son before heading to work, missing important milestones to produce events every night of the week, and experiencing the daily heartache as I spent my days in a work environment I hated – I left my full-time job.
Rich Beyond Wealth® – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Through years of professional enrichment and personal development, I have branded myself as a Fabulous Philanthropist. I am the Curator of Compassion, lead strategist, and senior event manager at Rich Beyond Wealth®. I am a passionate community organizer and the face of this movement.
Rich Beyond Wealth® is a mantra as much as it is a brand. We help businesses and agencies invest in community initiatives that demonstrate living richly and not just for the pursuit of money. By offering project and event management for cause-driven activations and experiences, we create unique opportunities to share this message of Rich Beyond Wealth®.
We are selective with our clients and only take on those that align with our values and mission to create a social impact movement that incorporates doing good into our daily culture. We encourage our social media following and community to utilize this single phrase that can positively impact millions of people – I am Rich BEYOND Wealth. Because there.👏 is. 👏 more. 👏 to. 👏 life. 👏 than. 👏 struggling. 👏 for. 👏 a. 👏 dime.👏
Recent accomplishments include: finalist in the Center for Civic Innovation Civic Fellowship class, graduate of Hands on Atlanta’s Civic Leadership Program, Founding Member of the Department of Labor’s Economic Justice Coalition for Women in Business, Program Director for Pebble Tossers Service Leader Initiative, appointed as the Vice President of Events and Programming for Net Impact Atlanta, Founding Member of United Way’s Young Professional Campaign, LINC, and have personally accrued over 1,500 volunteer hours in 8 countries.
Rich Beyond Wealth® has facilitated over $1 Million in revenue and value to causes and nonprofits. We have produced hundreds of events in Atlanta and abroad. We have served Fortune 500 companies, locally-owned businesses, and big-hearted executives who put their money where their mouth is. And we have created a community. They all believe what we believe: celebrate what you have that money can’t buy. We are an event planning company. We offer conscious consulting. We manage meaningful projects. We are proud to live Rich Beyond Wealth® and share the same values and passions as our clients.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
It’s hard to identify a single accolade as the one I am most proud of. When you do this type of heart-forward work, almost every day you are inspired, but almost every day you have to accept the realization that you can’t help everyone, every day. Last year, Rich Beyond Wealth® produced a 2-day social justice conference for a large music festival client. Out of all of the programming, partnership development, celebrity placements, logistics management, etc., etc., etc.
My career’s proudest moment stemmed from a short conversation with one of my young volunteers. I tasked him with being the room proctor for a mental health panel, led by one of the music industry’s most famous women executives promoting her suicide awareness nonprofit. He had to manage the timing of the room, troubleshoot any technical issues, and just be the lead for this one hour panel. I was managing multiple locations and activations and I couldn’t sit in on this session.
After it was over he checked in with me, but his demeanor had changed immensely. I asked him for a general recap of the panel and if he needed a break or snack. This quiet young man gushed to me, “Thank you”, as he leaned over to hug me. He solemnly admitted that in middle school he had found his deceased best friend who had committed suicide and that he had never spoken a word about it to anyone. He never had access to counseling and mental health was a stigmatized topic where he grew up.
During this panel, he retold his story for the first time in his life. His volunteer opportunity led him to this safe space that I’m certain changed his life. I would never take credit for the love and support that that room offered him, but I will be proud of helping it to align. Simple proof that my career just coordinating meaningful events can have a considerable impact on so many people.
Pricing:
- Conscious Consulting – advice + strategy session to develop HOW you want to do good, 1-hour session = $150 (can be applied to project/event budget)
- Event Planning – traditional, comprehensive event planning with a compassionate full-service staff = flat-fee rates begin at $250
- Project Management – on-site and/or virtual ambassador to represent and manage your cause-driven project = custom services begin at $50
- Brand Affiliation – become a retainer member of the Rich Beyond Wealth® community and receive professional recognition, ongoing benefits and access to VIP events = $75+ monthly licensing
Contact Info:
- Website: www.RichBeyondWealth.com
- Phone: 678-888-1848
- Email: Ashleigh@RichBeyondWealth.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/RichBeyondWealth
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/RichBeyondWealth
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/RichByondWealth
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
