The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast

“Spend 15 minutes a day every single day on something that matters to you. I don’t care if it matters to anybody else, but something that matters to you, and preferably do all this before you check your email.” -Sam Bennett

Habit building is hard, especially when we aren’t always sure which way to direct our energy. The more we build a habit, the more momentum we gain, and the less we want to quit whatever it is we are doing. Unfortunately, the same is true of negative habits. If we struggle to even try, that is all that will happen. We’ll give up before we start to see results, and the more we give up, the more we’ll keep giving up.

We can’t just copy others and hope to find the same success, we aren’t them. It’s scary to realize there is no right way to success, there is only our own way, all we have to do is lean into it, and build it up with good habits. Success is what follows those good habits.

Sam Bennett, author of The 15-Minute Method, has spent her career helping overthinkers get things done, 15 minutes at a time. She has created an environment to help people live their best, most fulfilling and productive lives.

In this episode, Sam and Michael illustrate the power of the 15-minute method, how to beat procrastination, and how to spend more time in your flow state. If you are an overthinker, constantly worried about making the right choices, then this is the episode that will get you believing you can be who you want to be.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The power of the 15-Minute Method
• How to spend more time in your flow
• The importance of overcoming procrastination

To find out more about Sam, click here.

To explore the Get it done! Daily Practicum, visit this link.

Connect with Sam on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram

Time Stamps 01:35 - Sam discussses her career journey 04:30 - Adjusting to a new reality 10:10 - The power of 15 minutes 17:43 - Getting to grips with procrastination 20:58 - Building time in your flow state 32:03 - The daily practicum

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“If you’re going to work with someone and they’re going to give you access to their client base, they’re really going to have to trust you.” -Jeff Jacobs

Trust is fundamental to any relationship and yet so many of us struggle to build long-lasting and trusting relationships. Expectation plays a key role in how trust is formed. When someone lets us down or fails to deliver on a promise, it shakes our faith in them.

But more deeply, it shakes our faith in ourselves. After all, we put our faith and trust in that person or organization to deliver. When they don’t, we question our ability to make the right decisions going forward. This becomes a never-ending cycle of self-doubt and inconsistent trust-building activity.

Jeff Jacobs, Director of Development at Wilkins Miller LLC, is this episode’s featured guest. His approach is a personal one that focuses on the team rather than the individual as the key to success. Building caring and trusting relationships with employees and clients, not just to leverage them later, but to learn how he might best help them reach their dreams.

If you are struggling to build trust, consider how much of your intention is on what you want to get out of a client rather than on how you can improve their lives. When clients don’t feel valued, they are less likely to trust you to manage more of their needs. When was the last time you checked in on a client just to see how they are feeling or to ask them what you could be doing better?

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of trust in long-lasting connections
• How to create strong business relationships
• The importance of keeping people in the loop

Click here to find out more about Jeff.

Connect with him on LinkedIn.

Time Stamps

02:09 - Jeff talks about his career journey 08:52 - Why building trust matters 10:50 - Creating centers of influence 13:54 - Overcoming the obstacles of industry 16:02 - Find the way that works for you 20:29 - Keeping people in the loop 22:06 - Delivering a quality offering 24:22 - Building strong business relationships 33:28 - How to get in touch with Jeff

This episode is brought to you by our good friends at Pure Bookkeeping!

If you want to grow your bookkeeping business, get back your time, be more efficient and have confidence that your work is best practice, you need proven systems, processes and standard operating procedures.

That’s what Pure Bookkeeping offers. To find out more, visit PureBookkeeping.com TODAY!

"Being passive or being a people pleaser in business is not a great way to get results." -Erin Daiber Running a bookkeeping business isn’t easy. There are enough external challenges to contend with, without piling on internal ones of our own making. Too many of us aspire to be all things to all people. But this strategy only ever leads one way... to overextension and burnout. There is a huge difference between being polite and being passive. You do not have to agree to every demand a client makes, nor should you. You will never be able to please everyone. It is far better to set healthy and effective boundaries instead. Ones that let you make and maintain polite and consistent connections while being firm and accurate about what is and what isn’t within your capacity to deliver. Erin Daiber, CEO of Well Balanced Accountants is this episode’s featured guest. She is no stranger to the fears that come with running your own business, with the desire to people please everyone. In this episode, she speaks powerfully to the need for self-development work, and the need to find people who can help us avoid the same pitfalls and traps common in our industry. If you are struggling to determine your purpose, overpromising and underdelivering, and failing to set healthy boundaries, this is the episode to help you break the scarcity mindset so you can create a bookkeeping business that delivers expertly on its promises. During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of coaching & learning in your personal development journey
• How to live with the fear of the unknown
• The importance of setting healthy boundaries

