The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast (Michael Palmer)

Your office.

Does it look like a tornado whipped through it or is everything organized and tidy?

For some bookkeepers, when life gets hectic, it's pretty tough to keep their desk in order.

Have no fear, today's guest has some great suggestions to help you get on track.

Lisa Campbell-Marchese is the owner of a bookkeeping company called The Marcam Group.

Throughout her 25 years of experience, she had to learn different tricks to handle not only the constant referrals she received and current workload, but she's had to do it all while balancing being a mother too.

She understood things had to change to increase her efficiency and make her work/life balance realistic.

As a result of being open to learning new strategies, she's been very successful and now she'll share some of her golden tips with you.

During this informative interview, you'll discover...

• Why having 3 monitors in your personal workspace can help you be more productive
• Why you'll want Jetpack Workflow & Hubdoc to be your new best friends
• Why having systems is crucial in organizing any part of your life

To find out more about Lisa & the resources mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Profit.

Every bookkeeping business owner desires it.

Today’s guest can help you achieve it.

Dan Baker is the owner of DMB Tax Services and the CEO of Profit By Intention which is a small business specialty firm that helps to drive profitability in your business, increases your net worth through wealth management and ensures your company is protected through strategic use of insurance.

Dan is also a Pure Bookkeeping licensee and Profit First strategist driven by increasing profitability and stabilizing cash management in gyms and health businesses.

During this interview, you'll discover...

• How to build your business with maximum profitability
• Tips on making educated decisions
• The importance of embracing change

To find out more about Dan, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

“Everybody has to find their own way to reduce their stress…what works for me may not work for you.”
-Tiffany Cagwin

We all experience stress, it is a fact of modern life. But our bodies cannot adapt to our changing world at the same place as the demands we place upon them. There comes a time when we all have to stop and ask ourselves if everything we are grinding for is truly worth the cost to our health and well-being. 

There is nothing wrong with working hard to provide the kind of life for ourselves and our families that we have always dreamed of. But there needs to be balance, making it to the goal, but realizing we are in pieces is often the final nail in our sense of physical and mental well-being.

Tiffany Cagwin, executive leader and transformation coach, is this episode’s featured guest. She has spent her career applying her skills, knowledge and life experiences to help others find better long-term health. 

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of making small changes for a big difference
• How stress is impacting our health
• The importance of listening to your health, not everyone else’s

Whether you are already doing your best to work through health challenges, or just starting to notice things are getting harder, this episode will help you!

To find out more about Tiffany, click here.

Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Time Stamps
   
01:33 - Tiffany discusses her career journey 
08:33 - Coming to terms with life’s challenges 
10:42 - Managing our stresses 
18:23 - Getting back on track
26:51 - No one size fits all
34:50 - Learning more about Tiffany

This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Dext!

Dext captures your clients’ data with incredible accuracy and deliver it seamlessly into your workflow, integrating with over 30 accounting softwares.

Imagine having more time to focus on what truly matters, like helping your clients, growing your firm, or taking a well-deserved break. With Dext, you can trust that data is accurately extracted, categorized, and submitted every time.

Are you ready to streamline your bookkeeping processes? 

Join thousands of accountants and bookkeepers in the Dext community. Go to thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com/dext to book a demo today and see how Dext can make your work life easier!

Keeping healthy and safe is the number one priority right now.

But according to our guest, Teresa Slack, who is the co-founder of Financly, it’s also essential to keep businesses running if you can.

Her virtual bookkeeping company is doing that by assisting many small business owners during this unique moment in human history.

Teresa is an expert in e-commerce bookkeeping and has been grateful for using the Pure Bookkeeping System that has helped over 800 bookkeeping business owners streamline and automate their businesses.

During this interview, you'll discover...

• How the Pure Bookkeeping System can help you expand your bookkeeping business
• The advantage of Zoom meetings and the Friday Success call with Michael
• The importance of maintaining normalcy for your clients

To find out more about Teresa, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Sales & Marketing.

For many bookkeeping business owners, they'd love to outsource those activities and just focus on doing the books.

But, if you're an underpaid bookkeeper, you'll have to roll up your sleeves and do the marketing and sales yourself.

This reality is a frightening thought for many introverted bookkeepers.

But, today's guest, Pure Bookkeeping co-founder, Debbie Roberts was just like you.

She hated marketing, but with help from her business coach, Peter Cook, she got over her fears and discovered some great marketing and sales tips along the way which enabled her to create a 6-figure bookkeeping business with a staff of 12 bookkeepers.

So, if she could be successful, it's possible for you too.

During this episode, you'll learn...

-How to overcome the negative mindset you have towards marketing
-Various useful strategies to attract more referrals including approaching accountants
-The importance of having an accountability partner who pushes you out of your comfort zone and keeps you on track

To find out more about Debbie, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com/episodes/08 

“If I can’t find it myself, I guess I’ll just create it!” 

-Jessica Hearsey 

Logging in online or heading to an office everyday where you don’t feel valued can be very demoralizing. It is tough to get energized to do a job that lacks vision, clarity, or a sense of purpose.
 
If you don’t know how valuable you are, how can you communicate it to your clients?
 
Building a business is never easy, but if you feel passionately about committing to your goals and creating something you truly believe in, the clients will come. When you take the time to understand and truly know your value, people will listen.
 
Jessica Hearsey, owner of Altitude Accounting, talks this week about the differences between working a job and building a business. By finding the courage to stick to your convictions, you can create the life you dream of. One where people come to you because they believe in what you are doing, not just because they need something done. 

During this interview, you'll learn…

• The value of creating your own vision rather than waiting for someone else’s
• How to tear down mental barriers & act with conviction
• The difference between working a job and building a business 

Learn more about Altitude Accounting here.
 
Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn.

Time Stamps

1:42 - Jessica talks about her career journey
8:16 - Being your own mentor
9:40 - The hurdles of a new business
11:30 - Building a business not a job
16:33 - Committing to your goals
19:25 - Adapting to an ever-changing market
23:18 - Knowing your value
27:50 - Finding your conviction
32:10 - Tearing down mental barriers
34:10 - The challenges of the future 

“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?

Debbie Roberts.

During her over 30 year bookkeeping career, the Australian made every business mistake in the book.

But, the key was she learned from them and the global bookkeeping community would benefit.

How?

Thanks to Debbie's chance meeting with a business coach, Peter Cook, at a networking event in the early 2000s, he'd suggest she use all her learnings to create systems in her business.

Eventually they'd form a company called Pure Bookkeeping then develop The Pure Bookkeeping System which is helping hundreds of bookkeepers over 3 continents.

Today, Debbie is an inspiring success story after selling her original bookkeeping business for a high 6-figure amount in 2014.

In this interview, you’ll learn...

