The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast

"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

"Figure out exactly what your needs are and then figure out the right software choices based on those specific needs." -Amber Mac For Episode 300, a special guest has arrived! But, before we get into that, we could not be more grateful to all of our incredible guests, and all the wonderful people that make this show a reality. But most of all to our listeners, THANK YOU for your continued support! We appreciate you! This episode features Amber Mac, a popular and well respected tech expert, speaker, best-selling author and award-winning entrepreneur who has appeared on various media outlets including CNN, Bloomberg and CBS to name a few. She has keynoted more than 400 events around the world and has moderated sessions with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, business coach Tony Robbins and famed astronaut Chris Hadfield to name a few. She is also the host/moderator of this year's QuickBooks Connect Canada virtual event. During our 300th episode, you'll learn… How to select the right apps and/or software for your bookkeeping business Why having range can make you more successful The importance of having a team so you can focus on scaling your firm To register for the FREE QuickBooks Connect Canada virtual event, click here. Learn more about Amber at this link. Connect with her on social media: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Time Stamps 2:02 - Discusses her career start in San Francisco 4:30 - The importance of having range in your business 6:09 - Why it's crucial to hire people to help you on your entrepreneurial journey 7:44 - Mentions her father's impact as her business advisor 8:33 - Describes how she finds unofficial mentors 11:27 - How to create the right technology choices for your business 13:10 - When choosing software, think about "How can my business grow alongside this software?" 14:05 - Describes her involvement with the Quickbooks Connect Canada virtual event 16:10 - Explains the importance of constant learning & what to expect at the QB Connect event 19:55 - Details how many small business owners don't have proper accounting systems 24:14 - Entrepreneurs should consider "How is your time well spent?"

Access the bonus interview with Russell in the Successful Bookkeeper Community Portal. "I was led by great leaders and not-so-great leaders. I learned just as much from the good leaders as the bad ones. See what you want to emulate and what you don't." –Russell Munz Is your bookkeeping business struggling to feel like a little more than a job? Are you trying to offer multiple services but failing to deliver on many of them? It can be hard to know what to do. Overcoming negative issues and focusing on a niche offering can be scary. That is why systemization is so important. If you can clearly picture where you want your bookkeeping business to go, it then becomes a matter of creating and building the right systems to make it happen. Life is short, and there will never be a right moment to take your shot. It all comes down to your perception of the future. Is trying, failing, but learning from the experience, worse than waking up after 25 years of working a job that you never enjoyed? Russell Munz, retired Army Captain and owner of Community Financials, talks today about what it means to put a WOW factor into your services. From where we choose to learn, how we limit ourselves and variable ways to measure your success. If you are struggling to connect with clients, to learn from difficult times and invest in service, this is the episode for you. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of learning from every experience, good & bad How to create a personal & engaging service The importance of systemizing your operations Learn more about Russell at this link. Connect with him on LinkedIn. Explore Community Financials here. You can check out Community Financials on Facebook. Time Stamps 1:30 - Getting connected 4:10 - Russell talks about his career journey 7:30 - Learning the right lessons 14:40 - Russell's military service 19:44 - People + Systems = Results 21:30 - Tips to improve your business 24:10 - Delivering a WOW experience 29:21 - Connecting with Russell

"The more you try to force yourself to do something you hate, the less successful you will be at it." -Dr. Arin Reeves Burnout is more than just feeling tired. It is a taking of energy from you, that is not replenished in equal measure. We have all had experiences of spending an hour with a person or client that drains us, and with people or clients that leave us feeling fired up and motivated. The hour is the same, but the way we feel about it and carry that through our day is very different. It is scary to consider losing clients. But if your clients are leaving you burnt-out, you will always be left feeling like you have to force yourself into situations that aren't good for your health. In the second of a two-part series our guest, Dr Arin Reeves, author, advisor, president and manager at Nextions, talks about managing difficult clients, understanding burnout and knowing your true value. She prompts a way of being that stops you from giving away so many of your life hours to people that don't value them or leave you feeling fulfilled. Some things are just not meant to be, you can't force them, and it doesn't make you a failure if you stop throwing away your time and energy on clients that don't value it. When you are honest with yourself and commit to what you are good at, success can be the only possible outcome. During this interview, you'll learn… Why being honest & knowing your value matters How to recognize burnout and take steps to prevent it The importance of innovating rather than imitating To get Dr. Reeves' book go here. Find out what Nextions can do for you at this link. Learn more about Dr. Reeves here. Connect with her socials: LinkedIn Twitter Time Stamps 1:15 - Your life hours 3:17 - Different senses of feeling 8:10 - If it feels like hard work, it won't lead to success 11:00 - Knowing your own value 13:40 - Women & energy management 16:10 - Dealing with burnout 25:00 - Having the courage to move away from bad clients