"The fear of speaking isn't a random thing, but rather it's pointing to experiences in our past that led us to believe it's not safe." -Linda Ugelow In this episode, we’re joined by Linda Ugelow, a speaking empowerment coach and author of Delight In The Limelight, who turned her own fear of public speaking into a mission to help others find their voice. Linda shares the key mindset shifts that build confidence, showing how confronting past experiences and silencing negative self-talk can unlock powerful communication skills.  In this interview, you'll learn how to... Conquer public speaking fears through self-reflection Replace negative self-talk for better communication Improve speaking with better posture, voice & delivery Whether you want to feel more at ease in front of an audience or in daily conversations, her insights are invaluable for anyone looking to speak with greater confidence and clarity. To find out more about Linda, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 00:20 - The Importance of public speaking 03:13 - Linda's journey & the root causes of fear 08:55 - Clearing past experiences & healing the inner critic 16:32 - Enhancing communication skills: posture, voice & delivery 23:43 - The impact of effective communication on personal & business relationships 29:16 - Linda's book & podcast

Lauren Shippy, founder of StoryWork and expert in identity-based strategy, shares her entrepreneurial journey and insights. She emphasizes the significance of having a clear vision and purpose for business success. Lauren discusses how aligning priorities can help eliminate distractions and stay focused, while also highlighting the power of habits and routines in achieving goals. Offering practical strategies, she inspires both seasoned business owners and newcomers to embrace their paths with clarity and intentionality.

“I actually feel like AI is going to level the playing field for smaller firms, more than ever before. That’s an incredible thing, I think it’s an amazing opportunity in front of us.” -Tommy Vincent   The window of change gets shorter every day, and this can leave us feeling pressured to keep up, or frustrated that no sooner have we caught up, than the next innovation is speeding away from us again.   While it’s true technology is racing ahead on an exponential curve, we don’t have to. We don’t have to know how to build apps, read code or create the next step in technological development. We just have to get good at finding things that work for us and leveraging them before our competitors do.   While you can use AI to replace people, the quality of the work won't be as good. AI, at its best, will help us accelerate our system of checks and business processes to give us back our time. More time away from the mundane leaves more time for the things you love to do.   Tommy Vincent, VP of Sales at Hub Analytics, is this spotlight episode’s special guest. He has spent his career helping businesses understand their complex needs, and then align them with the right solutions.    During this interview, you'll learn... The value of AI in levelling the playing field  How to leverage technology in your business The importance of embracing technology as it shifts If you are curious about the future, worried about the pace of change, or just want to free up more time in your business, then this is the episode to get you leaning into technology in the way that works best for you!   To find out more about Tommy, click here.   Connect with him on Linkedin.   Time Stamps   01:26 - Tommy discusses his career journey  03:40 - The future of bookkeeping 06:00 - Embracing technology shifts 07:50 - Levelling the playing field  18:11 - Leveraging technology   26:17 - How Hub Analytics can help you thrive  31:40 - Learning more   This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Hub Analytics! Imagine having all your financial data in one place, with real-time analytics and customized reports at your fingertips. Hub Analytics is a financial platform that streamlines bookkeeping operations, so you can focus on what really matters—delivering high-quality results for your clients. With Hub's easy-to-use tools, you’ll save time, reduce errors, and gain deeper insights into your clients' financials! Ready to take your bookkeeping to the next level? Book a demo to learn more and start your FREE trial TODAY!  

“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!  

“I think the most important thing a bookkeeper can do is make a client feel like you care about their business. You care about their success, and your only purpose is to make sure that they are making more money.” -Tanya Fox   An idea doesn’t have to be original for it to work. There is no harm or shame in looking at what those you consider to be successful are doing and applying what works in your own business. So much time is wasted trying to reinvent the wheel, trying to learn to do things we hate, when we could simply partner with someone who fills those gaps.   Collaboration at its heart is about connection, understanding the needs of others and working to solve their problems either by handling it ourselves if the issue is in our wheelhouse, or being confident enough to pass paying work onto more skilled people. Knowing that when we do this, it builds trust and long-term connections that show that faith is rewarded with the kinds of work we actually enjoy.    Tanya Fox, bookkeeper, business coach and author of How To Collaborate, is the featured guest in this second of a two-part series.    During this interview, you'll learn... The importance of getting connected How to build on existing relationships The value of thinking outside the box To find out more about Tanya, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Time Stamps   01:22 - Getting connected  12:40 - Thinking outside the box  20:09 - If it works for others, why not for you? 22:51 - You can make it work 26:05 - Building on relationships