* The one question that Debbie asked herself every time she made mistakes with her business
* Why it's crucial to have systems in place before hiring new staff
* And why it's critical to not be afraid to communicate with current clients when changes in your business are on the horizon

To find out more about Debbie and Pure Bookkeeping, you can visit:

https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com/episodes/01

“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.

Asking the right question is more valuable than giving the right answer.

That’s according to today’s guest, where she believes that providing the answers too quickly is just solving the obvious and short-term problem.

What the client needs is a long-term solution.

Femke Hogema is the founder of Healthy Finance and the author of the bestselling book, The Profit Advisor: The new role of accountants and bookkeepers.

She passionately believes that you can only have a successful company if you have a grip on figures yourself.

Her passion for finance and communication allows her to speak and write about finance in a clear and fascinating way.

During this interview, you'll discover...

• The practical steps that you can take to do a high value and high-priced advisory role
• The advantage of focusing on delivering results and practicing the L.S.A. process
• Why bookkeepers should help their clients do their administrative bookkeeping related work at least 30 minutes per week

To find out more about Femke, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Only 51% of businesses plan and set their annual goals and only 6% revisit those goals on a quarterly basis.

Those who revisit their goals have an increase of 300% on their productivity and performance.

That’s according to our guest, Blake Oliver who is a CPA that specializes in cloud accounting technology. He’s also the producer and co-host of a weekly news show called the Cloud Accounting Podcast.

During the interview, you'll discover...

• The importance of having annual goals & revisiting them
• The perks of having a cloud partnership
• Jirav and other amazing accounting tools

To find out more about Blake, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Are you ready?

The time has come for you, the bookkeeper, to realize you're a truly valuable asset to small businesses.

The days of you thinking you're not a core piece are over because, without your expert knowledge and skills, your clients would be in serious financial distress.

According to our guest, Garry Carter, the co-founder of the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB), bookkeeping isn't a trade, it's a profession.

Many bookkeepers don't think that way.

That's unfortunate because you are a valuable professional.

The more you realize that, the more profit and impact you'll have.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• Your number one thing that makes your business unique
• Why your day-to-day client care is crucial to establishing trust and value
• Why ICB is a powerful organization to support bookkeepers

To find out more about Garry and the ICB, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

“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 

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 :)

“Does it need to be done right or does it need to be done by you?”

-Jamie Van Cuyk

Imagine what you might be able to accomplish if you surrounded yourself with the right people.

Learning to let go of our desire to do everything ourselves, can unlock an organization’s true potential. So many businesses struggle to find the right employees because their focus has become too narrow. Shaking the bonds of our set ways can be tough, but if we don’t, we’ll always be doing more than we need to.

Jamie Van Cuyk, a small business consultant who owns Growing Your Team, talks about overcoming the challenges of hiring the right help, at the right time. Her approach enables businesses to let go of the idea that only they can maintain their processes effectively. Helping them instead to find the right people, which saves time, services more customers and increases profitability.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• How to build processes you can trust while being open to innovation
• The importance of good training & trusting your employees to get it done
• How to let go, so your business can grow!

Learn more about Jamie here.

You can listen to her Growing Your Team Podcast at this link.

Check out her socials:

LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest

Time Stamps

1:14 - Jamie’s Journey
3:40 - The struggles of hiring
4:55 - The difficulties of growing your team
7:10 - Learning to let go & trust your processes
12:33 - Getting out of our own way
13:40 - The Stair-Step approach
18:50 - Humility in the face of innovation
23:30 - Knowing the right time to hire
27:30 - Jamie answers the important questions
30:35 - Knowing the right person for you
33:00 - The pros & cons of personality tests
35:40 - The focus of Grow Your Team

“I put my clients on notice in the first week of December. All of my clients get an email blast so that they know what to expect, and that helps so much. So we are having this conversation now in the third week of January. All of my clients who gave me their information are tax-ready. And I could not have said that five years ago.”
-Jessica Fox

Jessica Fox, founder of Florida Virtual Bookkeeper, shares how she transformed her business with systems that simplify tax season and prioritize work-life balance. From implementing proactive workflows to setting clear client boundaries, Jessica reveals how these changes have allowed her to thrive in her career and personal life.

In this interview, you'll learn:

• How to turn tax season into a year-round, stress-free process
• The importance of clear client boundaries & communication
• Strategies for maintaining work-life balance while running a bookkeeping business

To find out more about Jessica, click here.

Connect with here on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Learn about The Pure Bookkeeping System here.

Time Stamp

00:38 - Evolving systems & nurturing a community
01:27 - The importance of treating tax season as a year-round process
04:08 - Implementing the Pure Bookkeeping System
07:03 - Strategies for requesting information & avoiding bottlenecks
09:35 - Ensuring a healthy work-life balance
13:19 - Setting boundaries by creating systems & focusing on clear communication
15:23 - Saying “no” to unrealistic client expectations & charging rush fees
18:50 - Celebrating stress-free tax seasons & prioritizing vacations
20:17 - Handling client re-homing & transitioning
24:24 - Upcoming goals
27:51 - Connect with Jessica & join her bookkeeping systems lounge

“You have to be willing to think a little bit differently about your business. If you follow what everyone else is doing, you’re going to get the same results everybody got.”
-Racheal Cook

Building a business is hard. There are so many barriers to success that the last thing we need is to get in our own way, either by supremely undervaluing our skills, or dramatically overestimating the market for them. We all want to follow our passions, but we need to temper that desire with the real-world potential of earning from it. 

We start our own businesses to gain the flexibility and freedom often not afforded to us elsewhere. But we must be careful not to let our pricing trap us into a situation where we may be our boss but have no time or energy for anything else. 

Racheal Cook, owner of the CEO Collective and host of the Promote Yourself To CEO podcast, is this episode’s featured guest. She has spent her career helping women create sustainable success on their own terms. She speaks to the power of breaking free of entrepreneurial poverty, how to price your value, and why investing in relationships matters. 

If you are struggling, unsure why everyone else seems so successful, but you are working more and more hours and only being rewarded with less time and energy, then this is the episode to help level up your thinking into a more proactive and strategic mindset. 

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of investing in relationships
• How to break free of entrepreneurial poverty
• The importance of pricing for the value of your skills

To find out more about Racheal, click here. 

Connect with her on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Listen to Racheal's Promote Yourself To CEO podcast.

Time Stamps    

01:37 - Racheal discusses her career journey 
04:05 - Eliminating entrepreneurial poverty
08:12 - Finding the value in your offering
11:05 - Pricing for your business
13:01 - Underpriced & overworked 
17:50 - Lifetime client value
27:35 - Committing to building relationships 
32:10 - Promote yourself to CEO

This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Sage!

On May 30th at 5:30pm ET, join their team for an exciting night in Toronto to celebrate the launch of their new product, Sage for Accountants. :)

Meet fellow colleagues, enjoy free drinks and food, experience amazing entertainment, and best of all, get a chance to win an evening at the all-inclusive Blue Jays Suite! 

