My guest today is Michelle Cooper, owner of Alchemy Accounting in Chilliwack, British Columbia in Canada. Alchemy Accounting works with coaches and consultants around the world who are seeking clarity in their numbers and profitability in their business.

Michelle is out to design a non-traditional accounting practice. And today we talk about what that might look like as technology enables more of us to be nomads at work. We also talk about the opportunity that presents for accountants to do taxes across international borders, and about how niching down saved her time and made her life easier. And finally, we talk about how discovering what’s called the Queen Bee Role in her business made operations clearer for everyone on her staff.

There was so much in Michelle’s story that I appreciated, and that I think listeners will appreciate too.

Some nuggets that stick with me are:

As always, how helpful it is to focus on in a profession, industry, or niche. EVERYTHING gets easier, and more of the right clients find their way to you. Remember that if you say you serve a broad range of clients, or you say you work with small business owners, families, and individuals - then you are talking to no one, and your signal is getting lost in the noise.
How uncovering the Queen Bee Role in her firm simplified not just her decision-making, but made it easier for her staff to make decisions without having to check with Michelle.
Opportunities are everywhere. There absolutely is more than enough work for every last accountant who wants to be profitable while helping their clients with financial literacy and being more profitable, and reducing tax exposure.
What you choose to focus on, is what you create. In short, your Reticular Activating System (RAS) takes what you focus on and creates a filter for it. So if you don’t think something is possible, you will find evidence to confirm that belief, and if you do think something is possible, your RAS will allow evidence to pass through its filter.