The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast

"When you like somebody and they do good work, you're going to refer them. I want my friends to win, I want everybody that I like to win, for their businesses to succeed and for them to enjoy it." -Cara Steinmann Networking is tough. We have all received an email or LinkedIn DM, selling us hard on a person's skills. On their unique ability to fix problems we (because we aren't them) are unable to solve. The people using these methods must have some success, or they wouldn't be so prolific, but for most of us, this way of doing things gives us the immediate YUCK. What would your network look like if instead of thinking about how you could sell your skills to others, you focused on what you could learn instead? If you connect with people who inspire and motivate you, not to sell them your skills but to develop them further. Cara Steinmann, founder of The Ravel Collective & host of the Ravel Radio podcast, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career building a space for women to be themselves, share their wins and connect more deeply with other women in business. In this episode, Cara speaks to the power of supportive communities, leaning into the joy of referring, and the need to understand our core values, so we can connect more authentically with others, and create businesses that focus on bringing the right people together. If you are struggling with networking, or just want to understand how much more successful you could be when aligned with your values, then this is the episode to get you thinking about the impact true networking could have on your life. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of supportive community networks How to find people that share your values The importance of understanding core values To find out more about Cara, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Time Stamps01:55 - Cara discusses her career journey 06:20 - Finding the right people for you 11:55 - The power of supportive communities 15:18 - Facing our networking fears 23:24 - Figuring out temperament mismatches 31:04 - Leaning into the joy of referring 38:16 - Uncovering our core values 46:15 - Finding the people who share your values 53:54 - Connecting authentically 58:59 - Where you can network successfully

"I think that the future of bookkeeping really lies in the advisory portion of bookkeeping. I think that we are at the point in technology where we no longer necessarily need a person to do the data entry." -Jennifer Hume It is hard to know our own value. We often undervalue ourselves while overvaluing the skills and abilities of others. Shifting our mindset to one that balances these opposing points of view is the first step in building the kind of future in our businesses that we often covet in others. Technology is progressing ever faster, and it can make us feel like we can't keep up and that our skills aren't as valuable in the face of AI. But AI is sourced from us, and while it may be the future of our systems and processes, we are a very long way away from it being able to convert all that information into truly nuanced and helpful advice. Jennifer Hume, owner of Coronation Bookkeeping & Tax Services, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career helping businesses manage their finances and taxes effectively. In this episode, she speaks powerfully about the power of mindset in business success, what the world looks like when we get out of our way, and how our human experience and advice will always trump AI. If you are struggling in your bookkeeping business, not sure how to move up, feeling lost and alone, then this episode will get you thinking about the future differently. One that sets technology to work for you, so you can do more of the work you love. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of planning for the future you want How to get out of our own way The importance of our experience in advisory work To find out more about Jennifer, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 01:42 - Jennifer discusses her career journey 03:34 - Getting out of our own heads 06:44 - The power of the Accelerate 2 Advisor program 08:44 - Blood, Sweat & Tears 19:55 - Planning for the future you want 23:28 - How AI will change bookkeeping 26:41 - Thinking differently about challenges

"It was like I'm on a boat and I'm either working on my navigation charts, or I'm bailing, bailing, bailing…and what I didn't do was look up at the horizon to see, hey wait a minute, we have drifted off course and I really needed to be holding the rudder." -Nancy Gwynne-Vaughan Running a business is hard at the best of times, let alone when we are struck by the unexpected. Despite this, we feel a need to conceal the damage and its effect on us. We throw ourselves into even more work, in the hope that if we just keep doing everything all the time, we will find our way out. But if we don't stop to take stock of where we actually are and where we want to be, we will keep blindly spinning in circles until there is nothing left. Taking a pause might seem like the end of the world, it can feel embarrassing to explain to clients that you aren't the right fit right now, that you need time to get things in order so you can go further in the future. Nancy Gwynne-Vaughan, President of Graham Consulting & Training, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career helping lawyers build profitable firms but isn't afraid to explain the real-world impact of giving too much of yourself to others. She talks candidly about what it is to lose ourselves in work, and how to find our way back to a place of strength and peace. If you are struggling within your bookkeeping business, taking on more and more work but not really feeling like any forward or upward motion is happening, then this is the episode to get you back to basics, looking more honestly at where you are in your business, and how to chart a course back to success. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of getting back to basics How to create an effective checklist The importance of building an adaptable mindset To find out more about Nancy, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 02:02 - Nancy discusses her career journey 03:30 - Facing the challenges of the unexpected 12:42 - Building an adaptable mindset 16:30 - Creating an effective checklist 18:25 - Getting back to basics 27:30 - Embracing the unknown

"I am just obsessed with helping people get results, because otherwise why are we reaching out to the community?" -Andrea Driessen The first port of call when looking for a business to support our needs is often a quick Google search. The words, pictures and videos on that business website influence our decisions long before we ever meet the person behind the site. Despite this, many of us don't put much stock in how we are talking about ourselves and what we do online, or in person. Andrea Driessen, a TEDx speaker and award-winning author, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career challenging people to think differently about the ways they engage with others. Taking businesses from being all about the individual to all about the services they can provide to their clients. If you are struggling to write about yourself, create videos about what you do, or find it hard to talk to people in a concise and engaging way, then this is the episode to get you thinking differently about how to communicate the why of your business. During this interview, you'll learn... Top tips for speaking success How to elevate the spoken word in your business The importance of helping others reduce pain points To find out more about Andrea, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter. Time Stamps 01:35 - Andrea discusses her career journey 05:55 - Helping others get results 07:30 - Weathering the storm 09:19 - Standing up on the TEDx stage 13:27 - Elevating the spoken word 19:51 - Changing the world with your words 23:44 - Tips for speaking success 31:27 - Learning more from Andrea 33:42 - AI & the future of business

"It really is a service that you're selling. And I think separating that from yourself is massive, because if you tie it to yourself and people keep saying no, it's going to take a hit to your confidence. There's a lot of mindset that goes into it." -Brittany Dixon Productivity is more than filling a calendar with as many events and clients as possible. To be truly productive, we have to be moving towards our ideal of business success. Whether that is scaling the business, freeing up time or earning more money. Often, we overestimate how quickly we can get things done; we also underestimate how much work we actually have to do. When was the last time you blocked off time in your calendar for your admin, rather than tackling it at any and all hours of the day and night? Brittany Dixon, CEO of Brittany & Co Consulting, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career helping people shift their mindsets away from being busy for the sake of it, to a mindset that is focused on consistency and the true value of your work. If you are struggling to get organized, unsure about what productivity looks like in your bookkeeping business, or want to start your journey to consistent success, this is the episode for you to get thinking about your future in a different way. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of planning in successful businesses How to set consistent goals The importance of learning to pivot To find out more about Brittany, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Instagram. Time Stamps 01:57 - Brittany discusses her career journey 03:44 - Learning to pivot 05:12 - Shifting to a value-based mindset 08:20 - Embracing the spirit of adventure 12:42 - Planning & building a business to fuel your freedom 14:05 - Setting attainable goals 17:35 - Building consistency in your business 20:24 - Getting good at planning 26:15 - Blocking your time 29:53 - How Brittany can help you

"We've got to invest in ourselves, and if we're too busy working on the wrong things, as a leader, we've got to invest in the future and be looking forward." -Carla Caldwell How busy we are has a direct link to how successful and useful we feel. The problem with this comes from busying ourselves with monotonous and repetitive, easy-to-do tasks that take our attention and time away from the things only we can do. Delegating tasks isn't easy, maybe we haven't given effective training or set the necessary expectations, or maybe we are micromanaging and giving ourselves twice the work. Delegation is a balance, one in which you must trust your leadership skills to have the things that can be done by anyone organized for you, freeing up your time, energy and intention towards the things only you can do. Carla Caldwell, founder of Caldwell Consulting & Training, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career helping accounting teams to modernize and grow beyond what they thought was possible. She dives into what it takes to create confidence as a leader, how to master delegation and what can happen in your business when you're open to learning from others. If you are struggling with reclaiming your time or aren't sure how to lead your team to success, then this episode will get you thinking about what the right kind of busyness looks like. During this interview, you'll learn... How to find confidence as a leader What it means to have a modern accounting practice The importance of mastering delegation To find out more about Carla, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 01:34 - Carla discusses her career journey 04:06 - Finding the confidence to be a leader 07:11 - The must-reads for small business owners 09:55 - What it means to have a modern accounting practice 16:33 - The right kind of busy 19:11 - Freeing up your calendar 22:41 - Mastering delegation 28:58 - Taking your firm to the next level 30:24 - Leveraging AI

"We're not going to go back to the way it used to be. We have to accept where we are and explore how to move forward from here." -Erin Daiber What makes a great leader? This isn't a question with only one answer. That is why good leadership is so rare. Being successful in the moment is no good if it makes us unwilling to adapt to change, in the same way being scared of the flow of the future limits us from making confident and decisive choices for our businesses. Leadership though, has never been about what we tell people to do. It is how we work and grow with our teams and clients. How we adapt to changes and stressors, the way we treat people under pressure and how we value and care for ourselves and others. Erin Daiber, CEO of Well Balanced Accountants, is this episode's featured guest. She speaks to the need for a growth mindset in good leadership, one that champions adaptability, self-care, and communication, to create those skills that will lead your business to a brighter future. If you are struggling to engage with your team or clients, finding it hard to accept or adapt to the rapid pace of change, or just want to manage everything without feeling so on edge or burnt out, then this is the episode to get you thinking about what the future could look like and how to get there in one piece. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of communication in healthy leadership How to shift your mindset to the growth edge The importance of finding the right people for your team To find out more about Erin, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 01:42 - Erin discusses her recent experiences 03:18 - Tackling the challenges of the moment 06:22 - Finding our growth edge 08:15 - Shifting our mindset 11:51 - The ingredients of a great leader 15:24 - Building virtual teams 21:44 - The right person for the right role 28:01 - Making AI work for us 31:45 - Getting connected with Erin

"If you don't have the right bookkeeper, your business is not going to be around very long!" -Joey Coleman Building a business is often a process of trial and error. We adapt to crises as they happen, rather than planning and preparing to avoid them in the first place. This is true not only in how we take on clients, (clients that prove to be more work than we thought) but also in how we hire new employees. Hiring anyone to just fill a seat then wondering why they aren't performing is a common issue among new businesses. We forget it is us who must teach our employees, on top of all the other demands of business. When you systematize your processes and prioritize employee engagement and client satisfaction, you'll create a business that not only retains clients and employees for longer but creates a blueprint for anyone to slip into and create success for you. Joey Coleman, a speaker and author, is this episode's featured guest. He has spent his career designing creative ways to help businesses engage their customers and employees. By focusing on building connections, creating effective processes and systems, and trusting your employees, your business can't be anything other than successful. If you are wondering why your client relationships are sour, or why that new hire isn't just magically fixing all of your problems, this is the episode to teach you everything you need to know about keeping your clients and employees for the long term. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of building healthy & open connections How to retain your employees & clients for the long run The importance of systems & processes in business success To find out more about Joey, click here. Connect with him on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 02:12 - Joey discusses his career journey 05:57 - Two sides of the same coin 07:28 - Finding our focus 09:52 - Never losing an employee again 23:34 - Pay for it now, or pay for it later 27:40 - Giving our employees their time back 35:10 - Creating mentoring success 38:40 - What works for us?

