Business Strategy for CPA's

**Listener survey - help shape the podcast to what you want to hear!**  https://bit.ly/3ay8FDt   Today’s guest is Melisa Galasso. She is the founder of Galasso Learning Solutions, where she offers custom, continuing professional education to CPAs, focused on engaging learner experience and improved performance outcomes. I wanted to interview Melisa to talk with her about Continuing Education. While it might not be the sexiest topic ever, with 40 required hours every year, it’s worth doing this right. And having seen a number of my own clients have to cram in dozens of hours right before the deadline, it made me think this was an issue worth bringing to the table.  What stood out to me in this conversation was just how easy it is for the year to get away from you, and that when it’s left until late in the game, you end up having to choose whatever is left to satisfy requirements, which is not just a waste of time and money, but a huge opportunity cost to learn the things that could potentially really move your business forward.  Connect with Melisa: Website: https://galassolearningsolutions.com/   Book mentioned: The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance---What Women Should Know, by Katty Kay https://www.amazon.com/Confidence-Code-Science-Self-Assurance-What-Should/dp/006223062X Download ebook “6 Easy Steps to Double Your Revenue” https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/download-double-your-revenue   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/

**Listener survey - help shape the podcast to what you want to hear!**  https://bit.ly/3ay8FDt   Today’s guest is Lisa Campbell, founder of The Marcam Group, where she guides her clients to profitability as a Profit First strategist.  I wanted to have her on because she started out just like many of you, as a solo practitioner, fell into all the predictable traps, until finally she realized that something had to change. So we explore her journey of her business growth and what she learned along the way. What stood out to me was her piece about mindset work and teaching herself how to focus, how to systematize the way she thinks about things.  It reminds me of something I read in “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle, where he talks about the mind being kind of like a dog chewing on a bone. The dog will chew and chew and chew on the bone and they will totally enjoy it and you give the dog a bone and it will hang out there. And as entrepreneurs, we can kind of be similar. We see shiny objects and we go towards them. It takes special effort to train our minds to focus and give our attention to the things that are most important in our day and in our lives. Watch out for dog bones! Previous episode mentioned: 044 CEO Day: Why You Need to Pick Your Head Up in Your Business https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/044   Book mentioned: The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle https://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenment/dp/1577314808 Connect with Lisa: Website: The Marcam Group http://marcam.ca/ Facebook Group: The Successful Bookkeeper North America https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulbookkeeper/ Download ebook “6 Easy Steps to Double Your Revenue” https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/download-double-your-revenue 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 Cyndi Thomason. Cyndi Thomason is the author of the bestselling book, Profit First for Ecommerce Sellers. She is a Mastery Level Certified Profit First Professional, and the founder and president of Bookskeep. Cyndi devotes much of her time speaking at various events such as ASD Market Week, SellerCon, ProfitCon, and other industry events. She is a regular contributor to The Private Label Insider, Inventory Lab and eComEngine blogs and newsletters. Her company consists of a virtual team located across the United States, providing bookkeeping and Profit First consulting services to e-commerce clients all over the world. I wanted to interview Cyndi to ask her about her experience of differentiating herself in the marketplace and niching down.  