Business Strategy for CPA's

I want to talk to you today about what I see as one of the most important or biggest levers that you can pull in your business to help you grow. And that is specializing and narrowing down who you serve.  Narrowing your niche is an incredibly important thing to do to help you grow your accounting practice. What I want to talk about is why it's harder to be a generalist, what the benefits are of specializing and nIching down. I want to address the fears and the myths about niching down. I want to give you some examples of what it might look like to choose a specialty, what you do, and who you do it for, plus some sample messaging and where to start. Niching down includes two things: what you do and who you do it for. Some of the fears that I hear when I talked to my own clients and other people about niching down: What if I lose potential clients? I don't want to have to say no or turn away other people who come to me who aren't in my niche: afterall, I can help just about anyone! If you want the list of 20 possible initiatives and specialties to reference to give you some ideas to get started, download the free PDF: Possible Specialties and Niches. Listeners, I want to hear from you. What was your key takeaway from this episode? Come share in the She Thinks Big Facebook group. Download PDF: Possible Specialties and Niches: https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/054-pdf-download Upcoming Webinars/Workshops: https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/webinars-workshops-schedule/ Work with Geraldine: Strategy Session https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/strategy-session/ 1:1 Coaching https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/business-coaching/ VIP Day https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/vip-day/

My guest today is Tracy Jepson, founder and owner of TLJ Bookkeeping and Consulting.  Tracy started her bookkeeping practice as a side hustle in an effort to get out of debt. Four years later, her practice now includes small business strategy, consulting and advisory services, to work in partnership with businesses to create permanent profitability.  In this episode, Tracy talks about her journey from charging by the hour to moving to retainer, how she listened to really understand what her clients were asking her for, how that informed the addition of advisory services, and then how in time she niche down and niche down again, to make her own life easier, and watched her business grow as a result.  Thank you so much, Tracy, for coming on the Epic Business Growth for CPAs Podcast.    From our conversation, here are some nuggets that stick with me:  Be really careful to attempt to out-earn your spending as a business strategy. Better to get your spending underneath your current earnings and grow from there. And be really careful to make sure that you have a viable business, rather than using your hard earned savings to prop up a passion project. What your clients want from you is in your email. If you go back and not just read your email, but truly listen to what is inside emails from your clients, you will have everything you need to begin offering advisory services.  Your clients are often less than forthcoming about what they don't know. Do not make assumptions about what they know and what they don't know.    Tracy’s Vision: I want to reach as many people as possible to help them get out of debt, connect their personal and business finances and really get them on the road to profit.  Listeners, I want to hear from you. What was your key takeaway from this episode? Come share in the She Thinks Big Facebook group. Past episode mentioned: 042 Decoding CPA-Speak: Clarifying 9 Common Terms: https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/042   Connect with Tracy: Website: https://tracyjepson.com/ Group coaching site: http://thebottomlineacademy.com   Upcoming Webinars/Workshops: https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/webinars-workshops-schedule/ Work with Geraldine: Strategy Session https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/strategy-session/ 1:1 Coaching https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/business-coaching/ VIP Day https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/vip-day/  

Today’s guest is Danielle Hayden of Kickstart Accounting.  Danielle left her corporate job in 2014 to help small business owners with their numbers and finances. Five years later she runs an accounting practice with six people on staff serving more than 275 clients all around the country.  In interviewing Danielle, I wanted to showcase what's possible to create in five short years, especially when you're willing to lift yourself up and out of the task-doing in your practice and build a team of people who you trained well and who have solid systems for delivering a consistent and high-quality client experience.  What I see happening in so many entrepreneurs businesses is lax payment policies. It's one thing to be flexible but It's a different thing to be lax. And it costs business owners and accountants a lot of money to not have firm and clear policies in place. Danielle also said that clients say to her that her staff are “just really nice.” I hear from a lot of regular business owners that they feel intimidated by their CPA, and they don't want to ask questions. If you're known as nice, and approachable, and someone who answers all your clients’ questions on a reasonably quick turnaround time, your clients are more successful, because of it. It will also differentiate you in the marketplace, which will increase referrals in your favor. Download the Profit Planner: https://profitplannerbookkeeping.com/ Enter the code SHETHINKSBIG to get 15% off.    Danielle’s Big Goal: “I want to continue to serve as many entrepreneurs as possible. My big, hairy, audacious goal is to serve one million business owners. And that is through helping them with bookkeeping, and helping them get the profit planner in their hands. And so we want to just continue to help businesses succeed.”   Danielle’s Big Ask: “If you could think of one business owner in your in your circle, or that you've come into contact with that you know who needs help, whether that be they’re in accounting overwhelm, and they need someone to help them with their bookkeeping, or if they're overwhelmed because they cannot figure out how to create a profit in their business. I would love an introduction to that one business owner who's struggling.”   Listeners, I want to hear from you. What was your key takeaway from this episode? Come share in the She Thinks Big Facebook group. Connect with Danielle: Website: Kickstartaccountinginc.com   Past episodes mentioned: Find the $50k Hiding in Plain Sight in Your Business - Part 1 http://shethinksbigcoaching.com/024 Find the $50k Hiding in Plain Sight in Your Business - Part 2 http://shethinksbigcoaching.com/025   Upcoming Webinars/Workshops: https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/webinars-workshops-schedule/   Work with Geraldine: Strategy Session https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/strategy-session/ 1:1 Coaching https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/business-coaching/ VIP Day https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/vip-day/

