The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast

“If you want to stay viable in your bookkeeping business, you’re going to have to make that shift, and make your customers understand that they need you, and value you and your thought process that AI can’t do for them.” -Lora Lonesberry   There can be no doubt that AI is changing our world. Yet we are not all as doomed to be replaced by technology as some would have us believe. AI, like all new inventions, offers us the chance to grow, by embracing a technology that can make our lives easier, while giving us more time to focus on the unique insights only we can provide.    Without challenges there can be no growth, they keep us on the cutting edge of industry, daring us to keep up, deepening our skill set, experience and knowledge. Experience that clients are in desperate need of. AI can do the numbers faster than us, but it can’t contextualize them for the specific needs of a client. It can’t understand the dreams and hopes tied up in our client’s businesses.    Lora Lonesberry, owner of Positive Statements, is this episode’s featured guest. She has spent her varied career helping people get proactive and creative when facing the challenges of business and personal growth. She speaks to the power of finding your niche and leveraging your unique skills to overcome any challenge and the need for strong community networks.    If you are struggling to keep up, and don’t know which tools to use or how to leverage your skills, then this is the episode to get you asking the question; ‘What might your business look like if you implemented strategies to use AI to enhance, not replace, your services?’   During this interview, you'll learn... How to leverage AI to improve the success of your business The value of thinking about the little things The importance of community & networking  To find out more about Lora, click here.   Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter.   Time Stamps   01:47 - Making the most of changes  04:18 - Embracing a change in thinking 07:06 - Getting to grips with AI 21:08 - Thinking about the little things  26:04 - Levelling up on your gaps  30:32 - Finding your niche

“People do that with their bookkeeping business, they start, they want to get some clients and they want to make some money, but they actually really have no idea what the journey looks like and where they are trying to get to. It’s a very different experience if you don’t know where you’re trying to get to.” -Peter Cook There is a common misconception among business owners, that we are never truly successful unless we can claim to have done everything ourselves. While there are advantages to stepping out of others’ shadows, it’s also far more likely we'll get burned.  There is nothing wrong with taking stock of what other business owners are doing and seeing how we might apply their approach to our own bookkeeping business. Walking the same path as someone else doesn’t mean trying to walk precisely in their footprints. It’s just a chance for us to enjoy a slightly easier path made possible by those who walked it before us.  Peter Cook, co-author of The E-Myth Bookkeeper and co-founder of Pure Bookkeeping, is this episode’s featured guest. This fourth episode on The E-Myth Bookkeeper series explores the bookkeeper’s journey, the challenges of transitioning your business, and why sticking to the plan can make all the difference.  If you are struggling to let go of old ideas about success, aren’t sure how to move your business to the next phase of prosperity, or just want to get a better idea of what to expect on your journey, then this is the episode to show you it's okay to follow the trail. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of sticking to the plan How to navigate transitioning your business   The importance of understanding the phases of your business  To find out more about Peter, click here. Connect with him on LinkedIn. Get your copy of The E-Myth Bookkeeper. Catch-up on the full E-Myth Bookkeeper with Peter Cook series with past episodes below! Episode 1 Episode 2  Episode 3 Time Stamps 02:01 - The bookkeeping business journey  07:41 - Helping bookkeepers grow their businesses  10:30 - The four stages of a bookkeeping business 16:26 - The challenges of transitioning your business  24:21 - Creating your freedom  This episode is brought to you by Pure Bookkeeping. It's the proven system to grow your bookkeeping business.