Like so many things in life that are difficult to learn or do, once you know how to do it, it seems easy, and you forget what it was like before you knew how to or did the thing.  And it can be that way with niching down. Once you’ve done it, you forget what it was like to be in the headspace of knowing you should do it, but feeling resistant to actually putting the process in place.  So Cyndi and I are going to talk about her process of niching to e-commerce, now that she is on the successful side of it.  There was so much to love in that conversation, but what stood out to me was her recognition that even 7-figure business owners can have a murky understanding of their financials, and how important it is to know where your clients are when it comes to their level of business financial literacy.  And I really appreciated the part about finding clients whose values overlap with yours, and with whom you connect. When you do, it makes your business life so much easier and more enjoyable. Tricky clients can absolutely be a thing of the past.  Cyndi’s book: Profit First for Ecommerce Sellers: Transform Your Ecommerce Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0960028315/ Mike Michalowicz’s book: Surge: Time the Marketplace, Ride the Wave of Consumer Demand, and Become Your Industry's Big Kahuna by Mike Michalowicz https://surgebymikemichalowicz.com/ Previous episode mentioned: 055 [Coaching] Mindset Blocks Around Hiring with Dr. Sabrina Starling https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/055 Connect with Cyndi: Email: cyndi@bookskeep.com  Website: http://bookskeep.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookskeep/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bookskeep/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/bookskeep Download ebook “6 Easy Steps to Double Your Revenue” https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/download-double-your-revenue 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 wanted to start the year off with top five books and reviews from 2019, but I couldn't help myself and I got to at least nine. There were so many great reads that I got through this year.  I hope you find something to enjoy that will potentially contribute to your own inside transformation. And by proxy, contribute to the transformation of your business, and lead to you living a whole and beautiful life. Here’s my 9 best reads from 2019:   This is Marketing - Seth Godin https://www.amazon.com/This-Marketing-Cant-Until-Learn/dp/0525540830/   Million Dollar Consulting - Alan Weiss https://alanweiss.com/shop/books/paperback/million-dollar-consulting/   How Women Rise - Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith http://www.howwomenrise.com/   The Pumpkin Plan - Mike Michalowicz https://pumpkinplanyourbiz.com/book/   The Soul of Money - Lynne Twist https://soulofmoney.org/   Overcoming Underearning - Barbara Stanny https://www.barbara-huson.com/books-products/   You are a Badass at Making Money - Jen Sincero https://jensincero.com/shop/   Boundaries - Cloud & Townsend https://www.amazon.com/Boundaries-Updated-Expanded-When-Control/dp/0310351804/   The Gifts of Imperfection - Brene Brown https://brenebrown.com/books-audio/ Download ebook “6 Easy Steps to Double Your Revenue” https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/download-double-your-revenue 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/

