The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast

How important are referrals to your business? Our guest, Stacey Brown Randall, who is a coach, author, and entrepreneur, cracked the code to overcoming the decades old advice that says "to receive referrals you must ask for them" then she perfected the art of self-maintaining clientele that consistently grows and drives revenue. She was able to save more time, make more money and bring in new clients. Today, she helps thousands of entrepreneurs accelerate their business growth through referral generation. During this interview, you'll discover... The importance of being memorable and meaningful Why you need to know who your referral sources are How to build a 1 year outreach plan To find out more about Stacey, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Expect the unexpected. Whether it's a natural disaster, family problem or serious accident, a shocking event can disrupt business operations at any company. No one can predict the future; however, you can be ready with a comprehensive business continuity plan. With over 25 years of experience in financial management, project management, and all aspects of business operations, Cheryl Baldwin is an expert in continuity planning. She is also a Certified Professional Bookkeeper who launched BCP Business Services with the mission to help businesses and non-profits prosper. During this interview, you'll discover... The advantage of having a business advisor The steps to having a foolproof continuity plan The benefit of having a support system To find out more about Cheryl, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Opportunity is waiting for you. Sometimes you can access it by making a follow-up call, email or in-person meeting. But yet, not everyone does it. It's a shame because not following up can prevent you from attracting new bookkeeping clients, potential business partners or other rewards you've been searching for. Our returning guest is a master at following up. Cindy Stradling is a resilience coach, accomplished speaker and author. She has the skills and system that helped her align with great partners throughout her career and business life. She works with entrepreneurs, individuals and corporations (such as 3M Canada, Scotia McLeod and CIBC) to do what's needed to help them get where they need to go. During this interview, you'll discover... The importance of following up with your prospects Steps in making a strong follow-up call Why LinkedIn referrals are a trend you should investigate To find out more about Cindy, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Your tool belt. Like any professional service provider, from a plumber to a dentist to a hairdresser, you need quality tools to do the best possible job for your clients. For bookkeepers, those tools come in the form of apps and software. These days they are a must to run your bookkeeping business effectively. Our guest today is one of the first in Canada to embrace and use bookkeeping apps. With years of experience, her intuition is always spot on. Elaine Orr, who is the CEO of BalanceSheets.ca, has over 30 years of accounting and bookkeeping experience and a strong interest in using technological innovations to maximize efficiency and reduce data entry. During this interview, you'll discover... Different accounting and bookkeeping tools and software The pros and cons of working virtually The best apps for your lawyer clients To find out more about Elaine Orr, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Big goals. They can be scary and overwhelming, but breaking those big goals to little ones that you can manage is the key. That's according to our guest today, Helen Latimer, who is a career coach and owner of the company, 925 Resources which combines unconventional thinking and business acumen to help people achieve career success. She has been a speaker at events for a number of professional associations including the Human Resources Professionals Association's national convention and more recently, the Administrative Professionals' annual conference. During this interview, you'll discover... What mentoring is versus coaching The significance of having a coach The importance of taking the time for reflection To find out more about Helen Latimer visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Communication. You see, each generation has different ideas, opinions, tactics, styles and preferences of technology they use when running a successful bookkeeping business. When different generations collide in a working environment (ie: you and your employees), it can be hard to collaborate at times because of their different points of view. As a result, communicating properly and getting on the same page can be a challenge. However, our guests today successfully found the solution in bridging the generation gap. They're currently working together in helping businesses and entrepreneurs thrive. Returning guest, Dianne Mueller is the co-founder of the Institute of Professional Bookkeepers of Canada (IPBC) and owner of SOMA Small Business Solutions while her daughter, Bianca Mueller, is a second generation Certified Professional bookkeeper in Vancouver, Canada. During this interview, you'll discover... How to overcome the challenge of communicating with employees from various generations How trust and respect play an important role in having different generations of workers How to create a productive working environment To find out more about Dianne & Bianca, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Trust. It can be hard to earn especially if you're a bookkeeper who has never hired anyone before or has trouble letting current employees make their own decisions in fear they'll mess up and cause you more work and frustration. The process of taking an employee that knows nothing to one that will eventually know something to one that becomes someone you can trust takes time. Our guest, Rhamy Alejeal understands this. He has worked over 10 years in the payroll, benefits, and HR industry. He is the CEO of Poplar Financial which provides solutions to some of the toughest problems facing entrepreneurs today by providing products and services that can be catered to fit their business needs. He also has a best-selling book, People Processes: How Your People Can Be Your Organization's Competitive Advantage which was recently featured in INC Magazine as one of the top 10 leadership books in 2018. During this interview, you'll discover... How to let your employees make decisions that you can trust Why value judgement is important to your staff How changes can make your business grow To find out more about Rhamy Alejeal, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Happy New Year!! I have a question for you. Are you always striving to be LEGOS? Well, if not, you might want to consider it. Here's what it stands for. L: Leave it better than you found it E: Execute G: Grow O: Ownership S: Serve There is a new level of competition in 2019, especially in tech enable and tech focus firms. Our returning guest, David Cristello, who is the founder and CEO of Jetpack Workflow, has followed LEGOS with his company. It helps small and medium business owners prepare, embrace and overcome what's coming in 2019. During this interview, you'll discover... Upcoming happenings that will affect bookkeepers and accounting firms in 2019 The concept of being 1% better a day for 72 days Characteristics to help you persevere To find out more about David Cristello, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

It can be terrifying. Starting a bookkeeping business or running one, can have so many potential pitfalls that it could make you tear your hair out. However, if you have clarity in regards to what your direction is and determination to execute your goals, you can overcome challenges. Our guest, Billie Anne Grigg has done that. She has been a bookkeeper for years and is the founder of Pocket Protector Bookkeeping which aims to provide an excellent virtual bookkeeping and managerial accounting solution for small businesses that cannot yet justify employing a full-time, in-house bookkeeping staff. During this interview, you'll discover... How to overcome the fear of letting go of clients How to see hiccups as a motivating factor to grow your business How to improve cash flow and profitability from the ground up To find out more about Billie Anne Grigg, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

"Life doesn't happen to me anymore, I go out and happen to life." Our guest learned that the hard way after realizing that communicating with humans is not logical, it is biological. Leadership and communication expert, John Bates has a methodology and training that is based in the evolutionary biology and neurophysiology of human communication, connection and interaction. It not only makes you a far better speaker and presenter, it makes you far more effective everywhere in your life including with your bookkeeping business. During this interview, you'll discover... How to create automatic influence using the power of Neurobiology How to 10x your sales and profits through human biology and connection Different ways to connect with any audience, anywhere and at anytime To find out more about John Bates, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.