“What I realized only years later, in doing collaborations is that I had to stop assuming I knew what someone thought I was worth, or what they were getting is worth.” -Tanya Fox There exists a damaging belief in business that if we aren’t the ones handling every aspect of our work, that we aren’t successful. As much as we might like to believe we can do everything alone, trying to live this way is a surefire way to burn out.  Working with others is scary, handling employees is hard enough, but working with service partners and collaborators is even more fear-inducing. How do we know who is right for our business, who gets where we are coming from and what if they don’t care or apply as much effort as you think they should to our businesses? Working with others can be a nightmare, but it can also be an incredibly beneficial and rewarding experience. One where all parties can see the kind of positive results that could never have been achieved if they hadn't worked together.  Tanya Fox, bookkeeper, business coach and author of How to Collaborate, is the featured guest in the first of a two-part series. In part one, Tanya discusses her early days in business, how powerful collaboration can be, and why we each need to find our own path to collaborative success.  If you want to work with others but are jaded by bad past experiences, or maybe you don’t feel like what you have to offer is worth the effort of others, then this is the episode that will help you let go of always deciding you aren’t good enough.  During this interview, you'll learn... The value of knowing it’s okay to change your mind How collaboration can change your business The importance of failing forward  To find out more about Tanya, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Check out her website at this link. Time Stamps     01:44 - Tanya discusses her career journey  07:08 - Learning to collaborate 13:46 - Finding your ideal partners 17:19 - Charting your own course  24:07 - Going back to basics  This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Hub Analytics! Imagine having all your financial data in one place, with real-time analytics and customized reports at your fingertips. Hub Analytics is a financial platform that streamlines bookkeeping operations, so you can focus on what really matters—delivering high-quality results for your clients. With Hub's easy-to-use tools, you’ll save time, reduce errors, and gain deeper insights into your clients' financials! Ready to take your bookkeeping to the next level? Book a demo to learn more and start your FREE trial TODAY!  

“You’re meant to lead the way and if your plate is so full that you’re only doing things halfway, and not feeling really good about the job you’re doing, and how you can impact others, we need to really take a holistic look at what’s going on.” -Tonya Herb When our cars break down, we seek out a mechanic. We visit the doctor when we are sick. Yet in our businesses, we feel pressure to see to every single element of business activity. Running a business this way can only ever have one outcome: failure. It is not possible to do everything that needs to be done well enough that the edges don’t start to fray. From there, it's only a matter of time before everything we’ve worked so hard for, unravels completely. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can learn to delegate and share the load with others. People that fill and compliment your gaps, freeing you to focus on the things you love the most.   Tonya Herb, a life and leadership development coach, is this episode’s featured guest. She has spent her career helping entrepreneurs reclaim their time, overcome their fears and embrace success. In this episode, Tonya and Michael explore how to spend time more effectively, beating back overthinking, and why all the best leaders delegate.  If you are struggling to quiet an overactive mind, want to expand your business, but are afraid of being in charge, or want to learn from others, but aren’t sure where to start, then this is the episode that will get you thinking about the true value of your time.  During this interview, you'll learn... Why overthinking is killing your success How to spend your time & energy more effectively The importance of delegation  To find out more about Tonya, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 01:31 - Tonya discusses her career journey  03:58 - Knowing where to start  06:01 - Unlocking delegation  09:50 - Overcoming overthinking  16:18 - The fear of responsibility  25:34 - Where are you spending your time  27:50 - Surrounding yourself with success

“You’re not your client's bank. Contrary to some beliefs, you’re doing work for them and getting paid. There are different ways to structure your payment terms that limit your exposure.” -Michelle Bomberger We know as bookkeepers just how much relationships matter in business; we want our clients to invest in us to fill their gaps. But we often don’t want to invest in others to fill our own. This is especially true when it comes to the legal side of doing business. Legal help and advice are expensive, and many of us run with the belief that we’ll only need that kind of help if something goes wrong.  But like insurance, investing in a good legal advisor can help cover and protect you from all the things you fear, and all the things that could affect our businesses that we don’t even know about yet. Michelle Bomberger, Founder and CEO at Equinox Business Law Group, is this episode’s guest. She has spent her career helping businesses with their strategic decision-making, working together to build strong and lasting relationships that keep her clients protected. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of taking a proactive approach to protection How to give your contracts more teeth The Three Tiers of Protection  If you are struggling with your business’ legal infrastructure, aren’t sure how to protect yourself and your business or just want to give your contracts more teeth, this is the episode to get you thinking about putting protection in place before you need it! To find out more about Michelle, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter Take the Business Health Assessment here. Time Stamps 01:43 - Michelle discusses her career journey 05:22 - The three tiers of protection  08:10 - Finding the right lawyer for you 11:20 - Building trusting relationships 16:30 - Iron cladding your contracts  20:40 - Getting paid upfront  25:03 - Challenging illegal activity   28:04 - Managing conflicts of interest  33:02 - Being proactive for long-term security  35:01 - Business Health Assessment This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Sage! With the new Sage for Accountants, you can automate daily tasks and unlock not only more efficiency, but more time for valuable client collaboration all in one place! Learn more or get started for free at thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com/sage!

