The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast

Government contracts can improve and scale up any business. But, many of us think that doing business with the government is not a reality. Our guest today believes that's a myth. Jean Kristensen is the owner of Jean Kristensen Associates, which is a full-service consulting firm that provides tools and resources to small, minority, and women-owned firms seeking to increase revenues through governm...

The easiest way to make more money is simple -- get the price right. Prices are the single most important element in your profit equation. Get them right and you make a profit. Get them wrong and you'll get a loss. Our returning guest is a profit improvement and effective pricing expert from the United Kingdom. Mark Wickersham is a chartered accountant, public speaker and author of many books incl...

What are your bookkeeping business fears? For many, they're afraid artificial intelligence will replace them. However, our guest, Jeff Cates, the former President and CEO of Intuit Canada, believes in the power of bookkeepers becoming consultants for their clients to keep themselves valuable in this changing world. This conversation was recorded before Jeff accepted a President and CEO position wi...

Every business needs a great bookkeeper. It doesn't matter if you're in the US, Canada or Australia, all small businesses would benefit tremendously if they had the right person looking after their books. Our guest is one of those high caliber talents who runs the bookkeeping firm, Women Who Count based in the United Kingdom. She sits on the board of the International Association of Bookkeepers an...

Pink Collar Crimes. If you don't know what they are and how destructive they can be to your bookkeeping business and life, you're listening to the right episode. The term pink-collar crime was popularized by Dr. Kathleen Daly during the 1980s to describe embezzlement type crimes that typically were committed by females based on limited opportunity. In this context, women were more likely to have c...

Are you tired of working for your bookkeeping business? Or... Are you ready to have your bookkeeping business work for you? Our guest, Karl Kremer knows how to make the latter a reality. He is a business coach who has over 30 years experience in business development, planning and execution working with Fortune 100 companies throughout the world. He helps his clients forge their business into a too...

How do you provide your clients with peace of mind? Our guest, Vicki Lynch, who is the owner of Bottom Line Accounting Pros and a United States Air Force veteran, does this by getting her clients on a regimented process of routine to help them understand the bigger picture of their financial situation. After over 20 years of experience in the accounting field, Vicki realized that adopting a system...

Business credit. For an entrepreneur, it can be a confusing thing. Enter our guest, Gerri Detweiler. She is a credit expert, author and speaker who has helped people find reliable answers regarding credit issues for the past 20+ years through her educational programs and materials. She gives all the needed information for small business owners to make better decisions with tools and strategies to...

Working virtually is the new reality. As the years fly by, it's become increasingly popular. Our guest, Gabrielle Fontaine knows all about it. She is a freelance bookkeeper who is an expert in working virtually. As the owner of BookkeepingDirect, she's had a 100% virtual bookkeeping service since 2003 as an Advanced Certified QuickBooks Advisor. She is also the author of the blog, The Freelance Bo...

How is your brand communicating to others? Today's fast-paced business environment requires leaders who can create impact and influence others with sound communication practices. Our guest, Stacey Hanke has trained over 15,000 executives to influence, persuade, sell, or simply effectively communicate face-to-face with a clear brand message. She runs Stacey Hanke Inc. which is a company that exists...

How much should you charge? Our returning guest, Roger Knecht, who is the President of the Universal Accounting Center, is an expert in helping bookkeepers and accountants to be the best in the market. He has developed proven methods on how to understand your own pricing metrics and avoid the common mistakes. You will become more confident to charge your clients and it will give them clarity as to...

How important are referrals to your business? Our guest, Stacey Brown Randall, who is a coach, author, and entrepreneur, cracked the code to overcoming the decades old advice that says "to receive referrals you must ask for them" then she perfected the art of self-maintaining clientele that consistently grows and drives revenue. She was able to save more time, make more money and bring in new clie...

Expect the unexpected. Whether it's a natural disaster, family problem or serious accident, a shocking event can disrupt business operations at any company. No one can predict the future; however, you can be ready with a comprehensive business continuity plan. With over 25 years of experience in financial management, project management, and all aspects of business operations, Cheryl Baldwin is an...