"Storage isn't what's attacked, it's access. People steal access, they steal credentials, usernames and passwords from users, and access data illegally from anywhere, it's not about the location." -Jamie Beresford As the tools that help make running our business evolve, so too are the tools scammers and fraudsters apply against us. Keeping our businesses and clients safe from data theft is not easy. Most of us are bookkeepers, not cyber security specialists. In this latest spotlight episode, Jamie Beresford, the CEO of Practice Protect, discusses what it takes to control access to client data, manage and mitigate risks and keep ourselves safe online. Jamie's company works exclusively with bookkeepers to keep us protected from the bad actors online who use AI and other technology to gain access to our data. While ransomware and denial of service attacks can cause us grief, newer technology is allowing fraudsters to slip in unnoticed and redirect information at will. Meaning it can be months before you realize the numbers just aren't adding up properly. If you are concerned about the implications of new tech on your business, this is the episode to get you looking in the right direction to protect your firm from any attacks. During this interview, you'll learn... How to navigate evolving technologies How to protect access to your data The importance of securely backing up your data To find out more about Jamie, click here. To learn more about Practice Protect to see if it's a fit for your business, visit this link. Time Stamps 01:21 - Jamie talks about his career journey 02:34 - Navigating the complexities of evolving technology 04:38 - How to protect access to your data 07:37 - Getting to grips with secure data transfer 12:39 - Securing your accounts 14:29 - Safeguarding guidelines for finance companies 18:48 - Protecting client data 20:48 - Securely backing up your data 23:01 - Getting help from Practice Protect

"When we know the why, we'll figure out the how!" -Amanda McKinney We all aspire to be confident. To have faith in our skills and conviction of trust in our knowledge that any challenge can be overcome. The problem is confidence is built through trial and error. Is it any wonder so many of us are paralyzed into inaction when we want the confidence to act, but lack it because we haven't done the very thing that creates it. It is okay to be scared and to lack confidence. What matters most is connecting to your true reason for creating your business. If you know for sure what your why is, you will keep moving toward it no matter the obstacles and unforeseen challenges put in your way. Amanda McKinney, host of The Unapologetic Entrepreneur Podcast and author, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career following her passion to help business owners define their own success and create businesses that build into your life, not overtake it. If you are struggling to get a true bearing for your life, feeling twisted and tumbled by ever uncertainty, then this is the episode to get you focused on what really matters and give you the courage to chase your dream, no matter the challenges. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of finding your true why How to get comfortable talking about the bumps in the road The importance of courage in building confidence To find out more about Amanda, click here. Listen to her podcast at this link. Buy her book, Why Not You? here. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Instagram. Time Stamps 01:43 - Amanda talks about her career journey 04:32 - Getting comfortable talking about the bumps in our journey 09:45 - Figuring it out, one step at a time 13:55 - What are other people going to think and why do we care 14:52 - Searching for your true why 16:45 - Amanda talks about her book, Why Not You? 26:48 - Uncovering your confidence 34:30 - Finding your people 36:15 - Amanda shares her top tips for Successful Bookkeeper listeners 38:35 - The Unapologetic Entrepreneur Podcast

"I wanted to show people the path that I took, avoiding all the mistakes that I made. And just do the direct line from A to B." -Lisa Campbell Our businesses often begin from the intersection of our desire for financial security with something we are good at. But in creating a business we often fail to ask ourselves a basic but important question… Why? Why are we doing this? Is it just for the money, a desire to help people, wanting to feel or be seen as successful? How will you ever get to an 'end' result for your business if you don't know why you are doing it beyond earning money and if the goal is just to earn money, what would happen if you looked deeper at your plans for your money? Lisa Campbell, founder of Accelerate 2 Advisor, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career helping people find the proven path to success. By starting with finding your why and following tried and tested methods for reaching it, she gives her clients the tools to level up beyond what they thought was possible. If you are struggling to figure out why you are doing what you're doing and are looking for a like-minded community to learn from then this is the episode for you! During this interview, you'll learn... The value of finding your why How to follow the proven paths to success The importance of community in building a better future To find out more about Lisa, click here. To learn about Accelerate 2 Advisor, visit this link. Connect with Lisa on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Time Stamps 01:52 - Lisa discusses her experiences since she last appeared on this podcast 03:18 - Taking a chance on a better future 05:13 - The power of Pure Bookkeeping 08:20 - The next big shift 10:45 - Everybody has a why 12:01 - Creating the mastermind class 17:20 - What the future holds 23:51 - Bringing you the content you want 27:44 - Building a brighter future This episode is brought to you by The Accelerator Method Masterclass Series. Learn how to provide high-value advisory work to ALL of your clients plus much more! REGISTER NOW :)

"People don't realize that they always think 'I eat as a reflex to being stressed', but you can reverse engineer it and choose foods that shut down your stress response." -Julie Daniluk For many of us, the goal of building a successful business is centred around the hopes that we have to provide security and freedom for ourselves and our families. Unfortunately, the drive to create this success is often the thing that causes us to fall back on unhealthy ways of living. Stress causes a vast number of chronic health conditions that ultimately end up restricting our ability to live happily, coupled with a poor diet from spending all our time working and spending large chunks of the day immobile at our desks. A pattern of poor health begins to emerge that can have serious consequences on our long-term health. Julie Daniluk is a nutritionist, best-selling author and coach at Daniluk Consulting Inc. In this episode, she breaks down the impact of stress on our long-term health and explores the right foods and snacks to help us live longer and happier. If you have found yourself feeling sluggish, irritable or struggling to get moving after so long behind a screen, then this episode will give you the keys to unlocking a long and healthy life. During this interview, you'll learn... The long-term benefits of good longevity How to make better choices when you feel stressed The importance of finding the right foods & snacks for you To find out more about Julie, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter. Time Stamps 01:35 - Julie discusses her career journey 05:48 - Confronting the challenges of a changing world 08:55 - Making better food choices for stress 16:04 - Finding the right snack for you 21:40 - Getting portion sizes right 30:34 - The long-term benefits of good longevity 34:33 - Getting connected with Julie

"When you're faced with decisions, don't necessarily jump on what will be the next logical step of growth, always come back to, 'Why did you start your business and what do you want to get out of it?'" -Jessica Fox What is right for you? There is enormous value in community connection, in group thinking to solve complex issues and create spaces for the sharing of best practices. But when trying to overcome limiting beliefs, too much time spent in the crowd can add pressure we don't need to be successful. Your definition of success matters, if you only ever set out to build a business that would support your needs, of course, you are going to feel stressed and pressured by the people around you with different or 'bigger' dreams. In this second part of a two-part interview with Jessica Fox, owner of Florida Virtual Bookkeeper, she explores what it means to value yourself and so much more! During this interview, you'll also learn... The value of standing out from the crowd How to overcome our paralyzing fears The importance of working to build community To find out more about Jessica, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter. Here's her company website. Time Stamps 02:01 - Working to build community 07:17 - Standing out from the crowd 13:20 - Overcoming the fear that paralyzes us 19:10 - Finding the right price for you 23:04 - Building a business that brings you joy This episode is brought to you by The Accelerator Method Masterclass Series. Learn how to provide high-value advisory work to ALL of your clients plus much more! REGISTER NOW :)

"I need the community to be able to bounce ideas for, to be inspired by, and I find it's also very rewarding to pay it forward, helping someone else charges my battery. I ride this high the rest of the day because I helped make someone else's journey better." -Jessica Fox We have all experienced limiting beliefs, whether in our personal or professional lives. We whisper to ourselves. "I'm not good enough", "I can't do this" or "Everyone else is so much better at this than me." The way we talk to and about ourselves becomes who we are. Negative self-talk becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, trapping us into existing in constant doubt and insecurity. Despite all of us knowing how uncomfortable these feelings are, we often never stop to realize, it is us who have willed them into being with our own beliefs. But, if it is possible for us to feel that badly, then it is also possible for us to feel good about ourselves too. In this first of a two-part interview, Jessica Fox, owner of Florida Virtual Bookkeeper, talks about the power of belief in overcoming limiting mindsets. She has spent her career not only supporting businesses to build their dreams but also in supporting other bookkeepers to find their self-belief and change their limiting mindset. If you are having doubts about your business, lacking direction, focus or motivation to create your dream business, then this is the episode to help you begin a shift in your mindset that will help unlock your full potential. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of belief in achieving your goals How overcoming limiting mindsets can unlock your potential The importance of finding your community To find out more about Jessica, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter. Here's her company website. Time Stamps 02:27 - Jessica discusses her career journey 06:34 - Overcoming a limited mindset 10:14 - Finding your community 12:18 - The journey to Pure Bookkeeping 17:23 - Getting out of our own heads 21:25 - Pure commitment 26:50 - Why not me? 30:10 - The seven secrets to growing your business This episode is brought to you by The Accelerator Method Masterclass Series. On July 10th at 4pm Eastern, learn how to provide high-value advisory work to ALL of your clients plus much more! REGISTER NOW before it's too late!

