The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast

“I suppose I didn’t get quite as many things done, but the things I got done, I did a lot better.” -Minda Zetlin    Too many of us feel like if we aren’t working all the time, we aren’t doing a good job. We don’t expect an immediate response to emails, but when we get one, we feel a need to reply immediately. Setting expectations and boundaries is challenging. But without them, we’ll never feel comfortable enough to take the time we need to rest and recover.   We spend so much time chasing our work, that it can begin to feel like we live inside it. When we start to carve out time for ourselves, the quality of our work improves as we are able to decompress and gain some much-needed objectivity and perspective.   When your communication is objective, you don’t have to fear how your clients might behave, only trust that you have already done everything in your power to get the best possible outcome. Stressing or trying to take the burden on yourself will only burn you out faster.   Minda Zetlin, author of Career Self-Care and writer at Inc.com is this week's featured guest. Minda is all about self-care. Teaching you how to combine your work and personal lives, to build a career you love, without being miserable. Her approach puts the human first, to help you set expectations, that’ll keep you sane and happy.   If you are struggling to care for yourself, or to figure out what deserves your time and attention, then this episode is not to be missed!   During this interview, you'll learn... The value of clear communication in setting goals & boundaries How to create a healthy work-life balance The importance of taking time out to rest & get some perspective Check out Minda’s website at this link. Get her new book here.   Connect with Minda on LinkedIn and Twitter. Time Stamps 1:58 - Minda talks about her career journey 4:48 - Cultivating a healthy work-life balance 9:18 - Focusing our attention in the right directions 13:11 - The world won’t stop if you do 17:50 - Setting goals & deliverables 21:07 - Getting communication right 22:22 - How to self-care in the workplace 26:40 - Thinking differently about our interactions 30:20 - The importance of unplugging

“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 Connect with Lora on LinkedIn and Twitter.   Learn more about Positive Statements here and on LinkedIn.   Time Stamps      1:30 - The freedom of committing to choices 5:30 - The keys to your future 10:10 - Scaling your bookkeeping business 13:04 - Fulfilling your passion 18:30 - Adapting to continuous changes 23:30 - Investing in yourself 28:14 - Overcoming burnout to live more freely

“It’s like walking down the street naked. You can tell me whatever you like, but the numbers are going to tell the truth of what the story of your business is.” -Lora Lonesberry Running your own business is challenging. It can be easy to get caught up in the idea that you are competing against everyone else for a slice of the profit. But really the only person you have to compete with is yourself. Our struggles and mistakes offer us perspective and learning opportunities. Chances to figure out what we are doing wrong, so we can start getting it right. Rather than struggling and suffering over and over again, why not connect with like-minded people and learn from their mistakes as well as your own. Not to be better than them, but to better yourself. To find your niche and add value to your clients in the way only you can. Lora Lonesberry, owner of Positive Statements, is our featured guest for this two-part special. Today in Part 1, she talks about the value of immersing yourself in your industry, finding the right mentors to unlock your potential and diversifying your business to minimize risks. Her approach focuses on paying attention to the details and using the right tools to build meaningful and long-lasting relationships with clients. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of getting connected to your clients How to embrace technology & learning opportunities The importance of immersing yourself fully in your industry Learn more about Positive Statements here and on LinkedIn.     Connect with Lora on LinkedIn and Twitter.   Time Stamps      1:32 - Lora talks about her career journey 4:24 - Immersing yourself in your industry 8:09 - Seizing the moment 15:45 - Showing your clients your value 18:04 - The numbers don’t lie 26:14 - Taking interest in your clients 30:51 - Pricing on your Value 32:02 - Why you should consider becoming a Pure Bookkeeping licensee

“I think we oftentimes can look at what we are going through and assume, we are the only one who potentially has these problems.” — Christina Springstead It can be really challenging to invest in ourselves. To put time, money, energy, and effort into creating the kind of people we aspire to be. Fear of the unknown often holds us back and keeps us pent up in patterns and cycles of behavior that aren’t truly serving our purpose. Taking the leap can be hard, but it is much easier when you surround yourself with people that have already done it. We can often feel like connecting with like-minded people is a betrayal of our self-sufficiency. But it is the reverse, when we see it done, we believe more strongly than ever that we can do it too. When we see and feel people struggling up the same hills as us, we feel a sense of power in our collective connection. Christina Springstead, owner of Springstead Solutions and Accelerate 2 Advisor Program super ambassador, talks about the power of transformation, in having faith in yourself to overcome your inner critic and taking the leap into your dream future. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of connecting with your intuition and burning life desires How to transform your life by connecting with like-minded people The importance of firm boundaries to manage time and energy Learn more about Christina at this link. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter. Time Stamp 1:33 - Christina talks about her career journey 3:33 - Taking a leap of faith 4:35 - Dealing with your inner critic 5:45 - Overcoming challenges and obstacles 7:40 - Embracing Bookkeeping 10:55 - After the leap 13:33 - Christina talks about her biggest A-ha moment 17:35 - Transforming yourself, so you can transform others 22:00 - Finding your tribe 23:28 - The future of Christina’s business

