The Ambitious Bookkeeper Podcast

176 ⎸ How to Transform Clients into Your Biggest Cheerleaders with Madelyn Furlong

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In this interview episode, I’m hanging out with marketing whiz Madelyn Furlong. We’re diving into how to turn your clients into mega-fans that'll rave about your business. From personal touches to killer marketing strategies, we've got you covered.

In this episode you’ll hear:

  • how having all your marketing needs handled by one team can save you tons of stress and time
  • stories and tips on how adding a human touch can set your business apart
  • how to keep things ultra-organized to respect your clients' time


Resources mentioned in this episode:


Meet Madelyn

Having a standout marketing strategy doesn’t mean you have to share a new post every day that end in -y!

That’s where Madelyn Furlong comes in. She helps small businesses create ShowIt websites and engaging social media content so they can turn their leads into sales.

Madelyn uses her knowledge and experiences to help clients transform their customers into cheerleaders and take their business to the next level. By helping them create a standout website and social media, they can show up online with confidence.

Madelyn works as a small business marketing strategist in small-town Wetumpka, Alabama where she enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with family.


Connect with Madelyn

📱 IG: @madelynvictoriaco

📄 Download “3 Simple Strategies to Become More Visible, Get More Clients, and Increase Your Profit" to learn what you can do right now to improve your business’ marketing. It's all about helping you save time and reduce stress by following marketing tactics that actually work.

Thanks for listening. If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram stories and tag me, @ambitiousbookkeeper

For more information about the Ambitious Bookkeeper Podcast or interest in our programs or mentoring visit our resources below:


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Serena:

Welcome to the Ambitious Bookkeeper podcast. Today I have another lovely guest on. This is Madeline Furlong. I think we also met on thread, so I'm just like super thrilled about all the awesome connections I'm making , but yeah. So welcome to the podcast.

Madelyn:

you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.

Serena:

So give us a little bit of a background of who you are, what you do, and all that good stuff. Mm-Hmm?

Madelyn:

I'm Madeline. I'm a marketing strategist and ShowIt website designers. So I help like small businesses create ShowIt websites and then engaging social media content so they can turn their leads into sales and just feel confident online. So I always like to tell people, like, I never planned to be an entrepreneur. It all happened sort of by accident. I mean, I was a social media manager in college, but it was just like, You know, sort of like a side job a way to make some extra money. And I just really enjoyed it. But in my mind, I was always going to go the corporate route get a job in marketing, even though English was my degree, I just fell in love with marketing. And so I, yeah, that was always like my plan in my mind, but after college, I just thought, you know, it'd be really cool if I could go full time with this business. And I mean, at the time it was just like a faraway dream, just. Something that you know, I thought that wanted, but never really, honestly, like never really thought that it would happen. And so,

Serena:

Mm-Hmm.

Madelyn:

decided to just try it out for a little bit. So I ended up getting a part time job as a bookseller and continued like the social media management business on the side. And when I was working in the bookstore, Store fun fact, our hometown was actually on an HGTV show and so we got a ton of tourists and so I really just like fell in love with marketing even more during that time because I got to promote it you know, locally of course to the tourist and then also like on social media and so it just kinda like grew from there. And then I got a another job after the bookseller went on to be an administrative assistant to the president of a university. Learned a lot very thankful for that and just learned, you know, it's important to provide the right service to students and staff and then eventually decided, hey, like, I think I can go full time with this business. I think I can make it work. I'm ready for this. like, evolved into being a marketing strategist. designer. So it just all kind of like, you know, had this sort of snowball effect. So it wasn't always like linear, but it was very like cool to look back and see, oh, well, this job helped me, you know, with this aspect of my business. Or you know, it was this point that I decided that I wanted to go full time and like, see what, you know, could happen. So yeah, that's kind of my story in a nutshell.

Serena:

I really like that. Even though like you were kind of like dipping your toe in the business world. You still were like soaking in every opportunity that you could, in your current role, in your nine to five to like take that and use what you're learning in your business. And I feel like. A lot of our listeners are bookkeepers and accountants who are also like in corporate, still trying to start their own thing. And sometimes I think that people feel like in a hurry about like, I want to start my business. I want to get out of corporate. But like if you slow down and just like be grateful for everything that you're learning while you're still in your role, because that's going to help you in your future just to have that mindset, because that's how I felt. Like sometimes I'll look back and be like, Oh, I wish I would have taken the leap a lot sooner, but then I would have missed out on all this. experience that I ended up getting in corporate that have really benefited the clients that I have. So it's like, it's a trade off, but at least like to look at your, like, while you were building things up and like, look at your career path and be able to pinpoint, like, that absolutely helped me in my job now or in my business. And like, even though it would have been cool to be doing this all along, like, There was a reason that I had all these other things to learn, too, so just if you're listening, like, try not to, like, rush the process, I guess.