“You have to be willing to think a little bit differently about your business. If you follow what everyone else is doing, you’re going to get the same results everybody got.” -Racheal Cook Building a business is hard. There are so many barriers to success that the last thing we need is to get in our own way, either by supremely undervaluing our skills, or dramatically overestimating the market for them. We all want to follow our passions, but we need to temper that desire with the real-world potential of earning from it.  We start our own businesses to gain the flexibility and freedom often not afforded to us elsewhere. But we must be careful not to let our pricing trap us into a situation where we may be our boss but have no time or energy for anything else.  Racheal Cook, owner of the CEO Collective and host of the Promote Yourself To CEO podcast, is this episode’s featured guest. She has spent her career helping women create sustainable success on their own terms. She speaks to the power of breaking free of entrepreneurial poverty, how to price your value, and why investing in relationships matters.  If you are struggling, unsure why everyone else seems so successful, but you are working more and more hours and only being rewarded with less time and energy, then this is the episode to help level up your thinking into a more proactive and strategic mindset.  During this interview, you'll learn... The value of investing in relationships How to break free of entrepreneurial poverty The importance of pricing for the value of your skills To find out more about Racheal, click here.  Connect with her on LinkedIn and Instagram. Listen to Racheal's Promote Yourself To CEO podcast. Time Stamps     01:37 - Racheal discusses her career journey  04:05 - Eliminating entrepreneurial poverty 08:12 - Finding the value in your offering 11:05 - Pricing for your business 13:01 - Underpriced & overworked  17:50 - Lifetime client value 27:35 - Committing to building relationships  32:10 - Promote yourself to CEO This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Sage! On May 30th at 5:30pm ET, join their team for an exciting night in Toronto to celebrate the launch of their new product, Sage for Accountants. :) Meet fellow colleagues, enjoy free drinks and food, experience amazing entertainment, and best of all, get a chance to win an evening at the all-inclusive Blue Jays Suite!  Spots are limited so make sure you secure your tickets TODAY by clicking this link. It's a party you don't want to miss!  

“The importance of your own personal achievement needs to be equal to the importance of everyone else’s achievement. We are all just harmoniously and fortunately moving towards the same thing: survival.”  -Mike Michalowicz Are we working with the business or for the business? A great way to find out is to pay attention to the way you speak about the business. Are the successes and failures ‘ours’ or are they ‘theirs’? From this simple recognition, we can build a really clear picture of who is sharing the vision and who doesn’t feel like they belong. From there, the hard work begins. In order to maintain our success, we have to make sure those who work with and for us are benefiting too. No one is an island unto themselves; we all need help and support to achieve our dreams. And when we reach our peak of success, we must look back and help those who have supported us on our journey to achieve their own idea of success. Mike Michalowicz, author and keynote speaker, is this episode’s featured guest. He has spent his career helping people eradicate entrepreneurial poverty, fixing and removing barriers to true success. Mike speaks powerfully about the need to understand your people, how to get inspired, and why remembering your past successes matters. If you are struggling to share your vision, aren’t sure how to recognize the contributions of others, or inspire them to action, then this is the episode to get you thinking less about your dream and more about ‘our’ dreams.  During this interview, you'll learn... The value of inspiring others to achieve their dreams How to effectively communicate a shared vision The importance of taking stock of your success To find out more about Mike, click here. Connect with him on LinkedIn. Buy his new book, All In: How Great Leaders Build Unstoppable Teams by visiting this link. Time Stamps 01:47 - Becoming a great leader  09:27 - Appreciating collective goals  16:04 - Communicating a shared vision  21:04 - How great leaders inspire their teams  24:38 - Creating psychological ownership This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Forwardly! With Forwardly, you can send free instant payments while keeping funds in your bank longer, receive instant payments for 80% less than credit card fees and enjoy same-day ACH—absolutely free! The best part? You can leap into the future of business payments with Forwardly and possibly earn yourself a FREE iPhone 15 Pro this summer! Visit thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com/forwardly for more information! 

“You don’t have to be the best salesperson in the world. To be good at marketing a bookkeeping business, you just need to be good enough that you stand out in that crowd. You have to get good enough, you don’t have to become the world’s best marketer. “ - Peter Cook We might be excellent bookkeepers, but that doesn’t mean we are automatically great business managers. It’s important to take the time to figure out where our skills are strong and where they could use improvement. If your passion and skill lie in the numbers, there is nothing wrong with focusing your attention there.  Things start to slip or feel unmanageable in our businesses when we find ourselves spending a lot of time doing things we don’t love. Even if we are not in a position to outsource the work, by connecting with others, we open up a world of experience, where we can find people who have already solved our problems. And whose problems we may have already solved.  Peter Cook, co-author of the E-Myth Bookkeeper and co-founder of Pure Bookkeeping, is this episode’s featured guest. This third episode on The Emyth Bookkeeper explores management, the challenges of growing a business, and why community matters.  If you are drowning in your business, or want to learn more about what it takes to be a better manager, then this is the episode to help you take stock of your skills and explore connections with people who can help. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of challenges as steps to growth How to manage your business with your passion in mind The importance of community in solving problems  Click here to find out more about Peter. Connect with Peter on LinkedIn. Get your copy of The E-Myth Bookkeeper. Click here to listen to the first episode. Click here to listen to the second episode. Time Stamps 03:00 - The challenge of growing a business  06:23 - Getting good enough  08:45 - Taking score of your business  12:46 - Finding your people  17:24 - Building a business you love  This episode is brought to you by Pure Bookkeeping. It's the proven system to grow your bookkeeping business.

