The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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