Wishing you a Happy New Year and a very prosperous 2020! I’m closing out the year with a few more jokes from Hazel and a question. What if you raised your prices by 10% and dropped 10% of your clients? Where would you end up? I play with these and more  numbers is this short episode. See you in 2020.

It’s the holiday season, and it's time to step away from the mic so that I can spend time with my loved ones. And same for you. In this episode, you’ll hear my four year old girl Hazel bust out some math jokes. Merry Christmas! Happy holidays! 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 Sommer Poquette, Founder and CEO of Keep It Real Social. Sommer is an expert in Google Business, and I wanted to have her on today to talk about Google My Business and the Google My Business listing, how to get it if you haven't done it already, what its value is and why I think it's a good idea for you to claim your business listing on Google.  So, are Google reviews the be all end all? No. Might they be a useful differentiator in your business? Might it be worth an hour to claim your listing? Confirm your address and phone number and put up a photo of your storefront? Might be. Plus, because this is part of Google, it's part of your overall SEO. So when you claim your business's listing on Google, it enhances the SEO of your website.  For a SCREENSHOT of where to find Google My Business listing  visit: http://shethinksbigcoaching.com/064 Sommer’s Vision for Keep It Real Social: “For me the biggest thing is, I want to continue to help small businesses actually make a dent online. I know it's really competitive out there, it's hard to be found… And so I would  like to create more potential for those small businesses out there using online search, and to be found.”      Google My Business Links:  Start here: https://www.google.com/business/ Hiding your address: https://support.google.com/business/thread/1754513?hl=en   Connect with Sommer: Website: http://keepitrealsocial.com   Upcoming Webinars/Workshops: DECEMBER: Adding Advisory Services 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 want to talk to you today about adding advisory services. I want to share with you my perspective of what I see from the outside looking in, what I hear from other business owners, about what business owners want from their CPA. As well as from the inside, watching my clients who want to grow their income and want to get more time back, knowing that there's this thing called advisory services that they maybe, can, and should be providing but they can't quite get to it. And organizing all these thoughts so that at the end of this episode, you have some clarity around which steps you need to take next if including advisory services in your practice is something you want to move forward on.  So here I am in the middle, hearing the CPAs in one ear, telling me just how much expertise and knowledge they have, and a desire to guide their clients in their businesses. And on the other hand, in my other ear I have these business owners who are dying for this expertise, and this guidance. And part of me wants to sit down and be like, “You guys really need to talk to each other!” But what I see on your behalf is an opportunity to provide something to your clients that they are desperately wanting.  If you're ready to take some more steps forward on this advisory services topic, know that I'm doing a webinar on Wednesday, December 18th. If you want to know more, go to my website: shethinksbigcoaching.com. Upcoming Webinar: DECEMBER: Adding Advisory Services https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/webinars-workshops-schedule/ Previous episode mentioned: 062 Making More Time in Your Business, with Adrienne Dorison, Co-Founder of Run Like Clockwork™ https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/making-more-time-in-your-business-adrienne-dorison-run-like-clockwork/ 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 Adrienne Dorison, the co-founder of Run Like Clockwork™. Adrienne Dorison is the Co-Founder of Run Like Clockwork™ alongside her business partner, Mike Michalowicz, where she equips CEOs to design a business and team that can run itself, like clockwork. Adrienne has helped hundreds of CEOs increase their profit margins, develop the right systems, create bulletproof teams and be able to take an unplugged vacation. Adrienne has spent the past 10+ years in the field of operational efficiency, and has since created the most simplistic approach to making your business ultra-efficient. I wanted to interview Adriene to go deeper into the concepts in the Clockwork and how we as  business owners can use these concepts to simplify our businesses, get more time and freedom back, while making more money.  Thank you so much Adriene, for coming on the podcast.    One of the things I loved in our conversation was the repeat call to do a time audit.  As part of the onboarding process for my VIP clients, I request screenshots of my clients’ Google calendars. And just the act of asking for that is illuminating for them. For most people, what I see is only meetings blocked out, but not time to proactively work on certain parts of the business.  A common response is, I always wondered where my time went, and now I know why I don’t know where my time goes. It’s because I don’t make or decide or choose to dedicate to a certain thing. No wonder it feels like often it just evaporates or goes to whatever feels most urgent in the moment.  So the act of reality-checking your calendar is illuminating.  And from there we can get more intentional about planning time use, an activity that pays dividends. There is so much more to the book Run Like Clockwork, and if you haven’t already, I urge you to go out and pick up a copy.  You can also check out the Run Like Clockwork podcast if audio is your style.  Book mentioned: Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself by Mike Michalowicz https://www.amazon.com/Clockwork-Design-Your-Business-Itself/dp/0525534016/ Connect with Adrienne: Website: https://www.runlikeclockwork.com/ Podcast: https://www.runlikeclockwork.com/podcast Upcoming Webinars/Workshops: DECEMBER: Adding Advisory Services 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/  

A lot of business owners have tens of thousands of dollars hanging out in Accounts Receivable that is more than 30 days old. Where's the opportunity for you and your business, in these owed payments? If your clients owe you money, it’s likely that either they don't have enough cash to pay you, or they lack the systems to pay you on time. Dig deeper into your clients’ business to find layers of opportunity. Find out about their challenges.  If they don’t have enough money, is there an opportunity for you to offer them something like cash flow and budgeting and inventory and cost analysis services? Or maybe they have the money but they don't have the systems in place to pay you on time. Maybe they’re super inefficient and need help to streamline and to build out more efficient work systems. What solutions could you offer that would benefit you both? Because you can solve problems, you might be the one and only, the very person who can help your clients think about how to solve this problem that could have been a nagging at them for years.    Upcoming Webinars/Workshops: DECEMBER: Adding Advisory Services 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/