“Don’t just ask for the referral, deserve it. You deserve a referral, and you earn a referral by who you are and how you show up in people’s lives.” - Curtis Lewsey   Referrals are a huge part of our businesses but despite this, we often don’t spend as much time and genuine effort as we should investing in the relationships around us. How well we are referred by others is a direct testament to our character.    If we are being disingenuous, following the money only rather than the relationships, we are unlikely to build a sustainable network of connections. We have to stop expecting referrals when we haven’t made any authenticity deposits of kindness, gratitude, or appreciation into the relationship.    Curtis Lewsey, owner of AM Cards and co-author of Appreciation Marketing, is this episode’s featured guest. Curtis has spent his career helping people get appreciative about their businesses and relationships. In this episode, he speaks to the power of saying thank you, putting authenticity first, and how to set healthy expectations.    If your attempts to build client relationships are failing, or you just want to get more authentic about showing your appreciation to clients, then this is the episode to put you in the receiver’s shoes, to truly take stock of how you are showing up in the world.   During this interview, you'll learn... The value of saying thank you How to set healthy expectations in business relationships The importance of connecting authentically Click here to find out more about Curtis.   Connect with Curtis on LinkedIn.   Time Stamps 01:34 - Curtis talks about his career journey  04:34 - The power of authenticity and gratitude   08:27 - The chain of appreciation  14:07 - Appreciation marketing  20:05 - Leading by example  27:20 - Looking for opportunities to be grateful 32:20 - Learning more about Curtis   

“I think we just get sucked into this pattern of being busy, and telling ourselves that there aren’t any other options and that we have to accept this. That ‘it is what it is’. Instead of taking that step back, taking a deep breath and thinking what would I want this to look like, what could this be?” - Erin Daiber We are creatures of habit, but all too often those habits become a prison, preventing us from growing and stepping into our greater potential. Just because things have always been done a certain way, doesn’t mean we cannot choose at any moment to try something different.  It is scary to step out of our comfort zones, but much worse to be trapped in a repeating cycle that will never lead us to the success we desire. As long as we remember we are the ones setting the rules for our lives and business, we can change them.  Erin Daiber, returning guest and owner of Well Balanced Accountants is this episode’s featured guest. Erin speaks to the power of connecting with your passion, how to navigate high-stress environments and what your life could look like with the right coach and a willingness to set rules that work for and not against you.  If you are feeling stuck, sure that success is within your reach, but are unsure how to grasp it, then this is the episode to help you take that step back, that deep breath that will bring clarity on the best way to move forward into a more successful business.  During this interview, you'll learn... The value of setting rules that work for and not against you How to navigate high-stress environments The importance of connection to your passion Click here to find out more about Erin. Connect with Erin on LinkedIn. Time Stamps     01:54 - Erin talks about her career journey 04:42 - Navigating high-stress environments 07:47 - Things don’t have to be as they’ve always been 14:57 - Creating your future perfect scenario  17:56 - Taking control of your business  23:30 - Transforming your business with small changes  27:00 - Holding yourself to account 32:50 - Learning more about Erin