Spots are limited so make sure you secure your tickets TODAY by clicking this link. It's a party you don't want to miss!

Do you want friends or clients?

Today’s guest receives both by doing two simple things.

He listens to people and asks questions.

Michael Braun is a virtual financial manager, profit advisor and founder of Upfront Consulting.

He figured out that you can easily win friends by asking questions then they can be your clients by listening to them.

During the interview, you'll discover...

• The importance of having a client success manual and advance mindset
• The significance of value pricing and charging upfront
• Books and other resources that could help in getting premium clients

To find out more about Michael, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

You're not alone.

According to our guest, Melanie Power, who is the head of bookkeeping at Xero, many bookkeepers are working on their own.

They might have staff, but they probably aren't as like-minded.

As a result, bookkeeping can be isolating, but there's a way to battle that.

You could start by joining bookkeeper communities like Melanie's Bookkeeper Revolution and our own Successful Bookkeeper Facebook Group.

It's a great way to share challenges and wins with people who know what you're going through and are willing to support you.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• How to collaborate with bookkeepers across the globe
• Why selling isn't a dirty word
• The importance of getting your business model down

To find out more about Melanie, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Technology.

It can benefit your bookkeeping business in so many ways including improving your cash flow.

Our guest, Robbie Randall, who is an Intuit Business Development Manager, has used technology to do this and to eventually help firms scale and grow their businesses.

During the interview, you'll discover...

• How technology can play a major role in scaling your business
• How to implement technology that is meaningful to your business
• How running lean can help your business

To find out more about Robbie, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Things have changed.

Thanks to the pandemic, employers everywhere have had to adapt to a new normal especially in regards to working remotely for themselves and their employees.

Bookkeeping business owners with staff understand this reality.

Just because the workplace is different doesn’t mean it can be any less productive or profitable.

This week’s guest believes in having freedom and flexibility for his staff when it comes to where they work.

Those values have allowed his business to create a terrific work from home culture that has been able to be successful during this new era.

Jeremy Allen is the owner System Six Strategic Bookkeeping & Analysis. He used the above values to help build his business from his kitchen table in Seattle to a company that now generates over a million dollars per year.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The importance of having great workflow management in a remote office
• Tips on how to keep you aligned with your team
• The obstacles of operating a cloud-based bookkeeping business from home & how to overcome them

To find out more about Jeremy, click here. 

To listen to his previous appearance, check this out. 

Exhausted.

Entrepreneurs and business owners alike struggle with burnout. The physical and mental toll of working nonstop can have serious effects on your health. 

Our guest this week is Amber Hawley, a group psychotherapy practice owner, host of My Biz Bestie podcast and mother of three. She works with entrepreneurs on the emotional side of business - how to prevent burnout, manage ADHD, and find work-life balance. 

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The COVID-19 pandemic's impact on well-being
  
• How to spot burnout & build habits to prevent it
  
• The vital importance of sleep for stress management 
  

Find out more about Amber on her website.

Learn about her My Biz Bestie podcast here.

Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Time Stamps

2:00 - About Amber Hawley

3:29 - Obstacles she overcame growing her own business

5:45 - Supporting people with ADHD & how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted her clients 

8:09 - Burnout signs, symptoms & strategies

17:22 - The importance of sleep & its relationship with stress

22:30 - How to get more sleep

How can I make things more valuable and useful for my clients?

A central question for all bookkeeping business owners alike.

Teresa Slack is the co-founder of Financly, a Pure Bookkeeping licensee and valued member of the Pure Bookkeeping community. 

She joins us this week to talk about client onboarding, an often overlooked process that when structured correctly can be a powerful tool to build strong relationships with your clients and grow trust early. 

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The importance of onboarding processes
  
• Critical areas to consider when onboarding new clients
  
• How to use pre-onboarding to maximize client trust 
  

Connect with Teresa on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Financly by visiting their website.

A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT for Successful Bookkeeper podcast listeners!!

Join us December 2nd, 2021 at The Successful Bookkeeper Summit - a two-day free virtual event featuring inspiring speakers from the bookkeeping, accounting and business worlds! Teresa is part of this incredible lineup and will be speaking about e-commerce.

To save your free spot, CLICK HERE. 

Time Stamps

03:23 - Updates on Teresa’s business, Financly

11:42 - The importance of client onboarding and what you can do to improve your clients’ experience

21:02 - Documenting your processes to help you improve them

23:25 - How long should it should take to onboard clients

24:25 - Pre-onboarding clients & three things you should consider

Are you introverted?

If so, you're not alone.

Many bookkeepers are.

But, what if there were ways to be more at ease around people and have win-win partnerships with them?

Today's guest, Siobhan Harrop-Scott of Harrop Scott & Associates Ltd., has some ideas that just might help.

Through her bookkeeping business, she's developed hundreds of connections and has become a terrific leader for her staff.

During this insightful interview, you'll learn... 

• The importance of listening and taking notes when speaking with people and having a system to record that information for future meetings
• Why you must be supportive and consistent in your daily communication with your staff
• Why building positive relationships are good for relieving stress

To find out more about Siobhan, visit here. 

Have you ever reached a breaking point?

Today's guest sure did.

It happened when he accidentally saved over an important client invoice then he “just kinda snapped.”

That's when he realized when there's an invoice you need FreshBooks.

Mike McDerment is the co-founder and CEO of FreshBooks which is the #1 invoicing and accounting software in the cloud designed exclusively for self-employed professionals and their teams.

Built in 2003, he spent 3 and a half years growing the company from his parents’ basement.

Since then, over 10 million people have used FreshBooks to save time billing and collect billions of dollars.

During this interview, you'll discover...

• How to de-risk major concerns
• How to price your services
• How to embrace Impostor Syndrome

To find out more about Mike, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

“I’ve heard people get to 5-6 staff, and they’re making basically the exact same money they were at 2 staff. And that doesn’t make any sense!”

-Louie Prosperi
 
All of us know what it feels like to learn from our mistakes. But we don’t often pause to think about just how much faster we could have realized them if we spent more time engaged with those in our industry that have walked our path before.
 
Of course, everyone has a different business experience. But that doesn’t mean you have to struggle along by yourself. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience out there, just waiting to be discovered.
 
Louie Prosperi, founder of Strategic Clarity and our new Spotlight session host, is this episode’s featured guest. Michael and Louie get to grips with the benefits of the right business model for the right business, the advantages of learning from others, and upcoming Successful Bookkeeper events.
 
If you are struggling and spending too much time working IN your business and not enough time working ON your business, be sure to follow the link below to sign up for free to join us for The Successful Bookkeeper Summit in November.
 
During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of connecting with new communities
• How to get involved with The Successful Bookkeeper Summit in November
• The importance of crowdsourcing knowledge to build your bookkeeping business

Click here to find out more about Louie.
 