I have something to share with you.  As my own business and coaching practice grows, it's becoming clear to me that my sweet spot is working with CPAs to help them grow their accounting practice.  The results that all of my clients have been getting have been fantastic. Some of them are doubling their monthly income, if not more, inside of six months. Even though I see it right there on their Profit and Losses, I still think, “Wow, that's so awesome!” And what I love is that it changes their lives. It gives them more freedom, more sanity and more peace of mind.  Going forward, my focus is going to be on you CPAs to help you grow your practice, grow your numbers, grow your business. So you can lead a life that you're psyched about, which includes sanity even during tax season.    A lot of the topics I'm going to be covering will still apply and still be valuable to you entrepreneurs. So I hope you'll stick around as listeners. And I want to thank all of my listeners, all of you for being fans for sharing and being on this journey with me.  Here's a sneak peek at some upcoming topics:  Understanding what your clients desperately want from you that you're not giving them.  Where to start when considering adding advisory services Niching and specializing  Interviews with CPAs who niched down and tripled their income in 18 months  Plus tactical stuff with some experts on using SEO, Google Maps, and LinkedIn to get found by ideal clients faster.    If you know a CPA who you think might benefit I would love if you would pass this along to them.  And for my CPAs, in the future, What would you like from this podcast? What are your struggles? What do you want help with? How can I serve you? I really want to know so that I can be putting out content that you find valuable and are psyched to get on your phone every week.  So the shift is on.  Have a great couple of days and I will see you next time.   Work with Geraldine: Strategy Session 1:1 Coaching VIP Day  

My guest today is The Productivity Specialist Amber de la Garza. Amber is a sought after coach, trainer, speaker and writer, and host of the Productivity Straight Talk Podcast. She helps driven entrepreneurs execute actionable solutions to maximize profits, reduce stress, and make time for what matters most.  Being productive is when you are investing your best time into your best activities. I enjoy how Amber reframes productivity from being about the small minute-to-minute changes that might make our systems slightly more efficient, to really thinking about how to best use our time, so that we can be more productive. And in the end, be more effective with the work that we do in our businesses.  I especially appreciate the imagery of one bucket sitting on top of the other sitting on top of the other. And when one is full, it overflows and it spills out into the next one, and so on down the line. What were your key takeaways from this episode? How has this conversation changed how you view productivity and how you'll think about productivity in your own week? Come share your thoughts and answers in the She Thinks Big Facebook group.   Amber’s Vision: “I want every entrepreneur to know what productivity can do for their business and their life.” Amber’s Ask: Post a screenshot of you listening to this episode and tag both Geraldine @12geraldine406 and I @amber_delagarza on Instagram, and let us know that you're listening. And/or post a picture of where you are when you're listening. Bonus points if you DM one of us and let us know what your biggest takeaway was. Amber’s gift to She Thinks Big listeners: Download Buckets PDF here: http://theproductivityspecialist.com/shethinksbig Connect with Amber: Website www.TheProductivitySpecialist.com Podcast www.ProductivityStraightTalk.com Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/theproductivityspecialist Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/productivitystraighttalk Instagram https://www.instagram.com/amber_delagarza/     Work with Geraldine: Strategy Session 1:1 Coaching VIP Day