"Nobody is immune from the curse of knowledge. The curse of knowledge is when we become so familiar with something that we, all of a sudden, do not know what it's like to not know." -Jeffrey Klubeck If knowledge is power, then wisdom might be considered the right application of knowledge. Too often the curse of knowledge boxes us into ways of thinking and being that become inescapable. That prevents innovation, connection, and creativity from blooming with anyone who doesn't think or act the same as we do. We expect accountability and responsibility from others but don't often stop to consider how responsible we are, and how open we are to being held to account by others. When so many of the ways we view responsibility are based on judgement, holding ourselves and others to account, can feel like an attack on our very nature. Jeffrey Klubeck (who is an author, speaker, mentor and coach) is this episode's featured guest. He has spent his career helping people break down the barriers of their encoded thoughts, to be open to new and different ways of doing things. If you are struggling to communicate with people of different experiences or to break free of the idea that your individual view of accountability is the only valid one, then this is the episode to get you thinking about what your life and business could look like if you broke the curse of knowledge. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of the right strategies, tactics & resources How to overcome the curse of knowledge The importance of accountability & motivation in leadership Click here to connect with Jeffrey on LinkedIn and Twitter. Time Stamps 01:36 - Jeffrey discusses his career journey 05:31 - Understanding the impacts of change 10:20 - The curse of knowledge 15:50 - The three pillars of leadership 20:08 - Strategies, tactics and resources 24:07 - Becoming responsible for our own behavior 30:37 - Getting positive about accountability 36:10 - The Integrity Game This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Katana! To learn how it can help you serve, attract and retain clients, click here.

"If we don't have that follow through, then maybe we just dampen something, but don't actually make a substantive change." -Carol Bowser Everyone has different expectations on how things should be done, and how we should be recognized for doing them. Conflict arises when our differing expectations on workplace culture, autonomy and deliverables aren't met. While fights in the office might seem like the height of drama, it is the same every day, trainable and avoidable issues that lead to toxic workplaces. If not fixed, this death by a thousand cuts will see everything you loved about your business drain away. Which asks the big often unasked question, who is responsible for conflict? Not just in the sense of who is causing it, but who should be the one to fix it? This is where Carol Bowser, President of Conflict Management Strategies, shines. She has spent more than twenty years helping business owners not only settle the conflicting issues in their workplaces, but also has great success at removing, training, and changing conflict triggers before they have a chance to take hold. If you are experiencing conflict in the workplace, or afraid that conflict may arise in the future, Carol's tried and tested approach can help you resolve issues before they arise. During this interview, you'll learn... The conflict challenges facing small businesses How to manage conflict before it begins The importance of setting healthy & balanced boundaries To find out more about Carol, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter. Time Stamps 01:34 - Carol talks about her career journey 03:30 - Twenty years of conflict management 07:49 - Managing the conflict before it begins 11:21 - The challenges for small businesses 20:43 - Setting healthy & balanced ranges of autonomy 24:52 - Working in or working on your business 26:50 - Guidance for tackling complex conflict 32:30 - Getting connected with Carol This episode is brought to you by The Successful Bookkeeper's newest online event. Introducing the Technology Showcase! If you're looking for the best apps and solutions for your bookkeeping business needs then this one-of-a-kind experience is for you! It happens on June 22nd at 9am Eastern. To find out more, click here and REGISTER NOW before it's too late!

"I did a lot of things wrong, but I still got here. You're going to make mistakes, and you're going to do, quote 'the wrong thing' and being able to learn from that and correct moving forward is how you're going to build a business." -Beth Blaney Goal setting isn't easy when starting a business. Far too often when starting out, we set random (often unattainable) goals. Goals that make us feel like failures if we don't reach them, even if we have had amazing successes in other ways. Rather than setting an ambiguous goal, what would it look like to decide what you wanted your future to look like and work back from there? It is rare for anyone to get everything right from the get-go. That is why community and mentorship matter. The sooner we surround ourselves with the people who have walked this path before, the fewer mistakes we will make following their example. Beth Blaney, the CEO of BBA Bookkeeping, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career helping people achieve their goals by working authentically with the right people, rather than taking anyone and hoping they fit, or setting random goals and hoping they are achievable. If you are struggling to create healthy client and employee relationships or are confused about goal setting in your bookkeeping business, then this is the episode to let you in on a few secrets that will get you thinking about your firm in a whole new way. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of embracing 'the wrong thing' How to set the right goals for your bookkeeping business The importance of seeing more than just the numbers To find out more about Beth, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. Time Stamps 01:59 - Beth talks about her career journey 04:40 - The million-dollar goal 07:50 - Embracing the 'wrong thing' 11:09 - Secrets to successful client acquisition 18:31 - Setting the right goals 22:30 - The highs & lows of the hiring process 27:22 - Seeing more than the numbers 31:38 - Building unique relationships 36:15 - Getting in contact with Beth This episode is brought to you by The Successful Bookkeeper's newest online event. Introducing the Technology Showcase! If you're looking for the best apps and solutions for your bookkeeping business needs then this one-of-a-kind experience is for you! It happens on June 22nd at 9am Eastern. To find out more, click here and REGISTER NOW before it's too late!

"Everybody ultimately wants to be the surgeon. Ultimately, you want to do the part of bookkeeping, that had you become a bookkeeper and had you open a bookkeeping business." -Gina Cotner Taking on an assistant can sometimes feel like a burden. When we are already overwhelmed, the last thing we need is a new person in the mix, one we have to train, oversee and constantly course correct to get things done the way we want them to be. Not to mention the additional cost of a new hire. But hiring an assistant doesn't have to be like this. A small shift in mindset can have a dramatic impact on your bookkeeping business. Rather than thinking about the cost and time spent hiring and training an assistant. Imagine how much more profitable your business would be if you spent the time you are currently using on repetitive and monotonous tasks, doing the high-level work in your business. Gina Cotner, CEO and founder of Athena Executive Services, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career training and connecting the right people with the right businesses. Her approach focuses on finding people to fill your gaps so you can do more of the things you love in your business. Delegating is a skill that takes practice. If you are spending too much time in the minutia of your business and want to get back to the tasks that you love, the tasks you created your business to do, then this is the episode to start a shift in your mindset toward what your business could look like with the right help. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of delegating tasks to free up your time How to let go of the tasks that aren't the best use of your time The importance of finding the right VA for you To find out more about Gina, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 01:41 - Gina talks about her career journey 10:25 - The challenges of hiring a virtual assistant 13:41 - Letting go of the tasks that eat up too much of your time 19:10 - How to delegate effectively 21:07 - Finding the right VA for you 27:33 - What to look out for & what to avoid 32:28 - Building a healthy relationship with your VA 37:14 - Getting connected with Athena Executive Services This episode is brought to you by The Successful Bookkeeper's newest online event. Introducing the Technology Showcase! If you're looking for the best apps and solutions for your bookkeeping business needs then this one-of-a-kind experience is for you! It happens on June 22nd at 9am Eastern. To find out more, click here and REGISTER NOW before it's too late!

"We're testing these same services in my business, seeing what's working, what's not. And then going out to the marketplace and saying, 'We know you have this problem, would you be interested in letting us help you?'" -Mark Kappleman When getting started in business there is often a pressure to be a generalist, to try and learn and do everything for any possible client. But, there is nothing wrong with combining your skills and experience with all those clients and your own passions to specialize in the niche that perfectly suits you. Letting go of clients is hard. It is tough to shake the scarcity mindset. Imagine, however, all of the people who could be served by your unique knowledge, not to mention the relief found when you're not dealing with twenty different problems in one day. Instead, applying your expertise in ONE area to twenty different clients. Mark Kappleman, co-founder of RealEstateAccounting.co, is this episode's featured guest. He has spent his career, seeking out the niche within the niche, creating and building market opportunities to help clients achieve their dreams. There has never been a better time to leverage your skills and experience to solve the problems your clients don't even know they have. If you have been struggling to identify your niche, this is the episode to get you to follow your passion! During this interview, you'll learn... The value of specializing in your niche How to manage the unspoken & unknown problems The importance of following your passions To find out more about Mark, click here. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter. Time Stamps 01:31 - Mark talks about his career journey 06:04 - Following your passion 09:18 - Getting to the root of the problem 13:44 - Focusing your niche 17:14 - Becoming a generalist or a specialist 19:23 - Sometimes the niche finds you 22:04 - Managing the unspoken & unknown problems 27:05 - The future of business 30:55 - Learning more about Mark This episode is brought to you by The Successful Bookkeeper's newest online event. Introducing the Technology Showcase! If you're looking for the best apps and solutions for your bookkeeping business needs then this one-of-a-kind experience is for you! It happens on June 22nd at 9am Eastern. To find out more, click here and REGISTER NOW before it's too late!

"You're juggling balls in the air, and some are rubber, and some are glass. If you're going to let a ball drop, don't let it be a glass one." -Jessica Lackey It is unfortunate, but we often have to suffer to learn what it is we truly value. It is okay to make mistakes, but if we get to a point where mistakes are our dominant choices, it is time to reach out for help. There are many different measures of success. To some it is financial security at any cost, taking on as many clients as possible, even if the quality of the work begins to slip. To others, helping clients improve their businesses is the mark of success. In any case, what we choose to do, and what we choose to get help with has a dramatic impact on our business' viability. Especially the way in which we outsource tasks to others. Throwing tasks at people because we are too overwhelmed only doubles the workload in chasing and checking the work to see if it has been done right. Jessica Lackey is a strategy and operations consultant who has made it her life's work to help purpose-driven entrepreneurs build sustainable and well-rooted businesses. Her approach is a human-centric one focused on creating the right feeling in our businesses, by being intentional in our decision-making. If you are feeling overwhelmed, are struggling to know what to focus on, or what to outsource, this is the episode to get you thinking about the choices you are making in a whole new way. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of supportive outsourcing How to set effective and healthy goals The importance of making thoughtful decisions To find out more about Jessica, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. You can take her free Radical and Rooted Business Lifecycle Assessment and learn about her services, including the next steps by visiting this link. Time Stamps 01:33 - Jessica talks about her career journey 03:40 - Answering the journey's call 09:35 - Making your vision come to life 13:00 - Outsourcing: helpful or hindering 16:57 - Avoiding mistakes with thoughtful decision-making 20:50 - How our decisions affect our well-being 23:56 - Finding the right co-pilot 25:44 - Letting go of the numbers 27:54 - Learning more about Jessica This episode is brought to you by The Successful Bookkeeper's newest online event. Introducing the Technology Showcase! If you're looking for the best apps and solutions for your bookkeeping business needs then this one-of-a-kind experience is for you! It happens on June 22nd at 9am Eastern. To find out more, click here and REGISTER NOW before it's too late!