Connect with Louie on LinkedIn and Twitter.
 
Click here to know more about upcoming Successful Bookkeeper events.
 
Don’t miss a chance to get your free ticket to The Successful Bookkeeper Summit on November 9, 2022! Click here for more information.
 
Time Stamps
 
01:38 - Louie talks about his career journey
03:43 - Michael & Louie talk about the new TSBK Spotlight sessions
06:55 - Preparing for The Successful Bookkeeper Summit
13:14 - The power of digital connection
21:14 - The future of The Successful Bookkeeper
26:23 - Discussion regarding the 2023 Tech Showcase

“When a business owner is supported and when they have extra funds available, those funds usually funnel back into their local community.”
-Julie Walters

Welcome to our 400th EPISODE!! 

Thank you for your support!

Now let's get to the episode... :)

Best practice isn’t what everyone else is doing, it is learning from everyone else and building practices that work best for you. When we consistently deliver on our processes, we automatically create the space for growth as things begin to run themselves. 

There is never a right time to make a start or take the next step in your bookkeeping business. If we don’t make the change today, 12 months from now we’ll find ourselves stuck in the same position, wishing we had acted sooner. 

Julie Walters, owner of Pathfinder Bookkeeping and Tax, is this episode’s featured guest. She has spent her career helping businesses grow and prosper. She speaks powerfully about the safety and security our businesses provide us, while explaining just how far-reaching the impact of what we do can be felt by others. 

If you are struggling to build effective systems and processes into your business, aren’t sure how to communicate your skills or worth to your clients, or just want to modernize your business without leaving your clients behind, this is the episode to set your business in motion.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of Pure Bookkeeping as a tool for your success
• How to find the courage to take a leap
• The importance of bringing our clients with us on our journey

To find out more about Julie, click here.

Connect with her on LinkedIn.

To learn more about Pure Bookkeeping, visit this link.

Time Stamps
 
01:27 - Julie discusses her career journey
03:39 - Navigating the highs & lows 
06:01 - Taking the leap 
10:41 - Bringing our clients with us
12:48 - How Pure Bookkeeping can help you
14:53 - Building your dream team
17:14 - Never a right time 
20:00 - Growing with your business 
27:06 - Measuring the impact ripple
33:44 - Looking to the future

-Jasen Stine

It is easy to get set in our ways. To let fear of the future, change and innovation, keep us locked into the same patterns. That at one time may have served us, but now only serves to limit our growth.

Understanding the value of your own expertise will make it easier to move away from compliance bookkeeping. Utilize your skills as an advisor to offer far better value to your clients. When you connect with other bookkeepers and thought leaders, you will be better positioned and informed on the cutting edge of industry innovations. Learning from others, to offer more impactful services.

Jasen Stine, a Tax and Account Education Leader at Intuit and AccounTrends podcast host, and Jim Buffington, an Advisory Services Leader at Intuit Accountants, are the featured guests of a special Spotlight episode!

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of recognizing the potential of your own expertise
• How to switch from a compliance to an advisory mindset
• The importance of building relationships with like-minded people & thought leaders

Learn more about Intuit here.

Check out the Intuit Accountants’ Tax Pro Center at this link. 

Listen to the AccounTrends Podcast here. 

Connect with Jasen on LinkedIn.

Connect with Jim on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Time Stamps
 
1:40 - Jasen & Jim discuss their career journeys 
4:40 - Overcoming the big challenges 
9:40 - The needs of accountants 
17:10 - Getting your focus right 
22:00 - Building connections to cultivate expertise 
29:49 - Helpful resources for listeners
34:10 - Connecting thought leaders

“If you’re not uncomfortable in what you’re doing, you’re not growing.”

-Lora Lonesberry

Habits are hard to break. Though we may feel safe, set in our ways, being too unwilling to learn new things, can only hurt the long-term viability of your bookkeeping business. When you learn to embrace and adapt to new insights and technologies, you’ll keep yourself a step ahead of those that can only stand still.

Recognizing what it is you love about your career, will give you the perfect starting line. There will always be aspects of the job that aren’t as glamorous, but when you are open to learning new things, a world of automation and systemization opens up to you.

There is a wealth of training and technology that can be utilized and tailored to get things running in the background. Leaving you all the more time to focus your attention on the areas of your business that bring you the most purpose and joy.

Lora Lonesberry, owner of Positive Statements, understands all of this.

In part two of her conversation with Michael, she provides insight on these topics...

• How to modify your bookkeeping business to run more effectively & efficiently
• The value of recognizing where your passion truly lies
• The importance of adapting to continuous industry changes

“Yeah, there’s a risk, but if I don’t try, then I will never achieve any of the things that I want to achieve.”

-Dr. Sue Haywood 
 
The fear of failure can be debilitating. It can sap our confidence and force us to remain in situations of discomfort for far longer than is healthy. But more often than not, this is a self-imposed form of torture. The worst thing that can happen to us, is so much worse in our imaginations, than in our real and true abilities to meet difficulties head-on and resolve them.
 
When we are only judging ourselves or others on one aspect of life, from one perspective, it can be easy to feel that we are failing again and again. But burnout is not borne from an individual lack of effort, but a lack of support and understanding around every part of ourselves, not just who we are when we are at work.
 
Dr. Sue Haywood, a retention and workforce productivity expert and head people officer at Business Sherpa Group, talks about reframing failure, redefining workplace culture and creating successful dialogue in the virtual world.
 
During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of prioritizing feelings to save on finances
• How to create engagement in a virtual world
• The importance of recognizing failure as an opportunity for growth

Learn more about Business Sherpa here.
 
Connect with Sue on:

LinkedIn
Twitter
 
Time Stamps       

1:40 - Sue talks about her career journey
4:10 - Learning the lessons life has to teach
5:45 - Overcoming failure
10:30 - Recognizing what matters to us
16:10 - Redefining workplace culture
19:30 - How to support mental health & prevent burnout
24:48 - The whole package
28:40 - Focusing on feeling then finance
32:00 - Engagement in a virtual world

Do you know what a lion looks like?

Of course you do.

Your brain automatically creates an image that needs no explanation.

Unfortunately, when you introduce yourself as a bookkeeper, people automatically have a mental picture of someone who does data entry, collects receipts and so on.

If you're trying to set yourself apart, your label has to change.

Our guest, Mike Michalowicz, who is the author of books such as Profit First, The Pumpkin Plan and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, can help you stand out.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• Why becoming a profit advisor is more attractive to potential clients than just being a bookkeeper
• Why you should learn the envelope banking system then teach it to your customers for their financial health
• How you can use the power of Parkinson's law to help you and your clients' businesses

To find out more about Mike, his newly revised book, Profit First and his white paper, How Bookkeepers Can Position Their Business To Get More Clients, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

“It was the community that came with Pure Bookkeeping. And from that community, it was the resources that became available to me that, I believe, pushed this business to where it is already in such a short time.”

