Ashia Thompson overcomes exam failures to launch Dubai business

Twenty-one exam failures did not stop a Jamaican accountant from landing Dubai success, clients, and a business after grinding through burnout.

Background and early grind

• Ashia Thompson grew up in St Elizabeth.
• She crushed academics at May Day High School.
• Scholarships opened doors in New York colleges.
• Tax studies pushed her deeper into finance.

Workload versus certification

• Full-time jobs demanded brutal hours.
• CPA prep ran alongside seven-day workweeks.
• Sleep dropped to scraps before exams.
• Exhaustion followed her into the testing rooms.

Failure streak and turning point

• The CPA exam knocked her down 21 times.
• Clients dismissed her without certification.
• Persistence eventually flipped the outcome.
• Certification changed how her work landed.

Dubai move and business leap

• A speaking trip sparked her UAE relocation.
• She settled permanently in 2024.
• She works as a CPA while running a business.
• Home base sits inside Burj Khalifa.

Faith and public message

• She credits belief and discipline for progress.
• Her story aired on Smile Jamaica.
• She pushes to finish what gets started.
• Background never capped her ambition.