Today’s guest is Nikki Rausch of Your Sales Maven. She’s a pro at helping people leverage their network to earn more business.    Leverage Your Network When I started out in my own business, I kept hearing this term bandied about: leverage your network. What does that mean? And how does one go about leveraging their network? How do I do that?  So Nikki’s here to help demystify this leverage your network business, so that you can look at your network and see what you're looking for inside your network and to figure out ways to connect to the people that you would really like to meet.   Networking with Intention One of my main takeaways from this episode is the importance of going into a networking event with intention. I tend to enjoy networking events, I love meeting new people and I love talking to people and I love listening to people. And sometimes I forget that I’m there to meet new people and to expand my network.    Your Ideal Client Another important thing is thinking about who your ideal client is. Because it's hard to find them anywhere if you don't know who that person is. And it's really hard for other people in your network to help you find people if you can't articulate who it is that you serve. The broader your picture of your ideal client, the harder it is for you to be intentional about  leveraging your network. The smaller your target of your ideal client, the easier it is for you to reach out into your network and ask for connections, introductions, and referrals.  Learning how to leverage your network takes time. Leveraging your network is a long-term plan. Listeners, I want to hear from you. What was your key takeaway from this episode? What was the most useful thing that you will take and start applying in your business this week? Come share in the She Thinks Big Facebook group. Connect with Nikki: Nikki’s website: https://yoursalesmaven.com/   Link to free download: Get Closing the Sale, Nikki’s free PDF at yoursalesmaven.com/stbp   The Selling Staircase: Mastering the Art of Relationship Selling https://www.amazon.com/Selling-Staircase-Mastering-Art-Relationship/dp/1072698781/ Work with Geraldine: Strategy Session 1:1 Coaching VIP Day

In this week’s episode, I talk about tribes and the tribes that we lead.  A lot of you out there are building tribes or have tribes that you have built and you are leading them. And whether you have a nascent tribe or you have a full-blown tribe, there still may be varying degrees of awareness of the fact that you have a tribe, and/or what to do with your tribe, and how to best help and support the tribe that you have. There are a lot of you out there who have businesses with certain ideas and certain different ways of doing things or different ways of viewing the world, or the way you believe things is slightly different than the norm, and people follow you around that idea. You have a tribe.  I want to talk to you about the tribe that you are building, the tribe that you’ve created. How you might recognize the aspects of your tribe and how you might better understand what they need.  What do your members want? And what are ways to help them stay connected and help them evangelize for you? When it comes down to it, what do your tribe members want? And then finally, a call to you to bring it up a level with your tribe. And to take a bigger stand.  What do you stand for? What is the deeper value set that will really resonate with your tribe and they will follow you even more passionately than they do already? Ladies, I want to know about your tribe. Come tell us about your tribe in the She Thinks Big Facebook group. I’d love to hear from you.   Seth Godin - [TED Talk] The Tribes We Lead  https://www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_on_the_tribes_we_lead?language=en#t-4791   Women and Their Tribes Lesley Von Eschen and Carol Bridges of CostCare Kim Bostrom of Dancing Goat Gardens Greta Thunberg Suze Orman Oprah Winfrey Brene Brown Mel Robbins US National Women’s Soccer team   Work with Geraldine: Strategy Session 1:1 Coaching VIP Day

Todays’ guest is Melina Palmer. Melina helps companies of all sizes to incorporate Behavioral Economics into their businesses to make them more brain-friendly, and increase conversions and ROI. Melina hosts the Brainy Business Podcast where she serves up brain-friendly concepts every week.  In this episode, we talk not just about Behavioral Economics, but how to apply these important concepts in your business. You will rethink how you package your offerings, and how you talk about your prices that makes people more likely to buy from you, and buy more of the things you know they need from you. You’ll also consider shifting all the crap that you say to yourself because we will talk about how your brain goes and creates what it believes to be true. I could talk all day to Melina about all this stuff, especially how to use scientific research and apply it to make subtle shifts in our businesses and the way that we do things that can have an outsize impact.  My own takeaway is to make sure that my own clients are using anchoring and framing correctly in their own businesses. Ladies, what were your key takeaways in this episode? Come share in the She Thinks Big Facebook group. I’d love to hear from you. Melina’s Big Ask:  Melina is looking to connect with someone from high levels in HR and Marketing inside large organizations like Target and Costco for speaking engagements and corporate trainings, for their teams to understand Behavioral Economics.   Melina’s Vision: For her name and Brainy Business to be synonymous with Behavioral Economics across the globe, to be Suze Orman of Behavioral Economics. Brainy Business Episodes Mentioned: Truth about Pricing #5 What is value #8 Loss Aversion #9 Anchoring #11 Relativity #12 Mindset #13 Scarcity #14 Framing #16 Overwhelmed brain #32 Incentives #36 Costco #47 Get in touch with Melina: Website: www.thebrainybusiness.com Podcast: Listen to the Podcast Youtube: Check out my speaker reel! Work with Geraldine: Strategy Session 1:1 Coaching VIP Day  