“If the data exists digitally, the user should be able to control that information, and use it in any way they want.” -Martin Chee How automated are your bookkeeping processes? It can be a real challenge to keep pace with all the apps, programs, and interfaces, marketed as making a bookkeeper's life easier. This can create reluctance to engage with automated processes. But, how much time are you wasting, manually inputting data, that could be organized with the click of a button? If you’re afraid of jumping into the automated pool, this is the episode to ease you in. Martin Chee, CFO, and Co-founder of Amaka, talks today about the role of automation and integration in creating more efficient businesses. There is more data out there than anyone could manage by themselves. The more effectively this data is processed, the greater the insights available. Martin’s approach is one of valuing the work as much as your time, to reduce friction points, letting you do far more work, without the equal time drain of doing it manually, creating time savings you can also pass onto your clients. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of caring for your time, resources & productivity How to collect & manage data to the best use of your clients The importance of automation in creating better services Learn more about Amaka here. Connect with Martin on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 1:23 - Martin talks about his career journey 6:14 - Evolving with your product 9:20 - Knowing when to pivot 11:22 - The value of automation 21:25 - Finding the right tools for your business 25:17 - Getting your time back 33:20 - Learning more about Amaka

“You’re offering a career, not a J-O-B and we want people to come and join your team because they see the value in having a career, alongside you.” -Shelli Warren Finding the right people to build your dream team can be exhausting. It is often so overwhelming a process that we let desperation take hold. Seeking to grab anyone we can to help us, rather than taking the time to really find people who are the best fit. It is the goal of every business owner to eventually get out of the day-to-day, to better focus on business development, but we can’t do that without a trusted team, and without belief in ourselves as the leaders of our own businesses. But if you are constantly dragging people behind you, they aren’t adding positive value to your business. You need from the moment you post the interview, all the way through to the way your business practices, to paint a picture of the future, that the right people can connect to and feel at home in. Walking in step with you towards your goals, not holding you back from them. Shelli Warren, a team and leadership coach with Biz Chix and host of the Stacking Your Team podcast, is this week's featured guest. She discusses the importance of effective leadership, learning from your clients and building a business pointed firmly at the future, not dragging the past behind you. During this interview, you'll learn... How to paint a story of your business that makes others want to be a part of it The importance of building your team around the future, not the past The value of learning every lesson life has to teach you Learn more about Shelli and Biz Chix at this link. Listen to the Stacking your Team Podcast here. Connect with her on LinkedIn.    Time Stamps  1:35 - Shelli talks about her career journey 5:15 - Getting to know Biz Chix 7:14 - Building your dream team 10:00 - What we can learn from our clients 12:15 - The key to stacking your team 17:05 - How do you know if new employees will be a good fit? 20:32 - Overcoming limiting beliefs 24:50 - Dealing with a bad hire 29:56 - Being honest about your offering 33:00 - Creating impactful meetings

“What can I do in the last part of the day that makes tomorrow morning better?” -Donna McGeorge  Finding balance in our lives is never easy. There can be a strong compulsion to equate working harder with being more successful. Pouring all our time, energy, and attention into work, and leaving very little for our personal lives or for more spontaneous client connections.   If you are throwing all of your effort into your business and getting the results you want, keep doing what you are doing. But if you are struggling to manage your time, and feel constantly overwhelmed, there is no harm or shame in looking at ways to better manage your time and energy to positively boost your productivity.   What can I do now that my future self will thank me for?   That is the question posed by today’s featured guest, Australian productivity expert and author, Donna McGeorge, whose approach to productivity will see you retraining your brain, protecting your time, preventing you from getting overwhelmed and leave you more energized for the day ahead.  During this interview, you'll learn… The value routine & discipline play in protecting your time How to stop over-committing your time and resources The importance of working consistently Learn more about Donna here.   Get Donna’s latest book, The 1 Day Refund at this link. Connect with Donna: LinkedIn Twitter   Time Stamps  1:53 - Donna talks about her career journey 3:12 - Lessons from her upbringing 7:11 - Is what you’re doing working? 9:27 - Using our time wisely 11:58 - Where do we start? 15:30 - The hour of power 20:35 - Clean space, clean mind 25:01 - Reclaiming our time 33:35 - How to stop overcommitting 37:31 - Days down, Dollars up!

“You're not going to attract talent that way, they aren't interested in mindless data entry work, they want to have a meaningful impact on the world around them and if we don't create those opportunities someone else will.”  -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

“Self-teaching costs 73% more than taking formal training because it takes you so much longer to figure it out by yourself.” -Alicia Katz Pollock Sometimes, we might think working harder will eventually make the work feel less hard. But it never does. The only way to make work not feel like work is to pursue your true passions. To know where it is you really want to be.   It is not an easy question to answer, but when you do figure out your purpose and start living it, work won’t feel like work anymore. It’s scary to take the leap away from work or clients that feel too much like hard work but are necessary for financial stability. That’s why surrounding yourself with like-minded and supportive people is key, when you can see it done, it makes it easier to do it yourself.   Alicia Katz Pollock, co-founder of Royalwise, talks about the value of continuous learning, how to adapt to an ever-changing environment, and the importance of connecting with supportive communities. Her approach not only advocates learning from everyone you can but speaks to the value of teaching your clients how to manage some of the tools of your trade themselves, to reduce overall costs for them and you.  During this interview, you'll learn… The value of tailoring content to different needs How to embrace change & make it work for you The importance of connecting with supportive communities  Learn more about Royalwise here.   To jump straight to on-demand Learning Solutions, click this link. Connect with Alicia on LinkedIn.   Time Stamps     1:30 - Alicia talks about her career journey 7:36 - Finding the right path for you 9:30 - Facing the challenge 14:00 - Adapting to an ever-changing landscape 17:01 - Same content, different needs 22:02 - Training clients to use the right tools for them 28:50 - Keeping up with the latest news

“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