"What story are we telling ourselves about why they don't get it? Then, finding a way around that and asking the question…what unites us?" -Sally Helgesen Communication is the cornerstone of business. Yet despite this many of us struggle to communicate with people different from ourselves. Not only that, but we also find it uncomfortable to effectively communicate our value and worth to others too. So many of our issues arise out of a need to 'prove' our point of view. We are so busy trying to tell other people they are wrong; we stop living right. We withdraw from people different from ourselves or become just like them in our disregard for their opinion or their right to it. What would happen if instead of trying to tell people what to think, we focused inward, on removing our own internal barriers, and went out into the world open to different people and points of view? Focus not only on what we hope to get from others but what we could do to help them too. Instead of saying older people can't do this, or younger people don't understand that, what would happen if we were open to lessons everyone of a different background has to teach? Sally Helgesen, who is an international bestselling author, speaker and leadership coach, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career helping people create more inclusive businesses and networks, by focusing on what unites us, what is real, and what moves us forward, rather than the distracting influence of other media. If you are struggling to communicate open-heartedly, this is the episode to get you ready to embrace who you are, and how you can be of service to others. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of overcoming our own self-narratives How to express your value without arrogance The importance of being open with people different from you To find out more about Sally, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter. To buy her book, Rising Together: How We Can Bridge Divides and Create a More Inclusive Workplace, visit this link. Time Stamps 01:40 - Getting inspired to write a new book 04:10 - Identifying the things that get in the way 08:28 - Understanding generational miscommunication 12:52 - Bridging the communication divide 20:32 - The 8 common triggers undermining us 27:36 - Connecting your value with your paycheck 30:10 - Building an inclusive network 35:40 - Learning more about Sally This episode is brought to you by The Successful Bookkeeper's newest online event. Introducing the Technology Showcase! If you're looking for the best apps and solutions for your bookkeeping business needs then this one-of-a-kind experience is for you! It happens on June 22nd at 9am Eastern. To find out more, click here and REGISTER NOW before it's too late!

"You've got to do the work in yourself first, otherwise we can't do the work in our practices." -Christina Foxwell All too often we are consumed by the idea of competition, that to be successful means constantly proving ourselves in every room we enter. While a certain amount of competition can be a driving force for growth, too much makes us a nervous wreck, so concerned with how we are showing up, we have no space or energy to learn anything new. By changing our mindsets from one that constantly feels the need to prove ourselves, to one that seeks peace and calm understanding, we are better able to show up for ourselves, our clients, and our businesses. Being mindful of the reasons behind our behaviors and choices is a great way to reframe and refocus on what is truly important, and whether our current mindset is serving us well, or just a habit we have come to rely on. A habit that is more damaging than good. Christina Foxwell, CEO and founder of Ignite Purpose, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career helping organizations to engage their people, rebuild their cultures and create places where people are better working together. If you are feeling burnt out, struggling with feeling like an imposter in your own bookkeeping business, or want to build relationships and connections of substance, this is the episode to help you shift your mindset, from trying to prove who you are, to living as you are. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of going with the flow to find your purpose How to show up in peace rather than trying to prove yourself The importance of being present & engaged in the moment To find out more about Christina, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter. Time Stamps 01:42 - Christina talks about her career journey 03:37 - Overcoming the obstacles of business 09:30 - Finding a new flow 16:13 - Learning to be present in the moment 20:40 - Building community; finding your tribe 27:30 - Transforming workplace cultures 31:10 - Bringing your peace to others 36:50 - Learning more from Christina This episode is brought to you by our good friends at Pure Bookkeeping! If you want to grow your bookkeeping business, get back your time, be more efficient and have confidence that your work is best practice, you need proven systems, processes and standard operating procedures. That's what Pure Bookkeeping offers. To find out more, visit PureBookkeeping.com TODAY!

"I like the idea of considering the workplace to become a source of well-being, rather than a source of distress." -Dr. Karen Doll As bookkeepers, we understand the finite nature of available resources. We find the balance in our clients' books. And yet when it comes to ourselves, we often don't consider the nature of our own available resources. This could be our emotional capacity, our time or our energy. We work flat out, not stopping to consider the long-term impact on our physical, mental and emotional well-being. Taking time to evaluate of our needs and allocate the necessary resources to keep us happy and healthy isn't selfish. The selfish act is burning ourselves out and putting our clients' resources or our employees' jobs at risk by overpromising and under-delivering due to burnout. Dr. Karen Doll, a consulting psychologist with over 25 years of experience, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career helping people build psychological fitness. Her approach champions the need for whole-person development in the workplace, by creating conditions at work that support people in their well-being. Being honest and open isn't easy. We know our clients and employees depend on us for certainty. But struggling people can't help with the struggles of others. If you are struggling to manage your mental health and aren't sure of what to do about it, this is the episode to get you thinking about your psychological fitness and self-compassion. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of managing our mental & physical health How to attune to your well-being needs The importance of cultivating psychological fitness To find out more about Karen, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Instagram. Visit this link to get her book. Time Stamps 01:30 - Karen talks about her career journey 03:53 - Facing the post-pandemic world 06:12 - Avoiding common mistakes in workplace mental health 10:25 - Managing our own mental health 12:40 - Karen talks about the value of her book 16:18 - The impact of good physical & mental health 20:47 - Practices to keep you in tune with your health 29:40 - Getting in touch with Karen This episode is brought to you by our good friends at Pure Workflow! It's a simple, easy-to-use workflow practice management solution which will help you manage your clients, deadlines, workflow and team with ease. The BEST PART? It's specifically made FOR BOOKKEEPERS! For more information, visit PureWorkflow.com!

"It's like following a leader off of a cliff… just because they said jump, you jump. You want to be able to have that freedom to be able to push back and disagree and think about it." -Stephan Wiedner It isn't easy to speak up in the workplace. A lack of psychological safety often prevents us from being as honest and open as we might be with others. This kind of disingenuous polite agreement stifles innovation, costs you money, and affects your employees' and clients' sense of engagement with your business. As with all things worth getting right, balance is required. To navigate safely between creating dictatorial workplaces where only the leader's thought matters, or free-for-alls where so many points, thoughts and ideas are put forward, finding direction becomes impossible. Stephan Wiedner, psychological safety expert and CEO of Noomii.com and Zarango.com, is this episode's featured guest. He has spent his career educating people on the value of understanding and creating psychologically safe environments in the workplace. If you are struggling to speak freely to your employees, clients, or managers and want to create the kind of workplace that celebrates open dialogue while maintaining respect and regard for the feelings of everyone involved, this is the episode for you! During this interview, you'll learn... The value of measuring psychological safety How to fail like a pro The importance of encouraging open dialogue To find out more about Stephan, check out his LinkedIn profile. Click here to get your free psychological safety assessment. Time Stamps 01:32 - Stephan talks about his career journey 04:42 - What is psychological safety? 09:45 - Encouraging dialogue in a safe and non-offensive way 12:15 - Building a better place to work 15:18 - The mistakes leading to a psychologically unsafe workplace 19:35 - Demonstrating that you understand and appreciate others 25:55 - Failing like a pro! 29:01 - Noticing the things and people that keep you quiet 34:50 - Providing critical feedback 37:08 - Learning more about psychological safety This episode is brought to you by our good friends at Pure Bookkeeping! If you want to grow your bookkeeping business, get back your time, be more efficient and have confidence that your work is best practice, you need proven systems, processes and standard operating procedures. That's what Pure Bookkeeping offers. To find out more, visit PureBookkeeping.com TODAY!

"You've got to take time out to take care of yourself or there will be no business." -Crystalynn Shelton Bookkeepers at our core, desire to help people. We love to take the parts of business others struggle with and make it simple for them. But this desire to help can sometimes lead us into uncomfortable and unfair relationships with our clients. Working for someone, doesn't mean you have to do everything they say, the moment they say it. While it can be a struggle to stand up for ourselves, especially when just starting out, setting boundaries and being clear about expectations are two of the best things you can do for your personal health and well-being, and the success of your bookkeeping business. Crystalynn Shelton, teacher, author and owner of her own consulting business is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career helping businesses achieve success they couldn't have dreamed of before. She has made it her mission to help business owners overcome their fears to get to grips with all aspects of their business, even bookkeeping. If you are feeling burnout, struggling to find the right clients or are looking for some top tips to ensure success from an industry pro then this episode is perfect for you! During this interview, you'll learn... The value of learning to get marketing right How to set expectations & boundaries with clients 7 ways to help clients become more successful To find out more about Crystalynn, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter. You can order her new book at this link. Click here to access gifts for Successful Bookkeeper listeners. Time Stamps 01:45 - Crystalynn shares her career journey 04:15 - The highs & lows of building business 08:15 - Setting expectations & boundaries 11:02 - Managing client relationships 15:05 - The value of learning to get marketing right 20:18 - The 7 ways to help clients become more successful 28:54 - Financial fear factor 31:25 - Crystalynn talks about her book Mastering QuickBooks 34:41 - Focusing on the future This episode is brought to you by our good friends at Pure Bookkeeping! If you want to grow your bookkeeping business, get back your time, be more efficient and have confidence that your work is best practice, you need proven systems, processes and standard operating procedures. That's what Pure Bookkeeping offers. To find out more, visit PureBookkeeping.com TODAY!

"We aim to truly be seen and act like partners in their business and we're right there along with them." -Alex Frolek We will never be successful if we look at our client's success as separate from our own. Of course, there is nothing wrong with just doing the books. But over years of bookkeeping, our accumulated knowledge and experience are invaluable when applied to the success of others. When getting started as a bookkeeper, or in any business, the temptation is to go at it alone and focus only on what will make your business stable. You might take on a huge number of clients priced by the hour, only to find a year later, you might lose more than half your business by switching to a value-based pricing structure. Getting connected with like-minded people can help you avoid the pitfalls of business while engaging you with a community of people who love helping others. This drive to help is often the reason we became bookkeepers in the first place. Alex Frolek, co-founder of Stelex Solutions, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career helping businesses succeed, by focusing on how she can help clients achieve their goals and visions, not as a vendor who just does the books, but as a partner that can use her vast experience to ensure her clients' success. If you are just starting out, unsure of where to begin, this is the episode to get you thinking about what your life might look like in a year, if you started laying the groundwork today. During this interview, you'll learn... • The value of learning from every experience • How to become more than "just" a bookkeeper • The importance of building the right solutions for your clients To find out more about Alex, click here. Connect with Alex on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 01:36 - Alex discusses her career journey 04:03 - Deciding to start your own business 05:55 - Working & living with your partner 10:36 - The power of learning from every experience 13:18 - Becoming more than 'just' a bookkeeper 19:32 - Finding the right clients for you 23:05 - The parts we love & the parts we don't 29:20 - Alex shares her top tips for your business 31:19 - The best ways to get connected with Alex

