Business Strategy for CPA's

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

Today’s guest is Kate Ahl of Simple Pin Media. Simple Pin Media makes Pinterest Marketing easy to understand and implement without feeling overwhelmed. In today’s episode I talk to Kate about her journey from food stamps to running a 7-figure business that supports a team of 40 women and clients around the world. I love hearing successful women stories of being an entrepreneur. I especially admired the moments that Kate decided to go all in.  There’s so much power in deciding to do something, in saying “This is what I’m committed to trying and making happen.” Because once you decide, the rest has a way of figuring itself out. So ladies, what have you decided to create in your business? And how committed are you? What I want from you is to decide and to be committed. Because with those two things, you will make happen whatever you want. I'd love to hear from you. Share your key takeaways from this episode in the She Thinks Big Facebook group.   Get in touch with Kate: Website: https://www.simplepinmedia.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplepinmedia Twitter: https://twitter.com/simplepinmedia Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/simplepinmedia/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ahl-79a653107/ For CPAs, Accountants, Bookkeepers: As business owners, it’s not always possible for you to see the picture when you’re in the frame. It can be easy to see that it’s possible for your business to grow. But hard to see exactly how, especially when you’re caught in the day-to-day. The 3 biggest challenges I see my own clients struggling with are: How to fill your calendar with the right clients Clarifying your goals and laying out the steps to reach these goals Creating clear and strong business boundaries If any of these topics are of interest to you, check out the 3-part webinar series - Where to Find the $50K Hiding in Plain Sight for Accountants and Bookkeepers, coming up 3 Wednesdays in August: on the 14th, 21st and 28th. These webinars are all free, for you to create more value and more profit in your business. Work with Geraldine: Strategy Session 1:1 Coaching VIP Day

It's July, and six months of the year have now gone by.    At the beginning of the year, back in January, you were so excited, and you were all on fire after the winter break. “I’m gonna rock 2019!” So I want to know, are you rocking it? And if you're not rocking it, where are you off course? Have you yet planned to take a day or a half day out of your business to take stock of the progress that you've made and where you need to go for the rest of the year?  You know it’s important to take time off to look at your business. What I hope to do in today's episode is to convince you, through a story, of the importance of periodically stopping and picking your head up to take stock of where you are and compare that to where you want to be going. Listen to my story of when I had this crazy idea in 2002 of doing an Ironman, which is a 2 1/2 mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a marathon. So what does my Ironman story have to do with you and your business? There comes a time when you get uncomfortable in your business and you do things that have you drift off course. And you're drifting and drifting, and your head is down in the water. And you tell yourself a story that you don't have time to pick your head up. But you DO need to pick your head up every now and then.  And halfway through the year is the perfect time to pick your head up. Because now you have 6 months of metrics, KPIs, of solid financial data.  And if you haven't been keeping track of your metrics or your financials, call me. Because it's time for you to pick your head up in your business and look around.  Because if you don't, what it’s going to cost you is TIME and MONEY. Keeping your head down in your business could be costing you in countless ways. And it could be costing you right now.  Let me be the one to tell you to pick your head up. We need you to see where you're going in your business.  What do you need to do? Open up your calendar and find half a day or a day where you can stop and step out of your business. And look at what's going on. Schedule that time for yourself. Now could be the time that you're off course and come December you don't want to look back at July and be like, "Ugh, if only I picked my head up then, because it would have made a difference." If stepping out of your business is hard for you and you want help with it, I would love to help you. One of the things I'm good at is hovering above your business and seeing what's working in it, and what is not working in it, that needs tweaking.  Know that I would love to work with you to get your business back on course.  Now, head to the website, SheThinksBigCoaching.com and click on the Work with Me tab to see what's available to you. Ladies, I'd love to hear from you. When are you scheduling time to step away from your business? Share in the She Thinks Big Facebook group.  

Today's guest is Kate Baker, a Physical Therapist from East Missoula, Montana.  Kate has been a Physical Therapist for 5 years. After having her first child, she decided to go from working in a clinic to stepping out on her own as a solo practitioner. Being in business is new to her, and just like most new business owners, she's figuring it out as she goes along.  In this coaching call, Kate and I talk about making the money and the time add up so that she has time to parent her 7-month old boy. We talk about the best use of her time, should she outsource her bookkeeping, what to do about her website, and should she outsource that, and what are the best avenues to build an ongoing client base. Kate has everything she needs in order to build a successful practice. It's just a matter of focusing her time on what drives revenue, and not getting bogged down in the work that she's not great at, doesn't love, and frankly, would prefer not to do anyways. If you're feeling overworked and overwhelmed, chances are good it's because the time and the math don't add up. And the glue that holds it all together is YOU. And it comes at the expense of your own self-care, and your own physical and emotional wellness.  If you're overwhelmed or overworked, if something isn't working, start putting pencil to paper and bust out your calculator and see if what you're trying to create actually adds up. A note on outsourcing: When you do everything in your business, you cap your income. It's that simple. There's only so much you can get done as one person inside a week. If you want to grow your income, you need to free up your time. And you do this by paying other people to do work they're skilled at, and that you're not so skilled at.  Thinking of hiring a bookkeeper? Get the free PDF download in episode 009 - Shame, Money Mindset, and Your Profit and Loss, which contains 17 interview questions to ask a bookkeeper. Ladies, what were your key takeaways? I'd love to hear from you. Come share in the She Thinks Big Facebook group. Get in touch with Kate: Website: katebakerdpt.com Work with Geraldine: Strategy Session 1:1 Coaching VIP Day

I’m here today to help translate from CPA-speak to regular person English, sometimes known as layman English.  How many of you have met with your bookkeeper or your CPA and honestly it’s like they’re speaking Greek and like, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”  I’m here today to make CPA and bookkeeping-speak a little bit easier for you. And I’m also here to remind our friendly, much-beloved bookkeepers and CPAs just how foreign this language is to your everyday business owner who is super busy with their graphic design clients, who has a full plate already writing content for social media posts. Who already can’t quite get their handle on when is the next time, who is the next person they should hire. Much less try and wrap their brains around an entirely new way of speaking about numbers and new ways of showing and displaying finances. What I want our bookkeepers and CPA listeners to get is, “Oh yeah, this stuff is super-foreign to them, I really need this not just to simplify it but talk to them in terms that sound familiar to them rather than the ones I’m used to.”  What I have today are 9 terms that CPAs and bookkeepers use all the time, that the rest of us nod and go, “What?!” Profit and Loss Gross Net Balance Sheet Chart of Accounts Accounts Payable Accounts Receivable Cash or Accrual Owner’s Draw I want these terms to be less foreign to you. I want you to have some kind of imagery that you can use to help you remember what these terms mean. So that you’re less intimidated by your numbers and financials, so that you’re more confident, so that you can start to use them and be savvy with them.  So that you can ask yourself, “What do I need to know about these numbers? How can I find what I’m looking for? How can these numbers help me be smarter in running my business?” For your reference, I’ve created a cheat sheet of these terms plus further explanation. I also include some tips about which Profit and Loss reports I think are handy to look at every month and what you’re looking for in each one of them. It also includes references to previous episodes about money.  Ladies, what were your key takeaways in this episode? Come share in the She Thinks Big Facebook group.   Download PDF: Decoding CPA-speak    Previous Episodes on Money: 009 Shame, Money Mindset, and Your Profit and Loss 019 Stop Magical Thinking: The Math Needs to Add Up 026 Simple Financials and KPIs for Your Business with Virtual CFO Hannah Smolinski Work with Geraldine: Strategy Session 1:1 Coaching VIP Day