The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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