"The numbers don't lie, but they don't tell the whole story." -Adrienne Barrett Planning is something we have all struggled with, most of us find it hard to plan for the worst, afraid of willing those scenarios into existence. Even fewer of us plan for success. Plan for what it might look like should all of our hard work pay off and our business grows beyond our ability to manage it alone. This plan paralysis puts us into a state of reaction, putting out fires after they have started, rather than looking at the data and relationships around us and removing the potentially flammable elements. Effective planning isn't just about how we run our business, it plays a critical role in who we hire to help us run it. It can be hard to look at ourselves through an honest lens without inducing more plan panic, but needing help, the kind that fills in our gaps and frees our time and energy for the things we love, isn't the mark of failure. It's the mark of success. Adrienne Barrett is this spotlight session's featured guest. A senior manager at Intuit, she has spent her career helping businesses get on top of their plans, systems, processes and relationships. If you are struggling to make contingency plans, unsure of your gaps or running outdated systems that are preventing you from growing your bookkeeping business then this is the episode to get you thinking about the power of your own plan. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of planning for bad & good times How to build the right team for your bookkeeping business The importance of taking care of yourself so you can take care of your clients Connect with Adrienne on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 01:41 - Adrienne talks about her career journey 05:20 - Understanding business & contingency plans 12:08 - The power of leaning on your plan 15:30 - Team building in bookkeeping services 19:02 - Systemizing your way to success 27:03 - Investing in financial well-being

"The mission of my business is building a business that serves my family, instead of my family serving a business." -Becky Daniels Being good at a certain thing doesn't always mean you will be good at running it as a business too. There is an ever-expanding demand for bookkeeping advisory services, as more businesses become aware they are missing out on a wealth of benefits while they try to focus on delivering their product or service. There is so much demand that it can feel like you have to take every client that comes your way. But if you find your niche and excel in it, clients will be beating down your door, not to mention paying a premium for your knowledge and experience. Building a scalable bookkeeping business isn't easy, especially when all the processes live in your head. When you have well-documented processes, it makes it easy to help others get the same results you are. Becky Daniels, owner of Daniels Business Solutions, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career helping businesses grow and become more profitable by doing what she does best so that her clients can focus on what they do best. If you are struggling to build connections, feel like you are serving your business rather than your business serving you or are worried about niching too early, then this is the episode to get you thinking about what the future of your business could look like. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of a consultative sales approach How to share your value in an advisory capacity The importance of building a business that serves you To find out more about Becky, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 01:31 - Becky talks about her career journey 07:02 - Building businesses that serve you 08:44 - Getting to know what matters to your clients 11:30 - Building value into your relationships 14:58 - Knowing who you want to work with 20:34 - Taking the time to get your processes right 23:08 - The power of Pure Bookkeeping 28:44 - Moving into an advisory role This episode is brought to you by our good friends at Pure Bookkeeping! If you want to grow your bookkeeping business, get back your time, be more efficient and have confidence that your work is best practice, you need proven systems, processes and standard operating procedures. That's what Pure Bookkeeping offers. To find out more, visit PureBookkeeping.com TODAY!

"It is really important for people to feel like, 'I'm in touch with people I trust.'" –Karen Wickre Building meaningful connections isn't easy, especially online. We have all felt an internal cringe at connecting with someone on LinkedIn only to be hard-sold their product or service. Some of us may even be a little guilty of doing that too! But networking is about more than having the confidence to make demands of strangers. Building a network is about connecting with people you share similar interests with, people you not only think may help you, but people you know you can help. Jobs and clients have never been more fluid than they are right now, those who spend time on their networks are more equipped to go with the flow and trust that their good service will be repaid in kind. Karen Wickre, a veteran connector, editor, communicator and author, has spent her extensive career, with postings at Google and Twitter, developing the stories of these powerhouse businesses. She is often introduced as someone who 'knows everybody' and this well-deserved reputation has made her one of the best networkers around. There is no one right way to network, but if you are struggling to connect, reconnect or offer your services, advice, or opinion to others, this is the episode to help shift your mindset and get you ready to connect with anyone or maybe even reconnect with some old friends. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of cultivating healthy working relationships How to connect with people beyond your own needs The importance of your digital presence To find out more about Karen, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter. Visit this link to order her new book, Taking the Work Out of Networking: Your Guide to Making and Keeping Great Connections. Time Stamps 01:48 - Karen talks about her career journey 05:39 - Following your passion where it leads you 09:45 - Cultivating healthy working relationships 13:30 - The big mistakes in networking 21:45 - Tending to your own garden 27:01 - Your digital presence- Karen talks about her book 31:20 - Reaching out for things beyond your needs 40:00 - Karen talks about how to get in touch This episode is brought to you by our friends at Katana! If you have clients using outdated and inefficient manufacturing software, Katana offers real-time data syncing for production, inventory, and accounting data, manufacturers get complete visibility over every inch of their business and their numbers stay up-to-date even as orders come in. If you sign up for the Partner Program and refer clients before April 30th, you will get 30% off the first 3 months of your Katana subscription. You'll also earn a 20% revenue share for every client you invite. Head to thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com/katana to learn more.

"But the problem was, I was the one who knew how to do everything, and I didn't get it out to my staff very well." -Heidi Adams Stepping out on your own can be scary, but if you have a real love for what you do, you'll never really work a day in your life. Sometimes our own successes can overwhelm us. Afraid we will never get a referral again, we take on as many as we can. Many of us run this way for years, unable to shift our mindset toward a more sustainable way of doing business. The toll a business takes on our time and energy is massive, so much so we hardly even have time to notice or fix the cracks. But cracks are never miraculously fixed and always end up leaving huge gaps. Be that in time to finally fix them, or money to repair them. Heidi Adams, owner of HLA Bookkeeping, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career helping businesses maximize their potential by streamlining systems and processes that free up time and energy while maintaining profitability. Her approach focuses on getting relationships right so that your good work can speak for itself. If you are struggling to systemize, feel like you are patching cracks slower than they are forming, or just looking for some advice on building healthy business relationships, this is the episode for you. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of workflow software in streamlining your bookkeeping business How to stop leaking time & energy The importance of being clear about what your services cost To find out more about Heidi, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 01:30 - Heidi talks about her career journey 06:10 - Overcoming the obstacles of business 09:19 - Building connections to beat overwhelm 11:39 - Effectively implementing systems & processes 16:51 - Streamlining your engagement strategy 20:15 - The power of learning from our mistakes 23:15 - Automating client payments 27:11 - Getting your charges & mindset right 29:48 - Good work is its own marketing 32:50 - Heidi shares her top tips for building your bookkeeping business This episode is brought to you by our good friends at Pure Workflow! It's a simple, easy-to-use workflow practice management solution which will help you manage your clients, deadlines, workflow and team with ease. The BEST PART? It's specifically made FOR BOOKKEEPERS! For more information, visit PureWorkflow.com!

"I love the accounting ability to be able to fix problems for people and make things better. But, I also have to learn there is a certain point where I need to be doing them for me, so my systems are in place." -Shannon Lavender Too often we design our businesses solely on the people we wish to emulate. The ones we call successful. We get stuck in habits and patterns of trying to live a life that is not authentic, of trying to create a business that doesn't align with our true dreams. But it doesn't have to be this way, there is space to learn from others while holding true to what it is that makes you happy. Shannon Lavender, small business owner, QuickBooks Pro Advisor and Pure Bookkeeping licensee, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent 20+ years helping people build their dreams, by finding, building and using the right systems for them. If you are struggling, unsure which direction to move to chase down your dream then this is the episode to get you thinking about what truly makes you happy, and how (with a little help), you might reach your goal. During this interview, you'll learn... • The value of systemizing your bookkeeping business • How to decide what success looks like to you • The importance of setting healthy boundaries Connect with Shannon on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 01:33 - Shannon talks about her career journey 03:58 - Overcoming the obstacles of taking over existing businesses 05:21 - Adapting to unforeseen changes 06:12 - Setting healthy boundaries with your clients 07:30 - Finding the way that works for you to find clients 09:53 - The Pure Bookkeeping journey 12:05 - Implementing the right systems 19:10 - Getting your time back 23:04 - Dreaming big: the future of Shannon's business 29:00 - Designing the business you want This episode is brought to you by our friends at Katana! If you have clients using outdated and inefficient manufacturing software, Katana offers real-time data syncing for production, inventory, and accounting data, manufacturers get complete visibility over every inch of their business and their numbers stay up-to-date even as orders come in. If you sign up for the Partner Program and refer clients before April 30th, you will get 30% off the first 3 months of your Katana subscription. You'll also earn a 20% revenue share for every client you invite. Head to thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com/katana to learn more.

"I wrote this book for people who want to learn how to build and run a business, and hopefully not make the same mistakes I made." -Sandeep Chennakeshu Starting a new business isn't easy. It requires us to get very good at a lot of different things. Once we get used to wearing so many different hats, it can be hard to let go and trust in others to help scale our businesses to new heights. It is comfortable to complain about the issues in our business, but much harder to focus on and be attentive to solutions instead. What would happen to your bookkeeping business if you empowered yourself and your employees to transform complaints into requests? To say I need help with this, rather than I hate doing this by myself. Sandeep Chennakeshu, former CTO of Eriksson, business transformation expert and author, is this episode's featured guest. He has spent his career helping people transform the way their businesses run, by building a framework that helps others create their dream businesses without suffering the same common setbacks. His meticulous approach to management and diagnostics has helped elevate hundreds of businesses to new heights. If you are trying to build your own castle, this is the episode to hear from a master business builder and learn what it takes to build walls that will not crumble under pressure. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of transforming complaints into requests How to manage & measure your business effectively The importance of getting structure & discipline into your business Connect with Sandeep on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 01:58 - Sandeep talks about his career journey 05:15 - Overcoming the big obstacles 08:54 - The principles of building & running a business 12:10 - Staying effective in the face of challenges 17:20 - Using the right tools for maximum efficiency 19:50 - How to transform a complaint into a request 25:12 - The ups & downs of business 30:20 - Transitioning & training for success 33:55 - Sandeep explains how his book can help you This episode is brought to you by our friends at Katana! If you have clients using outdated and inefficient manufacturing software, Katana offers real-time data syncing for production, inventory, and accounting data, manufacturers get complete visibility over every inch of their business and their numbers stay up-to-date even as orders come in. If you sign up for the Partner Program and refer clients before April 30th, you will get 30% off the first 3 months of your Katana subscription. You'll also earn a 20% revenue share for every client you invite. Head to thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com/katana to learn more.