This week’s guest is a Pure Bookkeeping licensee from Melbourne, Australia where she is the owner of her own bookkeeping business (Zilch Bookwork), a romance novelist and even a qualified hairdresser.

Helen Konstan shares her bookkeeping journey with us and explains how Pure Bookkeeping has supported and fast-tracked Zilch Bookwork’s growth.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• How the Pure Bookkeeping community helped grow her business
• Why caring & compassionate bookkeepers are more successful
• Why you should value your time as a bookkeeper & how to price accordingly

You can find out more about Helen and Zilch Bookwork here. 

To connect with her on LinkedIn, click this link.

To explore Pure Bookkeeping, check out purebookkeeping.com.

Time Stamps
1:57 - Helen’s journey: from working at her family business to owning her own
4:30 - Starting her business Zilch Bookkeeping
9:10 - How Pure Bookkeeping has impacted her business
14:31 - The Pure Bookkeeping community & how it has helped her business grow
17:13 - Business before & after implementing the Pure Bookkeeping system
22:03 - Bookkeeper or Data Integrity Specialist?
26:15 - Key to success: being caring
31:34 - Valuing your time as a bookkeeper & making sure the price is right

“Leadership is something you do with people, not to people.”
-Dr. Elizabeth Moran   
 
We have all found ourselves at one time or another having to react to an unexpected change. Often those of us that go into business for ourselves do so to have more freedom and control over the decisions that will affect the long-term viability of our businesses.
 
Problems start to occur when we become so avoidant of change that we fail to address the concerns our employees or clients have in the choices and changes we make. But we do not have to fear change or be reactive and defensive to its presence in our lives.
 
Dr. Elizabeth Moran, an experienced leader, consultant, and coach is this episode’s featured guest. Dr. Moran has spent her career helping teams and organizations navigate and evolve through complex changes. She speaks powerfully to the need for curiosity when addressing change, the value of allowing yourself and your teams to explore and play with what the changes may mean, and how to take the time to reconnect with why you wanted to do what you do in the first place.
 
If you are struggling to adapt to change or find it challenging to evolve at the same pace as your teams, leaders, or other organizations, this is the episode to help you take a pause, dig into where you are placing your energy and intention, and get curious about what changes could really mean.
 
During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value in taking time to reflect on the impacts of change
• How to overcome resistance to change
• The importance of reconnecting with your why 

Click here to find out more about Elizabeth.
 
Connect with her on LinkedIn.
  
Click here to pre-order Elizabeth’s new book, "Forward: Leading Your Team Through Change."
 
Time Stamps
       
01:51 - Elizabeth talks about her career journey
04:52 - The peaks & valleys of starting your own business
11:08 - Common mistakes facing leaders
16:42 - Understanding why we resist change
22:17 - Embracing the chaos of change
26:01 - The networks of our brain & how to engage them
29:41 - Taking a pause to truly reflect on what leadership means
33:38 - What it means to be a change maker
40:40 - Adapting, evolving, and overcoming
45:14 - What does change mean for me & why?
50:14 - Elizabeth talks about her new book 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

Don’t miss your LAST chance to get your free ticket to The Successful Bookkeeper Summit! Click here for more information!

“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

Are you looking for clients?

If you're just starting your bookkeeping business then you might be.

If you're already up and running then maybe you'd like to add some more business.

A way to do it other than spending thousands of dollars on marketing is to get referrals.

How do you do that?

Our returning guest, Melissa Lenos of King Accounting Solutions, knows how to master this fine art.

She never spends money on advertising because her revenue comes strictly from referrals only.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• How to turn a conversation with your client's accountant into a new referral partnership
• Why you should have lunch and learns with senior managers at accounting firms
• How to leverage BNI to have a 30-50 person sales team for your bookkeeping business

To find out more about Melissa, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

“Money is an energetic source in our world. When you get it, you feel really good, and when it leaves, you feel very bad. That's an energy. That's an exchange.”
-Lou Clarke

Lou Clarke, who is a CFO and profit strategist, discusses the power of confidence, pricing strategies, and how bookkeepers can shift into advisory roles to better serve clients. She also explains the importance of understanding money dynamics and building a business that truly thrives.

To learn more about Lou, click here.

Follow her on Instagram.

Time Stamp

01:10 - Lou’s Journey into Bookkeeping
03:30 - Early Business Growth & Pricing Challenges
06:40 - Losing a Major Client & Financial Struggles
10:00 - The Road to Financial Recovery
15:00 - Finding Clients & Business Growth Strategies
20:30 - Pricing for Value & Selling Results
25:10 - Confidence & Business Success
30:00 - Transitioning to Advisory & Profit First
35:50 - Understanding the Energetics of Money
40:20 - What’s Next for Lou
45:00 - How to Connect with Lou

“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!

Stories are everywhere.

They’re in movies, television, books, podcasts and, yes, even in your clients’ financial numbers.

This week’s guest knows a lot about storytelling.

Joe DiSanto is a former owner of a Los Angeles-based multimillion-dollar production company and is now the founder of a finance, business and real estate firm called Play Louder. He’s basically an independent part-time Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for small businesses.

He feels by digging into your clients’ numbers, you can unearth the story of how healthy or unhealthy their businesses are.

Once you have that information, you become incredibly valuable because you can update them about their situation, so they can take action to avoid potential disaster.

During this interview, you'll also learn...

• Why you should educate yourself in tax planning & tax efficiency
• Why telling your clients to do their personal finances just like their business finances is a good idea
• Why you need to encourage your customers to prepare & save for their future

To find out more about Joe, click here.

To learn more about Play Louder, visit this link.

Emails.

According to our return guest, productivity expert and owner of Simpletivity, Scott Friesen, he says the average professional spends 6.3 hours per day tending to their emails in some capacity.

Those are easily hours that could be dedicated to more important things, but for many reasons we're choosing to be a slave to our inboxes.

Today that's about to end.

It's time you take a stand and Scott will help.

During this informative interview, you'll learn...

• Why you should space out the time in between checking emails
• How to turn off your email notifications
• Why it's important to acknowledge email requests quickly & provide a deadline to address them

To find out more about Scott, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

The art of influence and persuasion.

It’s amazing how if you use the right language (verbal or written), you can dramatically improve how many clients you can attract to your bookkeeping business.

This week’s guest, Dr. Robert Cialdini will give you a Masterclass in how to ethically use his 7 principles of persuasion that are mentioned in the updated version of his legendary best-selling book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.

He’s been teaching this topic for nearly four decades and his insights have been tested and proven.

One of his principles that can help you immediately is Authority.

People want to follow the lead of experts. So, make sure your credentials are on your website, LinkedIn and resume. Never brag about yourself in person with prospects. Let your credentials do the talking.

