Ashneel Kumar - The Trusted Guide with Energy

From 19 years working across Brisbane accounting firms to founding his own advisory-led practice in 2023, Ashneel Kumar, Founder and Managing Director of Rise Accountants, has built a firm around one idea: the numbers only matter if they help a business owner make better decisions. A 2026 Australian Accounting Awards finalist, Ashneel and his team were also finalists across multiple categories at last year's awards, including Boutique Firm of the Year and Partner of the Year.

How did you start down this career path?

My background in accounting goes back to 2007, including several years in senior roles at other Brisbane firms before starting out on my own. Across those roles I kept coming back to the same observation: most business owners do not need more compliance work, they need someone who understands their numbers well enough to help them make better decisions. That gap between "doing the tax return" and "actually helping the business grow" is what led me to start Rise Accountants in June 2023. Rise Accountants was built from the ground up around advisory, not just compliance, and around doing it in a way that feels personal rather than transactional.

What inspires you in your role/industry? Why?

I am motivated by watching a business owner go from feeling overwhelmed by their numbers to feeling in control of them. Small and medium business owners carry a lot, and often the accounting side of things sits in the background as a source of stress rather than clarity. When we can turn that around, whether it is helping a director understand their cash flow properly for the first time or setting up systems that give them back a few hours a week, that is genuinely satisfying work. I also enjoy the pace of the profession at the moment. Between changing regulation, new technology and shifting client expectations, there is always something worth improving.

What's your approach to customer service that separates you from the rest?

At Rise Accountants, the team works around what is called the Three Business Freedoms: Time Freedom, Mind Freedom and Financial Freedom. Every conversation with a client comes back to one of those three things. Are we giving them back time, are we giving them peace of mind, or are we improving their financial position? That framework keeps our advice practical rather than generic. Rise Accountants also aims to be a relationship-based firm rather than a transactional one, particularly for its business clients, who get direct access to people who know their business, not a rotating cast of contacts. Proper onboarding and clear communication are part of how Rise Accountants makes sure nothing falls through the cracks as the firm grows.

How do you innovate and stay ahead of industry trends?

We treat technology as a tool to free up time, not as the end goal. At Rise Accountants, the team runs on Online accounting systems, and are constantly looking at ways we can automate the repetitive parts of compliance so accountants can spend more time on client analysis and advice.

We also make a point of keeping up with app news and reading widely about new technologies as they come out. AI is the clearest example of that at the moment. Rather than leaving it up to individuals to figure out on their own, Rise Accountants focuses on making sure every staff member knows how to use it efficiently and safely, so it becomes part of how the whole team works rather than a tool a few people happen to pick up.

Staying current also comes down to listening to what clients are asking for. Real-time reporting, proactive tax planning and advice that looks at a business owner's personal goals alongside their financials. Ongoing professional development for the team matters just as much, because keeping up with regulation and technology changes is as much about people as it is about the tools themselves.

What is the toughest challenge you've faced in your role? How did you overcome it?

Scaling quickly while protecting the quality of client relationships has been the biggest test for Rise Accountants. The firm has grown fast, roughly doubling the number of entities under its care in 2025 and again in 2026. That kind of growth can easily dilute the personal service clients came for in the first place. The way we managed it was to slow down and focus on the things that mattered most: clear service packages with defined outcomes, proper documentation and SOPs so quality does not depend on any one person and a deliberate focus on hiring and developing the right team members rather than just adding headcount. It meant saying no to some growth in the short term, but it protected what makes Rise Accountants different.

What are some of your goals for the next five years?

On the business side, I want to keep growing Rise Accountants' advisory side and building the firm's reputation as an accounting and business advisory leader within its focused industries, being medical and health professionals, tradies and construction, and lawyers, alongside continued growth in Rise Accountants' SMSF services. We also work with plenty of businesses outside those core industries, but building deeper expertise in a few specific sectors means clients get advice that reflects a real understanding of how their industry works, rather than generic advice applied across the board. On a personal level, I want to be more involved in giving back to the community through various charities, and to fit in more travel along the way. Running a firm well, to me, includes making time for the things outside it too.

About Rise Accountants

Rise Accountants is an advisory-led accounting practice based in Bowen Hills, Brisbane, founded by Ashneel Kumar, working with businesses across Brisbane and Australia. Rise Accountants supports business owners, company directors and investors with the full range of compliance work a growing business needs, including income tax returns, BAS, payroll and STP, FBT, ASIC and company secretarial needs, bookkeeping, and Self-Managed Superannuation Fund administration. Alongside compliance, Rise Accountants provides business advisory services aimed at helping businesses grow, including cash flow forecasting, profit improvement, budgeting, structuring and tax planning services, and guidance on property investment and tax strategies. A big part of that advisory work is helping business owners & investors properly understand their own financials, so decisions are based on clarity rather than guesswork. The firm has a particular focus on medical and health professionals, tradies and construction businesses, and lawyers, while also supporting clients across a wide range of other industries. Rise Accountants' approach is built around the Three Business Freedoms: Time Freedom, Mind Freedom and Financial Freedom.

Learn more at Rise Accountants, or book a free 15 minute Discovery Call to see how the team can help.

"Good advice should never feel out of reach. Whether it is a director trying to understand their numbers for the first time, or a growing business that needs a proper advisory partner, my aim is always the same: give people the clarity and confidence to make their own decisions, and let the compliance side take care of itself."