"If you can say your 30-second commercial while you're holding marbles and a glass of water, you can say it at a networking event much more easily." -Mindy Morrison It can sometimes feel like we have a never-ending checklist of things to do before we can even begin to start our business or follow our dreams. We build an idea in our head of what success is, not realizing we are often creating unnecessary barriers instead, ones that block us from just taking the leap and doing the work that really matters. Self-made obstacles and the belief that we have to do it on our own, are two of the biggest business killers. When you start to look at what other people in the industry are doing and reach out to build connections, you will find so many like-minded individuals jumping at the chance to help you avoid the mistakes they made. Mindy Morrison, owner of Back Office People, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career helping small businesses and entrepreneurs take back their weekends, by getting them focused on what they do well and helping them in their areas of struggle. If you are having a tough time getting your bookkeeping business off the ground, not sure how much to price or who to connect with for help, this is the episode to get you networking for success. During this interview, you'll learn... Why you don't have to do everything alone How to overcome the obstacles that prevent successful businesses The importance of networking & building connections To find out more about Mindy, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 01:30 - Mindy talks about her career journey 04:37 - Overcoming the challenges of starting your own business 09:00 - Finding clients that fit your business 13:29 - Learning from the mistakes of the past 17:30 - Secrets to networking success 21:50 - The value of Pure Bookkeeping 26:05 - Mindy shares her tips for business success 28:00 - Preparing for the future This episode is brought to you by our good friends at Pure Bookkeeping! If you want to grow your bookkeeping business, get back your time, be more efficient and have confidence that your work is best practice, you need proven systems, processes and standard operating procedures. That's what Pure Bookkeeping offers. To find out more, visit PureBookkeeping.com TODAY!

"It seems slightly daunting, but at the end of the day, it is pretty straightforward, and man can bookkeepers add a lot of value to a manufacturing business." -Shawn Coultice Have you ever considered a manufacturing bookkeeping niche for your business? Some bookkeepers focus on dentists or lawyers, but why not manufacturing companies? In this episode, our host, Louie Prosperi will explore further with the Head of Channel Partnerships at Katana, Shawn Coultice. Katana is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that helps manufacturers track their inventory, manage their sales plus much more. It is a daunting task to constantly manage the ever-shifting nature of inventory, manufacturing, and labor, but many manufacturing businesses are in desperate need of bookkeepers who can not only keep pace with their finances but offer invaluable advice and support by identifying where money is being wasted. Like many bookkeepers, you may have steered clear of the manufacturing sector for a long time, but with the advent of new and more integrated software solutions, it might be time to consider stepping into an industry desperate for support and advice from bookkeepers capable of helping them solve issues in real-time. During this interview, you'll learn... Why you shouldn't be afraid of the manufacturing sector How to add value beyond financial services The importance of integrating the right software for the right client To find out more about Shawn, click here. To book a call with Katana, visit here. To start your free Katana demo, click this link. To join the Katana partner program, check this out. Time Stamps 01:58 - Shawn talks about his career journey 03:42 - Getting to grips with human kinetics 05:14 - The processes of manufacturing 06:57 - Adding value as a bookkeeper 09:45 - Overcoming the obstacles of industry 12:10 - Integrating from the source 18:42 - Finding solutions beyond the financial 22:08 - Supporting clients remotely 23:42 - Stories of successful 25:49 - Bringing your clients into the future 28:25 - Getting in touch with Shawn or Katana

You don't know what you didn't know. And everything that's living in your head, we've got to get it out of there! -Melissa Morris It is often easy to feel like no one can do what we can do and yet, we rely on hastily written to-do lists or checklists quickly passed off to our employees. If things in your bookkeeping business aren't running smoothly, it is unlikely to be because of employees being underqualified and intentionally doing things wrong. It is far more likely that we haven't explained to them or trained them in how things need to be done. Getting everything out of your head and down on paper in a way that is understandable takes a skill set a lot of us haven't trained for. There is no shame in hiring someone to help you translate the workflow systems as they exist in your head into a document that anyone could follow and achieve the same results as you. Melissa Morris, owner of Agency Authority (a project management and operations consultancy), is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career using a wealth of knowledge and experience to help businesses maximize their teams, increase productivity and grow their profits. If you are feeling overwhelmed and burnout, haphazardly chasing apps in the hope they can fix your issues, or getting too hands-on, micromanaging employees, then this is the episode to help you get the right help to get the gold in your head onto paper so that your business can not only run effectively and efficiently but be easily scalable to new heights! During this interview, you'll learn... The value of effective & efficient workflows The key components of a successful project The importance of finding your zone of genius To find out more about Melissa, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Click this link to book a time to chat with her. Time Stamps 01:50 - Melissa talks about her career journey 03:48 - Finding our zone of genius 05:08 - Overcoming the obstacles of business 08:09 - Preventing overwhelm & burnout 11:27 - Effective & efficient workflow 16:20 - The key components of a successful project 18:40 - Melissa talks about the power of transformation 21:27 - Learning from our struggles 24:21 - Making the big mistakes work for you 29:58 - Getting connected with Melissa This episode is brought to you by our good friends at Pure Workflow! It's a simple, easy-to-use workflow practice management solution which will help you manage your clients, deadlines, workflow and team with ease. The BEST PART? It's specifically made FOR BOOKKEEPERS! For more information, visit PureWorkflow.com!

"If you're going to work with someone and they're going to give you access to their client base, they're really going to have to trust you." -Jeff Jacobs Trust is fundamental to any relationship and yet so many of us struggle to build long-lasting and trusting relationships. Expectation plays a key role in how trust is formed. When someone lets us down or fails to deliver on a promise, it shakes our faith in them. But more deeply, it shakes our faith in ourselves. After all, we put our faith and trust in that person or organization to deliver. When they don't, we question our ability to make the right decisions going forward. This becomes a never-ending cycle of self-doubt and inconsistent trust-building activity. Jeff Jacobs, Director of Development at Wilkins Miller LLC, is this episode's featured guest. His approach is a personal one that focuses on the team rather than the individual as the key to success. Building caring and trusting relationships with employees and clients, not just to leverage them later, but to learn how he might best help them reach their dreams. If you are struggling to build trust, consider how much of your intention is on what you want to get out of a client rather than on how you can improve their lives. When clients don't feel valued, they are less likely to trust you to manage more of their needs. When was the last time you checked in on a client just to see how they are feeling or to ask them what you could be doing better? During this interview, you'll learn... The value of trust in long-lasting connections How to create strong business relationships The importance of keeping people in the loop Click here to find out more about Jeff. Connect with him on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 02:09 - Jeff talks about his career journey 08:52 - Why building trust matters 10:50 - Creating centers of influence 13:54 - Overcoming the obstacles of industry 16:02 - Find the way that works for you 20:29 - Keeping people in the loop 22:06 - Delivering a quality offering 24:22 - Building strong business relationships 33:28 - How to get in touch with Jeff This episode is brought to you by our good friends at Pure Bookkeeping! If you want to grow your bookkeeping business, get back your time, be more efficient and have confidence that your work is best practice, you need proven systems, processes and standard operating procedures. That's what Pure Bookkeeping offers. To find out more, visit PureBookkeeping.com TODAY!

"You really need to identify your target audience. If you don't know what market you're in and who your ideal client is then how can you even begin marketing?" -Amy Anderson Marketing ourselves isn't easy and in the bookkeeping industry especially, where we tend to be more introverted, it can be hard to build an exciting and outgoing profile. Fortunately, marketing ourselves doesn't have to be all or nothing. There is room for us to find ways of doing it that play to our strengths. It's easy to get discouraged when you spent a lot of time on a marketing strategy that had few returns. This doesn't mean you are a failure. It just means you need to try something else. Perhaps that is hiring someone to help you market your bookkeeping business or to find passive and slow marketing tools that can be working for you in the background. Amy Anderson, co-founder of Wild Coffee Marketing, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent 25 years helping businesses market themselves to the right kind of clients. Her expertise and holistic marketing approach have helped countless businesses find the right clients, build consistent and engaging profiles and feel more at home in their niches. If you are struggling with marketing, unsure about what to do next or how to grow your bookkeeping business beyond the "I must take every client I can get" mindset, this is the episode for you! During this interview, you'll learn... The value of finding the best methods for the type of person you are How to manage referrals to find your ideal clients The importance of leveling up your client list To find out more about Amy, click here . Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter. Time Stamps 01:50 - Amy talks about her career journey 04:21 - Navigating the hurdles of business 06:21 - The common marketing mistakes 07:18 - Defining who you are & what you offer 10:53 - Mastering referrals & finding the ideal client 13:36 - Levelling up your client list to avoid bad clients 16:28 - Finding the best marketing method for you 24:08 - Accepting the need to adapt 27:04 - Balancing your professional & personal life This episode is brought to you by our good friends at Pure Workflow! It's a simple, easy-to-use workflow practice management solution which will help you manage your clients, deadlines, workflow and team with ease. The BEST PART? It's specifically made FOR BOOKKEEPERS! For more information, visit PureWorkflow.com!