If you’re a busy bookkeeping business owner and you’re talking to a prospect, never tell them that once they’re onboard, “I’ll pass you over to our Junior bookkeeper.”

By saying the word “Junior” destroys the authority of that person in your prospect’s eyes instantly.

Who would want to trust her finances to a “junior” bookkeeper? It sounds like she’s inexperienced.

Instead, if you tweak the sentence by saying, “You’ll be working with Sally who is a fantastic bookkeeper with 5 years of experience working with clients such as yourself.”

That reframe immediately makes that person sound more credible and trustworthy.

This is just ONE bit of gold you’ll get from this episode.

During this interview, you’ll also discover...

• The power of having a simple welcome letter on your website to increase your sales leads
• Why providing value to prospects FIRST can lead to big wins for your bookkeeping business
• How to defend yourself from people who are unethically using persuasion techniques

To learn more about Dr. Cialdini and Influence At Work, visit this website.

To buy his updated edition of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, click here.

“Far too many professionals want to feel good about themselves and demonstrate their expertise, but what they do is, they jump in and talk about how they are going to solve the problem before they have an understanding as to the value to the customer.”

-Ed Kless
 
Welcome back to another spotlight session with your host, Louie Prosperi, the second in our three-part series on subscription models for bookkeeping and accounting businesses.
 
When trying to sell ourselves to clients, we often believe we have to offer the best and most rapid solution to their problem, in order to beat the competition. But is this way of connecting with clients hurting your bookkeeping business?
 
This episode’s featured guest is Ed Kless, Senior Director of Sage Accounting Solutions and co-host of The Soul of Enterprise podcast. Ed speaks to the need to avoid being a solutionist, to avoid jumping the gun to secure a client before you can fully explore the true value of what they need. The best way to express your expertise isn’t to fix problems for free or to undercut yourself, it is to ask the right questions. To replace advice with curiosity. Only when you know what a client values can you put the right price to it.
 
Once you know what clients value, you’ll know where they fit in a subscription model and know how to structure different subscription levels, for clients with similar needs.
 
If you are someone that wants to unlock the potential of subscription modeling but is afraid of giving up too much too soon, this episode will change the way you think about your relationship with your clients.
 
During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of asking the right questions to prevent undercutting yourself
• How to integrate value pricing into a subscription model
• The importance of tailoring your pricing to customer needs

 Click here to find out more about Ed.
 
Email him directly at ed.kless@sage.com.
 
Connect with Ed on LinkedIn or Twitter.
 
Click here to listen to The Soul of Enterprise.
 
Go to this link to pre-order Ron Baker's new book, Time's Up!

Both Ron and Ed will be speaking at The Successful Bookkeeper Summit which begins November 9, 2022. Click here to get your FREE ticket!
 
Time Stamps      

02:33 - The subscription model for accounting firms
04:40 - Integrate values priced pricing with a subscription model
06:30 - Don’t give away the farm by overselling too quickly
10:40 - Replacing advice with curiosity
17:00 - Pricing the portfolio & the relationships
20:01 - Tailoring your pricing to your customer's needs
23:25 - Adding value & innovation to your offering
29:35 - Asking the right questions to build the right relationships
32:25 - The difference between reoccurring & recurring revenue
35:33 - Valuation in the subscription model
38:24 - The Soul of Enterprise

“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

Hiring mistakes.

Unfortunately, many bookkeeping business owners make them.

Those poor decisions likely cause emotional and financial stress in addition to the large amount of time used to mop up the bookkeeping messes of those you thought could do the job.

One man who has cracked the code on how to hire great and loyal staff is our guest today, Bob Wang.

He is the owner of Legacy Advantage which has 2 offices and around 15 employees and will make $1 million in sales this year.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The importance of building a powerful company vision that will inspire others to want to be on your team
• Why having the right culture fit is a huge requirement when hiring someone new
• How to craft an effective and unique job advertisement that will attract your ideal future employees

To find out more about Bob, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

“You don’t have to be the best salesperson in the world. To be good at marketing a bookkeeping business, you just need to be good enough that you stand out in that crowd. You have to get good enough, you don’t have to become the world’s best marketer. “
- Peter Cook

We might be excellent bookkeepers, but that doesn’t mean we are automatically great business managers. It’s important to take the time to figure out where our skills are strong and where they could use improvement. If your passion and skill lie in the numbers, there is nothing wrong with focusing your attention there. 

Things start to slip or feel unmanageable in our businesses when we find ourselves spending a lot of time doing things we don’t love. Even if we are not in a position to outsource the work, by connecting with others, we open up a world of experience, where we can find people who have already solved our problems. And whose problems we may have already solved. 

Peter Cook, co-author of the E-Myth Bookkeeper and co-founder of Pure Bookkeeping, is this episode’s featured guest. This third episode on The Emyth Bookkeeper explores management, the challenges of growing a business, and why community matters. 

If you are drowning in your business, or want to learn more about what it takes to be a better manager, then this is the episode to help you take stock of your skills and explore connections with people who can help.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of challenges as steps to growth
• How to manage your business with your passion in mind
• The importance of community in solving problems 

Click here to find out more about Peter.

Connect with Peter on LinkedIn.

Get your copy of The E-Myth Bookkeeper.

Click here to listen to the first episode.

Click here to listen to the second episode.

Time Stamps
03:00 - The challenge of growing a business 
06:23 - Getting good enough 
08:45 - Taking score of your business 
12:46 - Finding your people 
17:24 - Building a business you love 

This episode is brought to you by Pure Bookkeeping. It's the proven system to grow your bookkeeping business.

“I think there are three main things that are super important for running a business. One is knowing how to be a great leader and a great manager of people. There’s learning how to hire the right people for your business and how to build a team. And then there’s knowing how to follow the rules and stay out of trouble!”
-Jackie Koch

As with all things in life and business, the earlier we get plans and systems in place, the more time, energy and money we will save down the road. This is especially true when it comes to employees. How do we know if we are hiring and firing too quickly or too slowly? The answer is we probably don’t. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

We all want to do as much for ourselves as possible, but even if we can spread our knowledge to cover all the bases in a simple way, we will never be as good as a dedicated expert. We can guess what we need to do, but when we don’t know what we don’t know, there are going to be gaps. 

Jackie Koch, founder of People Principles and host of the World’s Greatest Boss podcast, is this episode’s featured guest. She has spent her career helping people create and maintain HR strategies for lasting success. Jackie and Michael explore the way small mistakes often lead to big problems, the value experts add to your business and the true meaning of Hire Slow, Fire Fast. 

If you want to hire new people or are finding exit conversations too challenging, this is the episode that will get you connecting with the right people to help you find your right people.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of expert experience in building your bookkeeping business
• How to hire & fire the right people at the right time
• The importance of catching mistakes early 

To find out more about Jackie, click here .

Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Learn more about the World’s Greatest Boss Podcast.