How do we protect our mind from the glut of information, notifications and likes that we get all day long throughout our workday? We live in an information age. Any information that we want is available within 2 seconds via Google search. So we have this constant swirl of on-demand anything. And to a degree, demand induces demand. Because the more products you buy the more notifications you get. The more notifications you get, then the more you’re back on your computer looking at stuff. And it easily occupies an outsize portion of our attention.  And the problem with that, is that this preoccupation of all things notifications, likes, comments, shares, and so on, is that it is in direct conflict with us doing our best work.  It’s already challenging enough  for us to do our best work just as it is. Never mind the constant preoccupation with the glut of not-super-important detailed information that we get throughout the day.   So the question becomes: How can you better protect your attention?    Your ability to do your best work is directly tied to your ability to focus your attention to where it matters most. And to hold perhaps a lesser queue of thoughts and questions in your mind. And these tiny little bites of information that scramble our minds get in the way of that, and reduce our ability to be our absolute best. What I want for everybody is to have full and rich lives that they love and where they’re thriving. And where their businesses are successful. And I want people to be thinking bigger about what’s possible and what we all can create as individuals and together in this world.  Here are some questions for you, so that you can make your own choices about how to best manage and balance your needs: How can I leverage the value offered by social media and all the digital tools while also protecting my mind and my attention? What does your best work require from your mind, your focus, and your attention? What does your attention span need from you in terms of self-care? Ladies, what were your key takeaways in this episode? Come share in the She Thinks Big Facebook group. I’d love to hear from you.   Work with Geraldine: Strategy Session 1:1 Coaching VIP Day

My guest today is Amanda Berlin, a former New York City corporate publicity strategist who now uses her powers for good. She helps her clients tell their story, write content, and raise visibility so that the people who need them can find them. Recently Amanda invited me on her podcast to talk about getting a handle on the financials in your business. In that interview, she happened to mention offhand that she doesn’t look at her financials every month. I couldn’t let that slide. I invited her to come on my podcast to help her get the clarity she needs around her own numbers.   A Financial Planner for Your Business In your personal finances, there are financial planners who help you figure out, based on how much you have now and how much you want to have when you retire, how much you need to set aside every year in your retirement plan in order to get to retirement with enough savings. But in your business, chances are good that role is vacant. All that activity of your bookkeeper and you accountant is primarily for the IRS, not for you and not for your business.  And unless you have an accountant who offers strategic advising, who can help you get from where you are now in your business to your income goals, chances are good that that role, the equivalent of a financial planner for your business, is vacant.   Do You Know Your Numbers? I appreciate that Amanda was willing to be transparent about what she knew and what she didn’t know about her numbers. So many women have a knowledge gap here and are embarrassed and even ashamed that they don’t know much about their financials. I’m grateful to Amanda for simply being straight up about where she is and open to getting the help she’s looking for.   Key Takeaways One of Amanda’s key takeaways is: If you’re not already, work with a bookkeeper and/or accountant who will get your financial statements to you monthly. And when you receive these numbers, be sure to use them. If you want to get insights the same way Amanda did, I recommend a Lightning Strategy Session where you send me your financials in advance and I work on them so you won’t have to bang your keyboard getting frustrated with Excel. Then together, we work through your questions and you get the insights you need and get your questions answered so that you can help your business grow faster.  Ladies, what were your key takeaways? Come share in the She Thinks Big Facebook group. I’d love to hear from you.   Previous Episodes: 009 Shame, Money Mindset, and Your Profit and Loss 036 How Tracking KPIs Can Help You Work Less Hard In Your Business Connect with Amanda: Website http://amandaberlin.com Podcast Empowered Publicity   Work with Geraldine: Strategy Session 1:1 Coaching VIP Day