This Charlotte accountant prioritizes aiding immigrants. ‘We all want to be here.’
At 12 years old, Lester Selby was walking to the kitchen in his home in Georgetown, Guyana, in search of a late-night glass of water, when he stumbled upon his older cousin holding a wad of cash.
“I was like, ‘Wow, how come you have so much money,’ ” Selby recalled. His cousin said he earned it from his job as an accountant. In that moment, Selby set his sights on becoming just that.
About three years later, in 1997, Selby along with his family moved to the U.S., where he eventually fulfilled his goal of becoming an accountant. He’s also been active in helping the Charlotte immigrant community, and was recognized this year by Mayor Vi Lyles’ office for that work.
The office cited Selby’s ATG Advisors offering free financial literacy classes for the local immigrant community and actively participating in cultural festivals and international outreach events, from press release.
“You must give to the community,” Selby, 43, told The Charlotte Observer recently. If you don’t and all you want to do is take, then you’re not really being a true part of the ecosystem.”
Selby’s journey to Charlotte
Selby and his family briefly stayed in Brooklyn when they came to the United States before moving to Greensboro where he attended high school. He later moved to Charlotte while attending UNC Charlotte. Selby fell in love with city.
While in college, Selby worked as a general manager for a local tax franchise. He realized he enjoyed having autonomy in running a business. Once he got a taste of entrepreneurship, he couldn’t see himself doing anything else.
He founded Accounting-Tax-Governance (ATG) Advisors after college in 2010 and decided to keep his business headquartered in Charlotte.
“What I liked about Charlotte,” Selby said, “is that if you play your cards right, you have the potential to be an established company for years to come.”
His company, minority-owned and -operated, began as a traditional retail tax office, servicing small businesses and individuals. After Selby completed his masters degree at Kaplan University, the business began expanding into bookkeeping, payroll services and consulting.
While building his company, he later partnered with his older cousin, the one who introduced him to accounting back in Guyana, to open an office in Grenada.
But Selby’s not done expanding. He’s looking forward to bringing offices to European markets within a few years.
A community leader
From Guyana to Charlotte, Selby remains dedicated to serving his community.
In May, he was awarded the Mayor’s International Community Award in the small company category for that service.
He works on several community organizations, such as the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Black Chamber of Commerce, the Business Advisory Committee for City Council, Charlotte Inclusion Advisory Committee and the Charlotte International Cabinet.
Selby also serves on the board of several nonprofits and provides financial literacy classes as well.
Selby sees himself as a resources for the immigrant community, and can share programs and opportunities for those who need it. He has helped immigrant business owners by providing them with the resources they need to start their businesses.
Charlotte is a community of immigrants, no matter what state or country they are from, Selby said, and that is what makes the city beautiful.
“When you come to America, you always have somebody back home that’s looking and seeing what you did with the opportunity. Because America may not be perfect, but we all want to be here.”
He said that since he is asking the community for its support, he should be willing to reciprocate.
What Selby plans to do next
Within the next few years, Selby is looking to bring his business into a prominent office space in uptown.
“I want Charlotteans to know that you have businesses here in Charlotte that are doing amazing things,” he said.
His next goal is to develop his own financial technology. ATG already uses its own tax software for clients, and is looking to develop more of its own financial software that it can sell.
Selby continues to think of his customer base. He wants to begin expanding into the medical, manufacturing and hospitality sectors.
And ATG isn’t done growing. With under 50 employees, Selby is looking to grow that number as the company expands.
“We are very much a small business,” he said. “And where we are today we expect to dwarf it in years to come.
This story was originally published July 4, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
