Profits + Prosecco: The Podcast

This is going to be a very important, very educational episode, my friends. Lately, I've been getting a lot of questions about cybersecurity and what you need to invest in as a bookkeeper, but seeing as I'm not an expert in that...I decided to call one in! On today's episode, I've invited Brent Panell, CEO of ControlAltProtect, to chat with me about the importance of cybersecurity, the true level...

In order to do bookkeeping work ethically, you need to gut-check two things before agreeing to take on any new client… Your competency, and your capacity. Many people think that their competency is the only metric by which they have to measure their ability to take on a new client, but in actuality, capacity–both mental and time-wise–is just as important. Because you may be competent enough to tac...

You hear things all the time about being a working mom…but what about working, momming, AND trying to start a business all at the same time? This is the situation today's BABs graduate and LIBBY member, Cara Martinez, entered into when she decided to start her own bookkeeping biz…BEFORE quitting her day job. This is the reality for many hopeful entrepreneurs. Not everyone can leave their corporate...

Please welcome Samantha Myres, one of the newest members of the Quitter's Club! WOOHOO!!! Here at Profits + Prosecco, we celebrate quitting. It's not an easy decision, and not an easy path to walk even when you do decide to leave…which is why I think it's so valuable to hear these stories from people just like you. Unlike what most people think, quitting requires a lot of courage. It requires a lo...

If you're longing for something more, and you desperately want to move forward into something better, but can't seem to take that first step…it's probably because of one of three things. I've been talking a lot lately about perfectionism, and how falling prey to it will only harm you, not help you. But perfectionism has many forms, and it can show up in the pattern of your thoughts in all kinds of...

Ultimately, you only need two things to make up the core of your bookkeeping business… The technical knowledge to do the job and do it well…and the ability to turn it into a business. Depending on where you are in your journey to become a bookkeeper, one may seem much harder than the other, or they both might seem daunting, but they're not impossible. You can absolutely learn them. Not only that,...

As much as it pains me to say it, the best time for starting your bookkeeping business has already passed… Because the best time to start was when you first began to consider the idea. But if you're like most people, you didn't act on that first impulse. You sat with the idea for a while. You told yourself all the reasons it wouldn't work for you. You waited, you hesitated, you stalled…and you nev...

Making momentum in your business starts with one thing: not letting failure paralyze you. If you allow failure to freeze you in your tracks out of fear of "wasting" your time or money on something that doesn't end up working the way you wanted, you're actually doing more to halt your business's momentum than perceived "failure" ever could. Today, I'm sharing my five best tips for creating momentum...

Bookkeeping may be simple and scalable…but that doesn't mean it's easy. Building a bookkeeping business is all about the long-term goal, not a short-term fix. If you need money NOW, if you need a career that supports your life NOW…bookkeeping isn't going to be your answer. But if you can have some patience…if you can get the vision in your mind of one day having a business that allows you to have...

Bookkeeping clients come from all walks of life and all different backgrounds—it's one of the things that never ceases to amaze me about this work. My clients are all so different, yet they all find such value in the work of bookkeeping—and your clients will be the same! This is why I've invited one of my amazing clients, Katie Grimes, to share the story of her corporate exit. Because the odds are...

You may think that the holidays are the most hectic time of the year, but for bookkeepers, it's actually what comes after the holidays that can be the most stressful: the year-end review. If you're not sure what a year-end review entails—or you weren't even aware that it was something you should be doing—I'm here to help. In today's episode, I'll be recapping an on-demand workshop I held live in D...

Health insurance: after considering the loss of your actual salary, this is the next biggest concern to tackle when you're planning to leave your corporate job.  The loss of these benefits is a huge stressor, and shopping for health insurance as a self-employed individual is an experience that often leaves people tearing their hair out. They don't really go out of their way to make it easy… Which...