"They depend on us to relate to them important information on how to minimize tax, how to reach their financial goals. If we do it in a more structured way, our clients are going to see the value in that expertise." -Nadia Rodriguez Expanding your bookkeeping business to include advisory capacity is scary for many. We are our own worst enemies when it comes to self-belief and self-confidence. But consider this... how many times have you been talking with a client, answering all of their questions in a fun and relaxed way only to realize later that it took you years of training and trial and error to get to the result? Nadia Rodriguez, a Senior Tax Analyst Programmer at Intuit, is this spotlight episode's special guest. She speaks to the way bookkeepers are sitting on a huge wealth of knowledge they aren't pricing for, how to communicate your value to your clients and the importance of building networks that keep you on the cutting edge of bookkeeping best practice. If you are finding yourself giving everything away for free, charging by the hour or feeling trapped patching sinking ships in the minefield that is compliance work then this episode will help you start to leverage your knowledge and skills to assist your clients in avoiding those troubled waters and chart a better course to achieving their financial dreams. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of pricing for your worth, not just your time How to create the capacity to grow your business The importance of building strong bookkeeping networks Click here to find out more about Nadia. Visit this link if you want to gain access to Intuit's vast resource bank. Time Stamps 01:37 - Nadia talks about her career journey 05:23 - Getting to grips with advisory services 09:22 - Separating the solution 11:27 - Creating the capacity to grow 13:52 - Growing your network 15:46 - Tax strategies for bookkeepers 23:25 - Finding a suitable billing model 26:35 - Bookkeeping in real-time

"I would say, if you are never really wrong, you are never really right either, you need to put things down (on paper) to get clarity, to move work forward and make things happen." -Adrienne Bellehumeur Getting good at effective documentation isn't easy. Whether because we find it hard to take notes while actively listening or we are afraid of losing face in a room full of people who aren't taking notes. So much valuable information is lost, miscommunicated or inaccessible as it exists only in one person's head. So much of our value is tied to the things we think we do best. It is hard to let go of that mentality and create documents that allow for excellent reperformance. For as long as your bookkeeping business is only successful because you are doing everything, you will never be able to leverage your knowledge to scale your business to new heights. This episode's featured guest is Adrienne Bellehumeur who is the director of Risk Oversight, a documentation and productivity expert and author of The 24-Hour Rule. She has spent her career developing a system of dynamic documentation that helps people overcome their optimism bias (the belief we will remember every detail of every meeting) to take effective documentation that allows for near-perfect reperformance of their work. If you are worried that you won't be as valuable if everyone has a playbook of your best skills or embarrassed to take notes for fear of looking 'less than' your colleagues then this is the episode to completely change your point of view on the importance of effective documentation and the powerful role it can play in the success of your bookkeeping business. So, grab a pen or get your laptop ready to type because it's time to take some notes! During this interview, you'll learn... The value of organization & information management in successful businesses How to solve problems with effective documentation The importance of overcoming our optimism bias Click here to find out more about Adrienne. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter. Click this link to learn more about Risk Oversight. Visit here to buy her new book, The 24 Hour Rule. Time Stamps 1:37 - Adrienne talks about her career journey 3:31 - Discovering the hidden power of documentation 6:13 - Overcoming optimism bias 7:56 - Simple practices for effective outcomes 12:55 - The most efficient ways to document 15:05 - Problem-solving with documentation 18:50 - The challenges in effective documentation 23:08 - Information management and organization 26:56 - Writing The 24 Hour Rule 30:43 - Acting on information before the value is lost 33:40 - Connecting with Adrienne

"That's the beauty of this industry, you can be as big or as little as you want to be, it's so scalable." -Kim Wolfe This is the question that has paralyzed more than a few good people when it comes to wanting to start their own bookkeeping business. It can be difficult to trust ourselves, and not judge ourselves too harshly for previous failures. Often, it is the expectation more than the outcome that hurts or makes us feel uncomfortable when things haven't gone the way we hoped. What would happen if instead, you focused on being okay where you are and building a different reality out from more stable ground? Kim Wolfe, former aerospace engineer and current owner of KAW Solutions, is this episode's featured guest. After a dramatic career shift, she leaned into her desire to help people fix their problems, first in bookkeeping and then for those trying to grow their businesses. Kim's approach is process-focused, delegating tasks to free up time, skilfully navigate obstacles and creating successful teams. If you are struggling to build the business you want because things aren't going the way you thought they would, this episode is a great one to help you create a stable foundation from which to achieve your bookkeeping dreams. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of networking to avoid the pitfalls of building a successful business How to effectively manage your time The importance of working smarter, not harder To find out more about Kim, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Go to incomeformom.com to get her Top 10 Time Hacks pdf. Time Stamps 01:28 - Kim talks about her career journey 08:45 - Growing the business 12:01 - Exploring opportunities 13:22 - Getting smarter in the face of challenges 15:02 - What the business looks like today 19:38 - Navigating the effects of the pandemic 21:03 - The big challenge of today 24:30 - Getting to grips with pricing 26:15 - Effectively managing your time 42:08 - Everything has its place 46:11 - Getting in touch with Kim

"No one can do it the way you are doing it, but it doesn't necessarily mean your way is the best way or the only way." -Jamie Van Cuyk Hiring the right candidate is challenging, often we are better suited to, or skilled at other areas of our business. Sometimes we may even think putting out a job advertisement is a piece of cake and yet are baffled when we don't get suitable applicants or worse, hire someone that just doesn't fit well with the business. We can't hire the right people into our business until we fully understand what the right person looks like. Skills can be taught, but values are more deeply ingrained. If you aren't sure what you value, how can you build a team of like-minded people? Jamie Van Cuyk, owner of Growing Your Team and host of the Growing Your Team podcast, is this episode's returning guest. She is a master of the hiring and firing cycle. She has helped countless small businesses find employees that are more than bodies in a seat, but dedicated, retainable and aligned members of the team who love what they do. If you are struggling to hire the right people or to even begin identifying who the right person may be before you begin the hiring process, this episode will give you all the tips you need to not only make hiring a breeze, but make sure you are finding people that really care about what they do. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of aligning employees with your business goals How to hire the ideal candidate for your bookkeeping business The importance of understanding what motivates your employees Learn more about Jamie about this link. You can find the Growing Your Team podcast here. Check out her socials: LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Pinterest Time Stamps 01:37 - Reflecting on the last year 05:28 - Looking to the future 07:00 - The difficulties of hiring the right people 11:14 - The secrets to effective hiring 17:04 - How to retain quality employees 22:04 - The hiring and firing cycle 28:45 - Getting to grips with delegation 32:38 - How to get in touch with Jamie

"The first thing to becoming successful is defining who you want to work with, who is your ideal client?" -Jennie Moore Welcome back to another Successful Bookkeeper Spotlight session with your host, Louie Prosperi. Our lives revolve around conversation, we hope that all of our interactions will be good, but often, this is not the case. Differences of opinion, expectation, and understanding can lead to some really uncomfortable conversations. Not wanting conflict can often paralyze us, freezing us into doing work or continuing to do work we never agreed to do. Scope creep is going to happen, but what is important is how we deal with it. Allowing our clients to change the scope on a whim is going to cost you thousands of dollars a year, not to mention leave you feeling potentially resentful and burnt out. Jennie Moore, owner of Moore Details, and partnership manager at Ignition is this spotlight episode's featured guest. She has spent her career helping people have awkward conversations, set boundaries, and learn to articulate their worth. She speaks powerfully about finding the fun in your bookkeeping business, embracing mistakes, and communicating value. If you are struggling to set the scope at the beginning of your client relationships, feeling unable to express your worth despite helping your clients become more profitable, or would just like to learn how to speak about yourself with more confidence and courage, then this is the episode to shift unhelpful and negative mindsets into positive and courageous ones. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of owning the awkward conversation to articulate your worth How to embrace a digital mindset in your bookkeeping business The importance of being clear about the scope of your services Click here to find out more about Jennie. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter. SPECIAL OFFER for Successful Bookkeeper listeners - Get 50% off Ignition Pro or Scale for 3 months! Find out more HERE! Time Stamps 01:47 - Jennie talks about her career journey 03:05 - Balancing the personal and professional 05:48 - Influencing product by following our passions 08:28 - Being a part of something you love 10:06 - Learning from our mistakes to create success 15:01 - Out-of-scope work is a profit killer 22:12 - Setting your standards from the start 24:48 - Embracing the digital mindset 29:10 - Finding the right automatized services for your bookkeeping business 35:28 - Owning the awkward conversation

"This also means diversity of thought, because even if you have a demographically diverse team, but everyone went to the same college and thinks the same way, that's still not going to be able to leverage and maximize the benefits of diversity." -Dr. Ella F. Washington Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is more than just taking a course or hiring from particular demographics. It's about how we want to feel at work and in society, and how we make others feel. Intention is everything and yet many people find themselves afraid of saying the wrong thing, this paralysis then also prevents us from saying the right things. When you are open to the possibilities in other people's lived experiences, you are far more likely to be able to have the conversations you perhaps didn't even know you needed to have. Dr. Ella F. Washington, founder and CEO of Ellavate Solutions, organizational psychologist, author, and DEI culture expert is this episode's featured guest. Ella speaks about the need for workplaces and workplace cultures to let everyone be their authentic self at work. If everyone isn't thriving at work, feeling valued, respected, and happy, there is something wrong. Whether you are an individual, a small bookkeeping business, or a big one, it is inspiring to listen to Ella's vision for what workplace culture could be. If you want to have these complex conversations but aren't sure where to start, this is the episode to get you comfortable with what you don't know. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of building a utopia of inclusion, diversity & equity at work How to understand & challenge biases The importance of intention in building a healthy workplace culture Click here to find out more about Ella. Connect with Ella on LinkedIn and Twitter. Click here to get your copy of Ella's new book, The Necessary Journey. Time Stamps 01:36 - Ella talks about her career journey 03:38 - The core of diversity, equity & inclusion 08:39 - Thinking about & challenging our biases 10:52 - Creating great working environments 14:33 - Building a workplace utopia 17:30 - The power of intention in workplace culture 19:14 - The Necessary Journey, stories of client success 23:08 - Considering your whole sphere of influence 26:42 - Ella talks about her book

"If you're forcing yourself to do those tasks you don't enjoy doing and you're not good at, please start delegating!" -Kristy Yoder Happy New Year and welcome to the first episode of 2023! Running a bookkeeping business can be overwhelming, especially at this time of year, so much needs to get done and it can often feel like we are the only ones capable of doing it right. Problems start to arise in our businesses when everything that needs our attention, only gets a portion of our effort. Delegation is key in business. What tasks can you source to other people, so you have more time to focus on your passion? Remember, clients don't stay with your service just because you do their books, they stay because they recognize a passion in you for something they struggle to do. Maybe it's time to start recognizing those passions in others, and how they might help you to build and scale your bookkeeping business to new heights. Our first guest of the year is the founder and CEO of Smart Virtual Assistants, and host of the Master Delegator podcast, Kristy Yoder. She found her passion in helping people learn to delegate the things they aren't good at, so they can focus on the things they are. This episode is a masterclass full of useful tips to find and train the right people for you. If you are having trouble letting go of the need to do everything, aren't sure of how to train a VA, or are afraid you'll be stuck with employees that don't make your life easier, this is the episode to help you overcome those fears! During this interview, you'll learn... The value of building strong & trusting relationships with your virtual assistant How to hire a great VA The importance of delegating tasks to focus on your passions Click here to find out more about Kristy. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook. Click here to listen to the Master Delegator Podcast. Time Stamps 01:39 - Kristy talks about her career journey 04:35 - The importance of delegating work 07:22 - Barriers to proper delegation 11:15 - Common mistakes when hiring a VA 16:45 - Great operating procedures empower great businesses 18:22 - Learning to love the tasks clients hate 21:02 - Tips to help you hire a great VA for your bookkeeping business 25:50 - How Smart Virtual Assistants can help you 28:55 - The best way to end bad relationships 31:26 - The Master Delegator Podcast