“The job of a good embezzler is to become the trusted bookkeeper.” -Ruth King The pace of change is exponential, and keeping up with all the new technologies is a real challenge. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We don’t have to chase every new invention; we need only to find the tools that make doing business for ourselves and our clients a little bit easier. The desire to keep up can lead us into all kinds of online traps. Theft is already a fact of life in business. If we aren’t paying attention, people will try to get away with anything they can. The same is true for AI and other tools. If you aren’t 100% confident in the tools you are using, perhaps it’s time to slow down and get sure. Trust but verify, not only your people but your tools too. It can be easy to pass off tasks to others, but if we let the pressure of keeping up force us to shift more information out of our eyeline, we can’t be surprised when that trust is taken advantage of.  Ruth King, who is a business advisor and author, is this week's featured guest. She has spent her career helping businesses get and stay profitable, by showing them how to leverage the best tools and processes for the task at hand. In this episode, Ruth and Michael discuss the importance of managing small problems before they get out of hand, protecting yourself and your business from theft, and what it means to have a financially fit business.   If you are struggling to get a grip on the latest tech, need to delegate but are concerned about who and what to trust, or just want to learn more about creating a financially fit business, then this is the episode to get you putting trust in the one place it matters most: yourself. During this interview, you'll learn... What theft looks like in the modern age & how to stop it How to create a successful & financially fit business The importance of managing the little things so they don’t get out of hand To find out more about Ruth, click here. Connect with Ruth on LinkedIn and Twitter. Learn more about Financially Fit Business.  Time Stamps 01:26 - Ruth discusses her career journey  03:36 - Fixing problems before they become a crisis 05:30 - Discovering AI 07:42 - Pay attention or face the consequences 12:29 - Be careful what you sign  16:45 - Making a difference  21:39 - Key elements of growth 23:24 - 14 Critical Trend Analysis 26:24 - Financial Fit Business     34:25 - Learning more about Ruth

“We’re actually biologically positioned and programmed to receive stories. For most of existence, for the hundreds of thousands of years humans have existed on the planet, we have not been able to transfer information in written form from one person to another.” -Matthew Dicks As bookkeepers, we love the details. We find patterns in them others struggle to see. But sometimes our love of numbers makes it hard to step away from pure and factual resolution. Think about a subject that bores you to tears, then imagine having to listen to a report about it. How we feel about those things is the same way others feel about bookkeeping. That is why we need something more than the numbers to not only get our clients on board but to keep them long-term. We need stories. We need ways of communicating that connect us through authentic and entertaining lived experiences.  Matthew Dicks, storyteller and bestselling author, is this episode’s featured guest. He has spent his career helping others tell their stories in compelling, and authentic ways. In this episode, he will discuss... The value of sharing your story with your clients How to tell a story, not read a report The importance of connecting business and story together  So, if you are struggling to compete in a market saturated with services. It might be time to think beyond your skills, to how you connect and relate with the people you hope to serve. This is the episode to help you do just that! To find out more about Matthew, click here. Connect with him on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook. Check out his TED talk, Homework For Life. Time Stamps     01:18 - Matthew discusses his career journey  05:52 - Reporting vs Storytelling  07:44 - Connecting story to business  15:20 - Building authentic connections  20:27 - Sharing our story  30:58 - Stories sell  This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Hub Analytics! Imagine having all your financial data in one place, with real-time analytics and customized reports at your fingertips. Hub Analytics is a financial platform that streamlines bookkeeping operations, so you can focus on what really matters—delivering high-quality results for your clients. With Hub's easy-to-use tools, you’ll save time, reduce errors, and gain deeper insights into your clients' financials! Ready to take your bookkeeping to the next level? Book a demo to learn more and start your FREE trial TODAY!