If you want to have a successful bookkeeping business, there's one secret that will get you there: Just be really, really good at what you do. And how do you get really, really good at what you do? You invest in a really, really good bookkeeping program—and that's where BABs comes in! BABs is a program that teaches you the technical skills of bookkeeping: accounting, tax basics, the basics of book...

I'm not going to sugarcoat this: CPAs think bookkeepers are stupid. There might be nicer ways to say it, but it's just the truth. CPAs often treat bookkeepers as if they don't really know what they're doing, or as if they've already made mistakes before the CPA has even started working with them. Naturally, this can leave bookkeepers getting their feelings and their pride hurt; and, understandably...

Recently, I finally was able to do something that I've been wanting to do for some time now… I got to host a business retreat! When I first started trickling out content to see if anyone would be interested, I didn't really have any expectations. I wasn't sure who would express interest—or if anyone would—and I wasn't entirely sure what it would look like. All I knew was that I had a vision, and I...

Today's episode features a different kind of interview: an interview overseen by one of my amazing Instagram followers, Tina Hall! Tina is a new bookkeeper—and a new mom!–who volunteered to hop on and interview me when I asked if any followers might be willing. And she came prepared! She brought many creative, thought-provoking questions for me to answer, and I think you'll all benefit from hearin...

I have something very exciting to share with you all today… I have a new offer! If you've been listening for a bit, you've probably heard me mention Tech Talks, a new add-on for Life by the Books members. Well, great news—I'm opening this offer up! Tech Talks are live Zoom sessions that are currently happening around the last Tuesday of the month, starting at 11:00 AM EST, and they run about 90 to...

More interviews? Don't mind if I do! In today's episode, I was interviewed by my lovely coaching client, Karley. She asked so many insightful and profound questions, and I think the answers are important for all of you to hear. In this episode, we talked about how I took the path of MOST resistance while choosing to leave corporate, what led to that decision, what barking dogs have to do with list...

I have a treat for you today, friends: just recently, I was interviewed by Erin Andrews of Owners and Operators, and I had such a blast talking with her! We went over several important parts of my bookkeeping journey, including the reasons behind my exit from corporate, my experience building my business from scratch, my choice to shape that business in order to prioritize my stay-at-home mom life...

Payroll is a tricky thing, and choosing a payroll provider is even trickier. However, there's one payroll provider that I prefer over all others: ADP! There are many reasons why ADP is the best payroll provider out there, but the most important reason is my special guest on this episode: Hannah Joyce, my personal payroll rep! Today we're talking all things payroll and ADP: why I suggest utilizing...

In your time as a bookkeeper, it's very likely that your clients will come to you for recommendations on many things involving their finances. One of the things that might come up someday soon? Their choice of bank account for business checking. Sound intimidating? Believe me, it's not as difficult of a choice as it sounds! In fact, I've taken the liberty of bringing you my own recommendation righ...

One of the big things I teach in my bookkeeping programs is how to make things easier on yourself, and today is no exception. I want to talk about the three reports you should absolutely be sending to your bookkeeping clients every month. Now, three may sound like overkill—in fact, you might be thinking this means more work for you. But in actuality, providing these three reports right from the ge...

One of the scariest parts of running your own business is coming up against something you've never done before, a question you don't know how to answer, or a problem you don't know how to solve.   As bookkeepers, we want to be able to answer any questions our clients have with confidence and certainty. We want to know that we know that we know the answer, right? We want to be seen as capable, beca...

You all asked, and I'm here to answer...here's how I managed my summer vacation as a bookkeeping biz owner!   It involved a lot of creativity, a lot of commitment, and stocking a grabber toy in the car, but I made it through, and the business functioned exactly the way it was built to: prioritizing my life and my role as a mother first.   I was able to take a trip during the busiest time of my wor...

My friends, when I tell you that August was a long month...you have no idea just how long it was. But you're about to because this week's podcast episode is all about the lesson I was reminded of while navigating a truly chaotic conclusion to my summer: act in optimism, plan in pessimism.   It's rare that you hear someone advise you to embrace pessimism. But trust me, this is the key to holding sp...