Click here to find out more about Erin. Connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter Don’t miss a chance to get your free ticket to The Successful Bookkeeper Summit. Click here for more information! Time Stamps 01:25 - Erin talks about her career journey 04:15 - Overcoming the challenges of business 11:01 - Setting healthy boundaries 15:42 - Learning to live with the unknown 19:49 - Making peace with your inner child 22:21 - Encouraging your clients to explore themselves 26:27 - The value of finding the right coach for you 28:41 - Erin gives a sneak peek of her talk at the upcoming Successful Bookkeeper Summit

“LiveFlow gives the ability to create these very tailored dashboards. What's really good about that, is that it allows the bookkeepers to increase the fees for their services.” -Lasse Kalkar Bookkeeping is not what it used to be. Clients are less willing to spend large sums of money on people to keep accounts when they can be easily kept by automated technology. The role of bookkeepers is changing, and those that are willing to embrace new technologies will be the ones that thrive in the bookkeeping advisory economy. Lasse Kalkar, founder and CEO of LiveFlow, is this episode’s featured guest. He has spent his life filling the gaps for what the market needs, and his latest invention, LiveFlow revolutionizes the real-time ability of clients and bookkeepers to see their data in Google sheets and Microsoft Excel. If you are tired of wasting hours manually inputting data and sending reports to your clients, this is the episode to get you thinking about what the future of your bookkeeping business could look like. Not only in how you share information with clients, but how through templates and sharing you could get immediate access to the best practice of some of the most skilled bookkeepers. During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of automating systems to save time
• How to offer better value & advice to your clients
• The importance of believing in yourself & being persistent

Click here to find out more about Lasse. Connect with Lasse on LinkedIn. Click here to find out more about LiveFlow. Time Stamps 02:18 - Lasse talks about his career journey 03:54 - Overcoming the obstacles of entrepreneurship 09:47 - Understanding LiveFlow 12:51 - The value in automated systems 20:34 - Getting to grips with formulas 27:25 - Live Flow and team building

SPECIAL ANNOUCEMENT:

Don’t miss a chance to get your FREE ticket to our upcoming Successful Bookkeeper Summit! Click here for more information!

“It’s marketing. Just saying bookkeeping is not as enticing as saying, 'I’m going to change your life!'" - Andrea MacKenzie Sometimes success can take us by surprise. We can very quickly become overwhelmed by everything we have to get done. So much so, that when looking to scale our bookkeeping business, we are so desperate for help, we take the first person available. Having help though is never as useful or valuable as taking the time to find good help. Andrea MacKenzie, founder of Lead with Harmony, is this episode’s featured guest. She is dedicated to assisting small business owners hire, develop, and lead great teams. Her approach is one of building a conscious leadership mindset, to help you create the right conditions to find, train and trust the right people in your business. Energy attracts, and if you are hiring from a place of desperation, it’s likely you’ll only attract desperate people. Andrea speaks passionately about the need for getting your people processes right from the ground up, taking the time to really figure out who you are and what you need in others that supports business growth, not conflict and resentment. If you are struggling to scale your bookkeeping business, butting heads with that quick hire you thought would be an answered prayer, or looking to develop your additional services but aren’t sure who to hire, this is the episode to help you get on the path to great, effective, and conscious leadership. During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of effective assessment in hiring employees
• How to identify the root causes of conflict & burnout
• The importance of overcoming limiting & negative mindsets

Click here to find out more about Andrea. Connect with Andrea on LinkedIn and Twitter SPECIAL OFFER for The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast listeners: FREE Delegation Visualization Guided Audio to help you unlock what’s possible when you stop managing and start delegating! Use this guided audio and the companion worksheets to tap into your desire to let go, get back your time, and grow... through delegation! FREE with Special Code! (Regular Price: $37) Special Offer Code: SUCCESSFULBOOKKEEPER Click here for a FREE Job Advertisement Checklist.

Time Stamps

01:35 - Andrea talks about her career journey 06:00 - The power in how you think 10:44 - The challenges of hiring the right people 15:20 - Overcoming fear & limiting mindsets 18:21 - Identifying the root causes of conflict & burnout 22:52 - Assessing people effectively 31:12 - Conscious leadership 34:08 - Working with Andrea SPECIAL ANNOUCEMENT: Don’t miss your chance to get a FREE ticket to our upcoming Successful Bookkeeper Summit! Click here for more information!