Meet the Diaspora: Elsad Turkovic

Where I’m From: Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Current Hometown: Bowling Green, Kentucky

Favorite Balkan Dish: Pileci Sendvic from our local Bosnian restaurant, Behar

Favorite Balkan Song: “Moj Je Život Švicarska” by Dino Merlin

1. Can you tell us a little bit more about your business, Turk Financial?

With Turk Financial, my primary focus is taxes and bookkeeping for individuals and small businesses. We focus on helping clients start up their businesses and then maintaining them with bookkeeping, consulting, and marketing!

2. How did you get started? What inspired you?

It all started about a year after I had graduated from college. I was working 2 jobs, one was sales at T-mobile at night, and the other was as an Asset Manager at a Logistics Company. It felt like I was just doing the actions and not making any progress. I had the idea for the business but was always scared to take the jump. I had a few mentors that I would bounce ideas off of to hear their feedback and one mentor, in particular, being the owner of the logistics company, told me that: “Whether you think you’re ready or not, sometimes you just need to jump, and the rest comes.” This was one of the most important things someone has told me to date. You can’t always plan every little detail, it’s not always perfect, the hardest thing is often time just to get the ball rolling.

3. When did you become interested in finance? Has it always been one of your passions?

Being raised in a very conservative household, I’ve always been taught to save. This was the basis when it came to money management for me. The biggest influencer were my professors in college. They made learning financial algorithms and market changes — concepts that seem extremely difficult — fun and entertaining. The passion comes with the desire to help people in an aspect of their life that they might struggle with: building credit, saving money, chasing monetary dreams, starting a business, etc. Let’s make it as easy as possible and see what we can create. Together. 

4. Who would you say is one of your biggest role models?

For me it’s always been my dad. He has always had such an amazing work ethic, and he’s always been there to kick my butt when I’m feeling down. Tough Balkan love all the way! My dad decided to go back to school when I was 16. He was working 60+ hours a week, he would come home from working 12 hours and sit down and do his homework.

I would help him with what I could to ease the load. One day I was getting ready for school and he looks up at me and says: “Sine ako ja mogu, kad neznam jezik, radim full time, imam familiju da hranim, nemoj mi nikad reci da nemores uspijeti.” And if I ever think for a second that I can’t do something, I think back on this moment and it always gives me the strength to persevere.

5. Tell us about a time you failed and what you learned from it.

Oh, there have definitely been a few… There have been changed majors, failed relationships, forgotten friendships. Things that in the moment seemed like everything to me, where now they were just steps that I took to get to where I am today. What I’ve learned from these failures is that life keeps going. Take some time, heal, and pick yourself back up and get moving. You can’t get caught up on every failure, otherwise you can really put a damper on your progress. It’s okay to fail. We use these failures as learning experiences to understand more about ourselves and how to do better on the next go around.

6. What’s the best piece of advice you could give to the diaspora?

Don’t rush it. Don’t rush success. And definitely do not put a limit on things. It’s okay to be 25 and still not know where you want to be. It’s okay to be 30 and not know where you want to be. I think in our culture we’re raised with the idea that by a certain age we need to have this and that completed. Marriage, a car, a house, graduate college, all of those conservation values. 

Start a retirement fund as early as possible. Build your credit as soon as possible. Don’t spend needless money to impress people. Always ask yourself could the money I just spent be making me money in other ways? Don’t pay just the minimum on the credit card, pay it off. I could go all day with this!

7. What are some of your long-term goals for your business?

For the next 5 years, the plan is to produce and grow my client base. My sister is getting her CPA and I would like to have her take care of the bookkeeping and tax portion of business management when she is done with college, and I’ll continue being the producer and marketing/relationship coordinator. And hopefully have a building with our logo on it and moving out of the suite I’m working in now. But that part will take some time.

8. What do you love to do when you’re not working?

Working out is my escape after a long day. During busy seasons, I usually work a 9-hour shift at my full-time job and will be catching up on business work in the office or from home for a few hours a day. There are two days out of week that I’m off which are my dedicated office days. When I’m off and head into the gym, its instantly headphones and feel good music. I don’t think about anything but the weights in front of me. I’ve always preached that one should take care of their health, take care of the wealth, and the rest will follow. 

Keep up with Elsad on Instagram @takeanelso @turkfinancial

For a full list of Turk Financial’s services, CLICK HERE.

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