Time Stamps

01:54 - Jackie discusses her career journey 
05:09 - Small mistakes lead to big problems 
08:51 - Understanding the value of an expert 
14:12 - Hire slow 
22:47 - Fire fast!
30:44 - Finding the right fit 
34:58 - Jackie’s recommendations

This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Payworks!

If you're looking for a reliable and affordable payroll platform for your business, look no further!

To learn more, visit Payworks.ca TODAY!

“The education mindset just has to be a part of your DNA these days.”

That is what our guest this week says about how bookkeeping businesses can stay on top of emerging technology trends. 

Robbie Randall, Partner Development Manager with the Intuit accountants channel and a regular contributor to Firm of the Future and Tax Pro Center blogs, joins us this week to talk about how cloud computing is transforming businesses of all sizes. He discusses how technology continues to shape and change the way we do business. 

During this interview, you'll learn...

• How businesses have managed their transition to cloud
  
• Benefits of artificial intelligence & machine learning in accounting platforms like QuickBooks Online
  
• The importance of continuous learning & staying current on the latest technological innovations
  

Connect with Robbie on LinkedIn

Learn more about QuickBooks Connect here.

A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT for Successful Bookkeeper podcast listeners!!

Join us December 2nd, 2021 at The Successful Bookkeeper Summit - a two-day free virtual event featuring inspiring speakers from the bookkeeping, accounting and business worlds! Teresa is part of this incredible lineup and will be speaking about e-commerce.

To save your free spot, CLICK HERE. 

Time Stamps

2:42 - Robbie’s career journey

9:49 - Common challenges faced by large and small businesses during the pandemic

12:35 - Transitioning businesses to cloud & remote capabilities

17:37 - Artificial Intelligence and machine learning in QuickBooks Online & QuickBooks Online Accountant

“Once you get going, you get more and more productive.”

-Amanda Hamilton 

Our bookkeeping businesses are our babies. We put the work in with the hope they’ll grow healthy and strong. But sometimes this desire can overwhelm our ability to step back, and to delegate tasks that leave us more time to focus on the areas we really love to work in. Don’t wait until you are burnt out to start planning what to delegate, start small and simple and build on it from there.
 
If your business life is task-heavy, it is not going to feel fulfilling. Letting go of the need to handle everything yourself is challenging, but when you start with the smaller tasks, it gets easier to layer on more complicated ones as your faith in those you have delegated to begins to grow.
 
Amanda Hamilton, Founder of Hamilton Raye, is this episode’s featured guest. She specializes in connecting the right people based on experience and personality, to free up valuable time and energy. By creating a list of your intended priorities and focusing on your pain points, you too can figure out the best tasks to delegate and where your true passion in your business lies.
 
During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of being intentional about how & what you delegate
• How to gain access to experienced talent without the added cost
• The importance of delegating & outsourcing tasks

Click here to learn more about Hamilton Raye.

Connect with Hamilton Raye on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
 
Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn.

 Time Stamps    

1:42 - Amanda talks about her career journey
5:05 - Gaining access to people with experience
9:02 - Delegating with intention
12:22 - The signs that show you need help
14:52 - Picking the easiest tasks to delegate
17:35 - Dealing with a lack of standardization
20:10 - Hamilton Raye’s onboarding process
25:30 - The five keys of outsourcing

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

This episode is sponsored by LiveFlow. It's a software that connects to all of your clients' QuickBooks accounts and imports their financial reports from QuickBooks into Google Sheets in no time! To learn more about it and how you can save 20% off your first three months, click this link - liveflow.io/partnerships/successfulbookkeeper - then claim your discount with the promo code SUCCESS.

“I have been a small business owner, and I know when you are short of cash, that three or four days of time, if you could get that money early, that could be a game-changing event for your life.”
-Nick Chandi

The world is constantly changing, and the pace of that change has never been quicker. Despite this, North America is lagging behind Asia in its adoption of instantaneous payment technologies. We may have digital transactions and payments that seem instant, but even these rely on an old system of checks and balances within our banks to resolve.

Nick Chandi, CEO and co-founder of Forwardly is this spotlight session's special guest. He helped create the first real-time payment solution for small businesses in the United States. Creating a platform that can automatically reconcile transactions for a more seamless and modern payment workflow. 

The old ways are comfortable, but we live in an on-demand economy, we want faster and more convenient services. Services that will become the norm in no time at all. While adapting to change can be stressful, there are people like Nick who make it their mission to make these changes as easy and comfortable as possible.

If you aren’t sure which direction the future of payments will take, or how it will apply to you, this is the episode for you to hear how your bookkeeping business could change for the better.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value & benefits of instant payments
• How better access to cash flow is better for business
• The importance of keeping up with the times

To learn more about Nick, find him on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Time Stamps

01:27 - Nick discusses his experiences founding Forwardly
02:35 - Revolutionizing transactions
05:33 - This bank is always open! 
08:16 - The value of access to better cashflow
12:28 - The benefits of instant payments 
21:38 - No risk, full rewards 
23:46 - The results so far 
26:07 - Features for the future

This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Forwardly!

Join the first real-time payments solution for small businesses in the United States. Start receiving funds three days earlier than ACH and for up to 80% fewer fees than cards! Visit Forwardly.com for more information!

“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 

eCommerce.

It is powerful and important especially in the current situation the world is in.

With his passion in technology, IT architecture and customer development, this week’s guest has become an expert in the eCommerce space and understands how it can benefit bookkeepers.

Michael Astreiko is the founder and CEO of a successful automation software called Synder which makes eCommerce bookkeeping an effortless experience.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• How eCommerce can help your bookkeeping business
• Tips on solving issues with refunds and chargebacks
• The benefits of having multi-currency and multiple sales channels

To find out more about Synder, visit https://synderapp.com/.

To connect with Michael on LinkedIn, click here. 

“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

Does this opportunity take me in the right direction?

According to our returning guests, answering that question and having a solid mission as a guide will make it easier for you to make choices for your bookkeeping business success.

Teresa Slack and Connie Smith (who are sisters) are the co-founders of Financly Bookkeeping Solutions and are Pure Bookkeeping licensees.

They realized there are many opportunities out there and because of that small business owners can get scattered and spread themselves too thin which can lead to their business struggling.

Teresa and Connie were able to avoid that fate by focusing and working hard which eventually led them to becoming the 2020 Certified Professional Bookkeepers of Canada FIRM OF THE YEAR!

During this interview, you'll discover...

• The importance of having someone to share ideas with and having a mentor
• Tips on rebuilding your business to have it ready for success
• The significance of having a solid mission as a guiding light and staying true to it

To find out more about Teresa and Connie, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Sales.

It’s a struggle for many bookkeepers, but it’s a skill that can definitely be learned and effectively implemented.

Debra Angilletta is the creator of Sales Mastery which is an online course for accountants and bookkeepers.