Opportunity is waiting for you. Sometimes you can access it by making a follow-up call, email or in-person meeting. But yet, not everyone does it. It's a shame because not following up can prevent you from attracting new bookkeeping clients, potential business partners or other rewards you've been searching for. Our returning guest is a master at following up. Cindy Stradling is a resilience coach...

Your tool belt. Like any professional service provider, from a plumber to a dentist to a hairdresser, you need quality tools to do the best possible job for your clients. For bookkeepers, those tools come in the form of apps and software. These days they are a must to run your bookkeeping business effectively. Our guest today is one of the first in Canada to embrace and use bookkeeping apps. With...

Big goals. They can be scary and overwhelming, but breaking those big goals to little ones that you can manage is the key. That's according to our guest today, Helen Latimer, who is a career coach and owner of the company, 925 Resources which combines unconventional thinking and business acumen to help people achieve career success. She has been a speaker at events for a number of professional ass...

Communication. You see, each generation has different ideas, opinions, tactics, styles and preferences of technology they use when running a successful bookkeeping business. When different generations collide in a working environment (ie: you and your employees), it can be hard to collaborate at times because of their different points of view. As a result, communicating properly and getting on the...

Trust. It can be hard to earn especially if you're a bookkeeper who has never hired anyone before or has trouble letting current employees make their own decisions in fear they'll mess up and cause you more work and frustration. The process of taking an employee that knows nothing to one that will eventually know something to one that becomes someone you can trust takes time. Our guest, Rhamy Alej...

Happy New Year!! I have a question for you. Are you always striving to be LEGOS? Well, if not, you might want to consider it. Here's what it stands for. L: Leave it better than you found it E: Execute G: Grow O: Ownership S: Serve There is a new level of competition in 2019, especially in tech enable and tech focus firms. Our returning guest, David Cristello, who is the founder and CEO of Jetpack...

It can be terrifying. Starting a bookkeeping business or running one, can have so many potential pitfalls that it could make you tear your hair out. However, if you have clarity in regards to what your direction is and determination to execute your goals, you can overcome challenges. Our guest, Billie Anne Grigg has done that. She has been a bookkeeper for years and is the founder of Pocket Protec...

"Life doesn't happen to me anymore, I go out and happen to life." Our guest learned that the hard way after realizing that communicating with humans is not logical, it is biological. Leadership and communication expert, John Bates has a methodology and training that is based in the evolutionary biology and neurophysiology of human communication, connection and interaction. It not only makes you a...

Challenges. All bookkeeping business owners go through them. Our guest, Jennifer Walsh, who is the president of Censea Accounting & Business Solutions, is no different. She's experienced everything from being in the middle of a bad recession, competing with a lot of bookkeepers and staffing issues, but she has persevered because of her passion and desire to be successful. Today, her business h...

Bitcoin. Litecoin. Ethereum. These are a few of the popular cryptocurrencies in circulation today. Our guest, Dr. Sean Stein Smith, who is an assistant professor in the business and economic department at Lehman College and expert in cryptocurrencies, has some guidelines on how they might work in the accounting and bookkeeping worlds. Cryptocurrencies are slowly launching their way into the real w...

How do you stand out amongst the competition? You learn to understand your prospective clients' lingo. Our guest, Jeffrey Shaw, who is a nationally acclaimed keynote speaker and host of the popular business podcast, Creative Warriors, helps entrepreneurs and small businesses with their brand and messaging. He shares his practical action steps and insights on how to make your bookkeeping business e...

Eradicate entrepreneurial poverty. That is Ron Saharyan's focus. He is the co-founder and managing partner of Profit First Professionals. He is also a thought leader in business cash flow management, a speaker on the topic of small business profit and a host of a podcast called The Profit First Podcast along with his business partner, Mike Michalowicz. There's an ongoing uprising change in the acc...