The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast

What if you fail?   That question has crossed the minds of many bookkeepers when first starting their businesses.   It's perfectly normal and it's something that our return guest, Debbie Roberts asked herself in the beginning.   She was concerned that if her bookkeeping services weren't good, her reputation would be damaged and that would affect her business. It scared her that, as a small business owner, she didn't have any backup.   Fortunately, for her and bookkeepers worldwide, the co-founder of Pure Bookkeeping and co-author of The E-Myth Bookkeeper overcame her fears and became a tremendous success.   During this interview, you'll learn... Why having small wins through bite-sizeable, manageable & planned actions can give you confidence The importance of realizing your mind usually makes your concerns worse than what they seem How the weaknesses in your personal life can hold you back in your business if you let them To find out more about Debbie, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Are you introverted? If so, you're not alone. Many bookkeepers are. But, what if there were ways to be more at ease around people and have win-win partnerships with them? Today's guest, Siobhan Harrop-Scott of Harrop Scott & Associates Ltd., has some ideas that just might help. Through her bookkeeping business, she's developed hundreds of connections and has become a terrific leader for her staff. During this insightful interview, you'll learn...  The importance of listening and taking notes when speaking with people and having a system to record that information for future meetings Why you must be supportive and consistent in your daily communication with your staff Why building positive relationships are good for relieving stress To find out more about Siobhan, visit here. 

Prospects. How do they hear about your bookkeeping business? Do you do in-person networking? Do you advertise in local media? Do you solely use referrals? Our guest, Katrina Aarsman, who is from Melbourne, Australia and is the owner of Bookkeepers HQ where she mentors bookkeepers, has some strategies that you can add to your marketing basket. During this interview, you'll learn... How joining business-focused Facebook groups and providing value to those audiences can lead to sales How using the LinkedIn advanced search engine can connect you with your ideal clients How leveraging a joint venture referral partnership with someone you know, like and trust can become profitable To find out more about Katrina, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Investing. For your bookkeeping business to be successful, you'll need to invest money into products, programs, systems and tools to ensure your operation has all the resources it needs to deliver great service to your clients. This reality is one our guest, Peter Broberg of Monitor Bookkeeping Services based in Perth, Australia, accepted and has never looked back. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of buying a proven and pre-made system that allows you to focus on your business instead of reinventing the wheel Why exploring fixed pricing can be a game-changer and who you should research to implement it properly The importance of always looking for ways to automate your enterprise to increase its efficiency and productivity To find out more about Peter, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Starting out is always scary. There are so many unknowns which makes it incredibly easy to stay in your comfort zone and not take any chances. Our special return guest today, the lovely and talented, Debbie Roberts of Pure Bookkeeping, remembers what those times were like. Fortunately, with the help of her longtime business coach and co-founder of PB, Peter Cook, she overcame those fears and realized her true potential as a successful bookkeeping business owner. For those of you who are just beginning your bookkeeping entrepreneurial journey, don't worry, Debbie is about to give you some golden tips to help you through the bumps. During this inspiring interview, you'll learn... How to increase your confidence when speaking with accountants and prospects The importance of leaning on qualified mentors to ask questions and advice to avoid mistakes Why practice and preparation will always serve you well when marketing yourself to others To find out more about Debbie & Pure Bookkeeping, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Hiring mistakes. Unfortunately, many bookkeeping business owners make them. Those poor decisions likely cause emotional and financial stress in addition to the large amount of time used to mop up the bookkeeping messes of those you thought could do the job. One man who has cracked the code on how to hire great and loyal staff is our guest today, Bob Wang. He is the owner of Legacy Advantage which has 2 offices and around 15 employees and will make $1 million in sales this year. During this interview, you'll learn... The importance of building a powerful company vision that will inspire others to want to be on your team Why having the right culture fit is a huge requirement when hiring someone new How to craft an effective and unique job advertisement that will attract your ideal future employees To find out more about Bob, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Who do you want to work with? If you answered, “EVERYONE.” That could likely cost you. Many bookkeepers don't have a clear niche of clients they focus on and, as a result, they likely accept any new customers that walk through the door. Unfortunately, that thinking can attract potentially bad clients who are not a fit. By not taking the time to identify what type of client would be ideal from a financial and personality standpoint, accepting “EVERYONE” can lead to increased headaches, stress and payment issues. It doesn't have to be this way. Our guest, Ingrid Edstrom pointed out that in 2015, her bookkeeping company, Polymath, had 96 clients, but after finding a profitable niche, it now serves only 30, but it makes double the money. Once you figure out what core group of customers work best for you, it can be an absolute game-changer in your bookkeeping business. During this fun and inspiring interview, you'll learn... Why you should focus on an industry niche that you want to work with and that can pay you well What questions to ask yourself to determine your ideal niche clients To not be afraid to refer potential clients who aren't a fit to other bookkeepers To find out more about Ingrid, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Be of service. Usually, you'd think helping your bookkeeping clients would be enough. But, if you want to be truly valuable and generate countless referrals, it pays to be on the good side of accountants as well. Today's guest, Lynne Moore, who is the owner of LAM Consulting, has mastered the art of attracting the best referrals by being of great value to accountants and her clients. By assisting both, it has created a profitable business where she doesn't spend a penny on marketing including not even having a website. During this interview, you'll learn... What to ask your new clients in order to connect with their accountants Why it's important to know how accountants want their files prepared Why clients and accountants like when you have a relationship with both sides To find out more about Lynne, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

Have you made this important decision? Many bookkeepers haven't. The decision in question is whether you want your bookkeeping business to make lifestyle income where you trade your time for dollars to hopefully earn $100,000 to $200,000 per year... Or... You want to grow your business by creating teachable and repeatable systems so it can run without you and eventually be sold to a third party for potentially bigger profits. Our guest today, John Warrillow, who wrote the book, Built To Sell, feels you should figure out what direction you want to go so you can align the appropriate actions towards achieving your goals before it's too late. During this interview, you'll learn... Why your profit and loss statement isn't a good business value indicator How to determine if your business is scalable using the Trifecta of Scale The importance of having teachable systems to help your business function without you and be more attractive to potential buyers To find out more about John, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.

The classroom. It was once the main destination where people consumed educational information, but in today's online world, things have changed and bookkeepers are slowly becoming more open to learning in new ways. Managing Director of K2E Canada Inc. and IPBC board member, Alan Salmon recently conducted a survey that measured how bookkeepers and accountants learn. It was sent to 10,000 contacts and 990 responded. The results were fascinating. During this informative interview, you'll learn... What is the number one online educational tool for bookkeepers How active bookkeepers are in social media groups Whether bookkeepers still consume traditional forms of media To find out more about Alan, visit https://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com.