It is almost the end of 2022 and wow, do we have an incredible episode for you to finish off the year! In our special Year in Review show, Michael talks to a panel of terrific guests about the ups and downs of the industry this past year. Our returning Year in Review guests are Julie Watson, founder of Bookkeeping Relief, Jessica Fox, owner of Florida Virtual Bookkeeper, Teresa Slack, co-founder of Financly, and Katrina Aarsman, CEO of Pure Bookkeeping Australia. Our guests reflect on their biggest surprises of 2022, tell heartwarming stories of success, navigate the complexity of growing businesses in an ever-changing and challenging market, and discuss the future trends facing us in 2023. Whether 2022 has been a year of success or a year of challenge for you, there is something for everyone in this episode. From fears around inflation and staffing, to the success that can come from taking on a more advisory role with your clients to help them build strong and profitable businesses. Our guests speak powerfully about the struggles they have witnessed this year, and yet still leave us feeling uplifted and ready to face the challenges of 2023. There are so many incredible nuggets of wisdom in this episode, so grab your headphones, a cup of tea and settle in! We are so grateful to all of our wonderful listeners who have joined us this year. YOU make this show possible. Thank you and HAPPY NEW YEAR! During this interview, you'll learn... The value of learning from failure to build a successful bookkeeping business How to navigate the changes & challenges of the industry The importance of getting your long-term strategy right & knowing when to pivot Find out more about our guests: Katrina Aarsman Julie Watson Jessica Fox Teresa Slack Time Stamps 01:23 - Michael introduces this episode's special guests 02:22 - The panel talks about their biggest surprises of 2022 08:35 - Knowledge building; the impact of virtual & in-person events 12:45 - The challenges & setbacks of 2022 21:31 - How do we navigate these complex changes & challenges? 27:45 - This year's heartwarming stories of client success 37:24 - The heartbreaks of 2022 50:23 - Strategies for growth: what didn't work this year 01:03:06 - Strategies for growth: what really worked this year 01:13:29 - Industry trends heading into 2023 01:21:23 - Our guests talk about their big focus for 2023 This episode is sponsored by our good friends at BILL! BILL helps automate finances for hundreds of thousands of small to midsize businesses so they can easily and quickly pay bills, collect payments, and manage employee expenses. With BILL, your clients—and you—will get greater visibility and control and more time to spend on the important stuff. To learn more and get 10% off for your clients visit Bill.com/successfulbookkeeper.

"We all are really good at one or two things, but we can all do maybe 20-100 things, and sometimes as entrepreneurs, I think we get caught up in the 'I have to do it all.'" -Nikki Rausch Pressure is a great motivator, but too much can damage the quality of our work and cause us to burn out. When we hold onto the belief that we are the only person that can achieve the right results for our clients, we end up with much less time to actually focus on the key things they hired us for in the first place. Clients want to work with experts, but that expert doesn't have to be you. It is okay to share clients with your team, not because they aren't as worthy of your attention, but because you have trained and trusted your team to deliver the best possible outcome for your clients and your business. Nikki Rausch, who is the CEO of Sales Maven, a podcaster and author, is this episode's featured guest. Nikki is a firm believer that none of us achieve success alone, and that our genius and skills are diluted when we spread ourselves too thinly. That is why we must hire people to do the things we can't, we must build teams of people that complement and make each other stronger. If you are struggling to scale your bookkeeping business, feeling too thinly spread, or struggling to prioritize the best outcomes for your clients, then this is the episode to get you thinking more clearly about what building your dream team could really do for your business. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of building a skilled team in your bookkeeping business How to stop underselling yourself to clients The importance of understanding what kind of relationship your clients want Click this link to find out more about Nikki. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook. Click here to listen to Nikki's past Successful Bookkeeper podcast appearance. Check out this Sales Maven podcast episode regarding how to sell clients on working with your team. Get Nikki's free download for TSBK listeners. Time Stamps 01:24 - Nikki talks about her experiences since her last guest appearance 02:21 - The importance of having a team in your business 04:58 - Selling clients on working with your team 10:14 - How to stop underselling yourself 18:21 - Building the right relationship with your clients 24:44 - Dealing with & adapting to crisis & change 30:10 - Telling the story of your business 34:00 - Motivating your team 36:01 - Connecting with Nikki This episode is sponsored by our good friends at BILL! BILL helps automate finances for hundreds of thousands of small to midsize businesses so they can easily and quickly pay bills, collect payments, and manage employee expenses. With BILL, your clients—and you—will get greater visibility and control and more time to spend on the important stuff. To learn more and get 10% off for your clients visit Bill.com/successfulbookkeeper.

"If you can answer the questions that are being asked to people that don't even know what their questions are to begin with, then you have created a name. People will say you've gotta come and see what he's doing for us." -Michael Alliman In part 2 of the interview with Michael, he digs into the importance, power, and potential that can be unlocked when businesses find and focus on their niche. All too often, we think that in order to be successful we have to do as much business as possible with anyone that will have us. But this spread-out and scatter gunned approach keeps us only being good at surface-level skills. When you find your niche, you'll move away from the surface and create a depth of experience that will see new clients seeking you out. Letting go of the short-term earning potential of taking every client is scary, but you'll never have the kind of business that is scalable and successful, if you can't offer niched skills and services, rather than generic ones that are available everywhere. Michael speaks from experience that the demand for quality skills will enable you to command quality prices. And when you have your niche, you'll be able to help your clients build their dreams, not just balance last month's books. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of finding your niche How to effectively sell your expertise, so clients seek you out The importance of building the kind of company you would want to work for To find out more about Michael, click here. Connect with him on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 01:37 - Helping others to understand your value 10:30 - When you niche clients, they will find you 14:30 - Figuring out niche trends 16:50 - Selling your experience & enjoying it 18:44 - Custom building narrative reports 23:18 - Building the kind of company you'd like to work for 25:30 - How to get in touch with Michael

"I'm not the expert in real estate, that's why I hire you. It doesn't make any sense for me to learn it just to buy one house, as it doesn't make any sense for you to learn accounting just to get your own numbers in order." -Michael Alliman Creating, owning, and running our own business is really challenging. So many things need our attention that it can often feel overwhelming, like we can't get our heads above the water. The desire becomes to keep throwing ourselves at problems, rather than take a deep breath, dive beneath the surface, and find a place of calm and wider perspective to help us resolve them. In this first part of a two-part interview, Michael Alliman, owner of Alliman Business Group and Reconcile bookkeeping, talks about overcoming the things you think are holding you back to find your own rhythm of success. Michael speaks inspirationally about the way he has taken his ADHD diagnosis and turned it into a hyper-focused superpower that enables him to dial into detail in a way that has become a great selling point to clients. He also speaks about the need to stop setting unrealistic goals and punishing ourselves when we can't meet them. If you are facing difficulties in your life or business and are struggling to change your mindset from one of fearing your complexity to one that embraces it, this is the episode for you! During this interview, you'll learn... The value of embracing what your differences bring to the world How to shift your mindset away from fear & toward success The importance of getting focused on what it is you do well To find out more about Michael, click here. Connect with him on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 01:42 - Michael talks about his career journey 06:25 - Creating a company you'd like to work for 09:19 - Overcoming the challenges of business 14:04 - Learning to recognize what difficulties have to teach us 18:40 - Embracing the value of difference

"You need to surround yourself from an inclusion standpoint, with people who fill in the gaps and complement the skills you don't have so that you don't have those blind spots." -Carice Anderson Building a business is never easy, and yet we often make it so much harder for ourselves by believing we can't be truly successful unless we are the ones doing everything. This kind of thinking only leaves us with skill and knowledge gaps we didn't even know we had. Being intelligent alone isn't enough. There will always be things we are drawn to and things we don't like doing. What matters is the ability to recognize when we have gaps and fill them with people who complement the skills we lack. Carice Anderson, a workplace diversity and inclusion expert and author, is this episode's featured guest. She has spent her career working to understand why even after achieving so much academically, there were still so many gaps that could only be filled by the experiences of others. She speaks powerfully about the need to build connections between people. To work on your relationships with others, not just in them. To think in the long term about people, not just in the short term to meet a deadline or push a product. If you are trying to go it alone and finding that maybe you don't even know what questions you should be asking, this is the episode to get you thinking about how a mindset shift might open up a world of possibility. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of taking ownership of your client's problems How to work on your relationships, not just in them The importance of creating a support network for success To find out more about Carice, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook You can buy Carice's book here. Time Stamps 01:42 - Carice talks about her career journey 03:52 - Learning to adapt when things don't go your way 08:10 - Overcoming personal obstacles 11:13 - Carice talks about her book 15:28 - Working on your relationships, not in them 18:55 - Tips for building healthy relationships 25:40 - Introversion vs extraversion; creating connections in a different way 28:20 - Ownership, taking responsibility & initiative 33:35 - No one becomes a success alone, it takes a community 36:40 - Learning more about Carice

"With Anchor, you work and then you get paid by default and your client needs to actively do something in order for you not to get paid." - Omry Man It's well-known that comfort and convenience rule everything we do. People and especially clients are always looking for simpler and more effective ways to handle their business. We have all had clients that aren't good at paying us on time, not because they are bad people, but because their priorities and attention are directed elsewhere. Omry Man, co-founder of Anchor, is this episode's featured guest. He recognized a gap in the market, a gap created by the friction between bookkeepers and their clients. Anchor is an autonomous billing solution that sets out payment relationships from the get-go, and automates the entire process. So, you never have to wait on a bill again. If you are struggling to get clients to pay on time, are feeling strained around repeatedly asking for payment, or are even too scared to push for the money you are owed for fear of losing a client, this is the episode for you. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of being consistent with your clients How automation reduces friction in relationships The importance of streamlining your services to focus on your bookkeeping business Click here to find out more about Anchor. BLACK FRIDAY SALE OFFER: Anyone signing up or booking an Anchor demo during November, who bills over 50 monthly invoices, is eligible for $500 in Anchor credits to use in their first 3 months in Anchor. Visit this link for more details! Connect with Omry and Anchor on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Time Stamps 01:48 - Omry talks about his career journey 03:55 - Overcoming bad experiences with clients 09:10 - The real reason your clients aren't paying on time 13:20 - Using automation to reduce friction 17:20 - How Anchor works for you & your client 20:14 - The right metrics to measure 26:20 - Getting connected with Anchor