“I find, even just that connection, talking to other people… helping each other out, so important to the success of an entrepreneur because you can’t do it alone.” -Roger Pierce Starting our own businesses is a daunting prospect. There are many roads to becoming a successful entrepreneur, and each person’s journey is so different, it can often feel like we have to walk the path in isolation.  Acting in isolation, it can be hard to maintain course or connect to our purpose, chasing instead the hope of more money and clients. This is why support systems matter. When we surround ourselves with people who have or are on a journey of their own, it really helps us avoid common pitfalls and feel like we are a part of something bigger. Roger Pierce, who is an entrepreneurship expert, is this episode’s featured guest. He has spent his career not only as a successful entrepreneur but also in bringing other like-minded people together to create their own business success. Roger speaks to the power of networking and community in building successful businesses, learning to pivot and how to approach your life with purpose.  If you are tired of working for other people or are already on your journey but feel lost and isolated, this is the episode to get you thinking about the people you surround yourself with and the power of your purpose.  During this interview, you'll learn... The value of learning to pivot How to approach your life with purpose The importance of building lasting relationships To find out more about Roger, click here.  Connect with him on LinkedIn. Time Stamps 01:43 - Roger discusses his career journey  05:42 - The challenges & opportunities of small business  09:05 - Approaching your life with purpose  13:05 - Evolving through education 16:30 - The Unsure Entrepreneur  22:09 - Learning to pivot  25:52 - What’s next for small businesses  29:56 - Building lasting relationships  34:50 - Learning more about Roger

“If I was just open to meeting somebody and having a conversation and understanding where they were coming from, it naturally turned into a client, and that’s what we have continued to do to this day.” -Melissa Broughton We all feel like imposters in our businesses at one time or another. This fear can paralyze us, stopping us from taking any action at all. But it will always be better to try and fail, than let fear stop us from ever trying at all.  When it comes to putting ourselves out there, it is hard to know which school of thought to listen to. Do you go for the soft or hard sell, hit the pavement, or focus on online marketing? The answer will always be to try everything and see what works for you. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.  Melissa Broughton, owner of Busy Bee Advisors, is this episode’s featured guest. She has spent her career helping small businesses gain financial clarity. She speaks to the importance of stepping out of our comfort zones, leaning into our inner problem-solvers, and the way embracing technology will help you find financial freedom.  If you are struggling to find clients, or just aren’t sure about the next step to take in your bookkeeping business, then this is the episode to help you get intentional about your goals, objectives, and purpose.  During this interview, you'll learn... The value of leaning into our inner problem-solvers How to use technology to your best advantage The importance of stepping out of our comfort zones To find out more about Melissa, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Check out Busy Bee Advisors at this link. Time Stamps      01:11 - Melissa discusses her career journey 04:53 - Stepping out of our comfort zones 07:41 - Building a successful network 12:38 - Embracing technology  13:55 - Leaning into your inner problem-solver 16:28 - Working with family  21:47 - Looking to the future  24:25 - Passing your knowledge on 27:17 - Learning more about Melissa

“When people say, ‘What do you do?’ instead of saying I’m a bookkeeper, say ‘I run a bookkeeping business.’ It’s a subtle difference, but it’s actually a really big shift in mindset.” -Peter Cook We must all leave our businesses one day. This confronting reality can make us quite uncomfortable. So much so that we bury ourselves working in our businesses, rather than working on them. More than the work we do, our businesses are valuable assets, if we treat them as such. Problems arise when we lean into negative thoughts and actions. If we only ever refer to ourselves as ‘just a bookkeeper’ that is all we'll ever be. Our habits define who we are, what might change if you began to introduce yourself as a business owner instead? Peter Cook, co-author of The E-Myth Bookkeeper and co-founder of Pure Bookkeeping, is this episode’s featured guest. He speaks to the power of shifting mindsets, how to prove the value of your business to yourself and others, and why even small changes to our habits can have huge impacts.  If you are worried about the future of your bookkeeping business, or just starting to consider it as a valuable asset for the future, this is the episode to get you thinking about long-term value and what leaving your business might look like. During this interview, you'll learn... The value of long-term thinking How to shift into a business owner mindset The importance of creating successful habits  To find out more about Peter, click here. Connect with him on LinkedIn. Get your copy of The E-Myth Bookkeeper! Click this link to listen to Peter's previous Successful Bookkeeper episode in 2024. Time Stamps 02:01 - How you exit your bookkeeping business  08:58 - Creating habits for success 10:46 - Positive versus negative thought 14:10 - The value of a bookkeeping business     16:44 - Proving the value of your business  19:55 - The challenges of stepping away 24:48 - Thinking with the end in mind This episode is brought to you by Pure Bookkeeping. It's the proven system to grow your bookkeeping business.