She has some insight into how you can be better at sales without it being a painful process for you.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The importance of knowing your ideal clients & niching your business
• Tips on making a sale & the order to do it
• The significance of asking questions & tonality

To learn more about Debra, visit MasterMySales.com. 

To connect with her on LinkedIn, go here. 

This episode is sponsored by our friends at SweetProcess. To begin your free 28-day trial visit SweetProcess.com/successfulbookkeeper today.

“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

“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! 

“We are in a supply/demand economy that favours the suppliers. And it's economics 101, if you have a supply shortage that can’t meet all the demand of the market, then you increase price.”
-Joe Woodard

Compliance is one of the biggest realms of challenge for bookkeepers, but it also provides consistent opportunity. The rules and regulations change so frequently that it can be hard to keep up, and if we feel that way, just imagine how non-bookkeeping businesses feel about it.

Supply and demand rule the market, and there is always going to be a supply of potential clients who would rather just pay someone to take care of the books for them. Despite this, we have to be careful not to fall into the trap of undercharging and over-promising. 

Having hundreds of clients might feel like a success, but it probably doesn’t to the clients who barely get any of our time and, of course, if you're overworked for long enough, burnout will likely be in your future.

Joe Woodard, acclaimed speaker and trainer, is this spotlight episode’s featured guest. He has spent his career helping businesses solve their complex operational needs and scale to new heights. In this episode, Joe and Louie Prosperi explore the importance of pricing, how to value your skills and experience and the role practice, planning and AI have in your business. 

If you are taking on more and more clients but are starting to fall behind your promises, then this is the episode to get you focused on building connections and pricing based on your unique abilities, not just how many people you can get on board.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of having a solid plan & sticking to it
• How to value your skills & experience
• The importance of knowing your worth when it comes to pricing

To find out more about Joe, click here.

Connect with him on LinkedIn.

To buy your tickets for the upcoming Scaling New Heights conference, check out this link.

Time Stamps

01:30 - Getting to grips with compliance 
04:35 - Making the best of engagement letters 
06:55 - Staying on track 
09:54 - Knowing your price 
18:25 - Thinking long-term 
24:40 - Valuation & profitability 
29:58 - Practice, planning and AI

“And so I went through all of the little folders and things that I had stored different goals, and I pulled them all into one place and had a whole week to really think about what I wanted my goals to be for next year. And that brought tremendous clarity.”
-Nancy Gwynne-Vaughan

In this episode, Nancy Gwynne-Vaughan, President of Graham Consulting & Training Inc., explores the realities of running a small business in the bookkeeping sector, offering insights on overcoming challenges, creating effective systems, and setting purposeful goals. She underscores the importance of adaptability, continuous learning, and support systems in navigating the complexities of business ownership.

To learn more about Nancy, click here.

Connect with her on LinkedIn.

If you need help building systems in your business, visit PureBookkeeping.com.

Time Stamp:

00:39 - The constant unpredictability & challenges of running a small business
03:01 - Building systems, managing staff effectively & creating a supportive team
04:54 - Reflecting on the past year & planning actionable steps for success
09:05 - Breaking down annual goals into quarterly & weekly plans
13:20 - How goal-setting & positive thinking can shape business outcomes
17:45 - Balancing personal & business goals
24:32 - Preparing for challenges
31:23 - Building a reliable team & leveraging tools
36:35 - Maintaining an entrepreneurial growth mindset
42:19 - Insights on lifelong learning, embracing change & finding fulfilment

Determination.

It is essential for the success of every business.

Today’s guest knows this well.

Jim Flauaus is the founder of Anchor Accounting & Tax, which works with small businesses across North America, and he's a Pure Bookkeeping licensee.

Like any entrepreneur, he’s had to deal with the highs and lows of owning a business, but he was determined to make it work.

During this interview, you'll discover...

• The importance of determination
• How to promote your business
• Why you should have a clear message to your prospects

To find out more about Jim, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

“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!

Welcome to 2022!

We hope you had a great holiday season.

This week we are revisiting our awesome panel of bookkeepers for part two of our Year-In-Review!

We are joined by a terrific bookkeeping panel who will share what they have learned in 2021. They talk about what strategies worked, what strategies failed and what they will carry into the new year as they plan for the future.

Our panel includes:

Debbie Roberts - Co-Founder of Pure Bookkeeping & Co-Author of E-Myth Bookkeeper 

Julie Watson - Director of Bookkeeping Relief Business Services & Australian Pure Bookkeeping licensee

Jessica Fox -  Founder of Florida Virtual Bookkeeper & American Pure Bookkeeping licensee

Teresa Slack - Co-Founder of Financly & Canadian Pure Bookkeeping licensee

Katrina Aarsman - CEO of Pure Bookkeeping Australia

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The best strategies & industry trends of 2021
  
• What they have learned from failure & what they will bring into the new year
  
• Their envisioned plans for their businesses in 2022 
  

Listen to The Successful Bookkeeper Year-In-Review Show! Part 1 here.

Time Stamps

1:45 - Strategies that led to great results in 2021

5:54 - Failed approaches & what to do better in the year ahead

19:45 - Biggest industry trends

31:01 - Plans for their businesses in 2022

“You can never become the master of one thing. There is always someone out there that knows a little bit of something you don’t have an area of knowledge in.”

-Lyla Smith
 
Technology is great, but it can sometimes limit and trap us into ways of processing information that fail when the software does. Getting back to basics, can help you grow by giving you a greater understanding of what the technology is doing, and what could be done to improve it. Our knowledge base becomes bigger and deeper when we understand what is going on in the background.
 
When you start to prize discipline and accountability as core tenets of your bookkeeping business, it enables you to come to communities with a hunger to learn new things, and the humility to share what you know and accept what you’re being taught.
 
Lyla Smith, owner of Mutch More Accounting and Bookkeeping Inc, is this episode's featured guest. Her approach sees knowledge as something to be learned and shared freely among the community. Rather than guarding what we know, sharing it to lift others when they need help, so that they might lift us in our time of need.
 
She believes when we show clients our humanity, they are far more likely to trust us with their money. If you are struggling to disengage from difficult or disrespectful clients, this is also the episode for you.
 
During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of knowing your worth to engage with the right clients
• How to work with communities to help lift others up
• The importance of committing to lifelong learning

The best way to contact Lyla is directly by email at admin@mutchmore.ca.

You can also learn more about her on LinkedIn.
 
Time Stamps
   
1:29 - Lyla talks about her career journey
3:08 - Changing with the times
5:20 - Committing to lifelong learning
10:06 - The benefits of the basics
13:45 - Collective mastery
18:45 - Opportunities are what you make of them
22:30 - Lyla talks about her experience with Pure Bookkeeping
30:04 - Disengaging from negative clients
35:38 - The value of honesty and accountability
38:37 - How to boundary your personal and professional life