Madelyn:

true. true. remember feeling so frustrated and just being ready to, you know, do this full time. But I mean, like you said, it's really so important just to ask, like, questions and learn and just, like soak up as much as you can during that time because it will, like, help tremendously in your own business. So you're

Serena:

Yeah.

Madelyn:

Yeah.

Serena:

one of those hindsight things that you're like, okay, now I get it. Like the universe was like, I wasn't quite ready or whatever. So it's like I was presented these other opportunities or obstacles, even in your job learning experiences that are going to help you in your future. So if you look at it that way, it's easier to not feel like the grass is greener on the other side. You know what I mean? It's like, keep watering the grass on your side, keep your head in the game where you're at, but also like take whatever you can and transfer that over to your, your new business. So yeah, that's really cool that you're able to recognize that. I think a lot of people don't stop to like recognize that through this process, but so yeah, so now you mainly focus on Show it websites and marketing strategy, which you mentioned. So what do you mean by marketing strategy?

Madelyn:

So I'm going to nerd out for just like a couple of minutes. I love like marketing. I think it's so much fun. I like everything from like looking at the data to like the creative process of it. So I help like clients. With everything from social media, like I have a social media content membership. I also help clients with like outsourcing their marketing. So if they, you know, want to hand it all off and say like, I don't want to deal with this, please like come up with strategies build up my funnels. Posts, you know, on social media, write my emails. I do that as well. So honestly, much fun. And just like getting to test out different things and get to know like clients and their business and their industry. It's a lot of, it's a lot of fun.

Serena:

Yeah. a lot of times I feel like some business owners, I mean, I have clients that do it, so it's not like, Like exclusive to the bookkeeping and accounting industry by any means, but like we will hodgepodge together different marketing strategies and be like, Oh, I need to hire someone to do social media. And then they end up hiring someone else to do the email marketing and then someone else to do building the funnels out and stuff like that. But like to have it all under one, like your control is like probably really amazing so that you can see how everything like. Works together. All of this strategy is like in alignment because like, you know, okay. The client is promoting a certain offer. I can. Make sure it ends up in the email newsletter. I can make sure that the funnels build out correctly for to run ads to or whatever and then like the social media content is in alignment with it because there's like marketing has so many like Different pieces that it really is important for all of that to be like congruent And so that's a huge benefit that you're offering all of that to be under one Like one roof because like smaller business owners will hodgepodge everything together and then like you end up feeling like pulled in all these directions. You're communicating with four different contractors making sure everyone's on the same page and it's like if you only have to communicate with one person about all of it.

Madelyn:

for sure. Like some people come to me and they're like, Oh my goodness, like I've been outsourcing this, like you said, to four different people and it's taking up like so much of their time talking to all these different people. And so when they like switch and they're you know, just give it to one person, it's like, okay, I can breathe. Like I can actually, you know, talk to you and only you about you know, what needs to be done for this. And it takes like a fraction of their time, so

Serena:

Yeah. I think a lot of people get into the trap of like thinking they only need one little piece of it initially, which is valid, right? If you're going to do it yourself, I would say like only implement like one thing at a time and like focus on that until you have a system down. But that's like, they kind of treat like hiring or outsourcing it the same way where they're like, I'm just going to outsource a fraction of it. And then. They're trying to like save money and do it with like, Oh, I'll just have a VA do this part and a another VA do this other part. Cause it's super cheap. And then it's like, instead of like the time that you would have been spending on just doing it yourself, you're spending all that time just communicating with all these people.

Madelyn:

Right. Yeah, I'm all about working smarter, not harder.

Serena:

Yeah. But it's so easy to fall into that trap because. Things just move quickly and you're like, Oh, now I need this other aspect. I want email marketing and the social media person doesn't do it. So I'm going to do this part, like go hire it out over here. So that's really cool that you're handling it all. Do you have a team that supports you or are you building out an agency? I love hearing about like the business model that people have and how, what they're using.

Madelyn:

So I've definitely thought about an agency that might be like a future thing for sure, but I'm looking into hiring a few other, like team members, definitely a VA. Um, so we're still trying to figure all that out, but yeah, an agency, that's kind of like an idea in the back of my head for sure. So we'll see.

Serena:

That's kind of how bookkeeping ends up. Like if you grow it to a certain point, like you're like, you only have so much time in a day to serve all the clients. So it's like, if you want to continue growing, you usually have to, you can automate a lot, but you usually have to hire some other kind of role. So then it starts becoming like an agency, like just naturally as you grow. So I'm excited to hear how. That all goes, you'll like end up hiring a couple people, you'll get a system down and be like, wait, I could create, like, I could just really duplicate this and just continue to bring on clients. And it's really cool whenever that like clicks into place and you're like, okay, it's not as like agency sounds scary or big. Right. But it doesn't necessarily need to be like, you don't have to have like multiple like groups of employees serving thousands of clients to be an agency. You can literally like for us, I have, Um, and then I have a team of four including myself and like we all serve the clients together. Like everyone has their role. And if I like doubled my client base, obviously I would need another group of four people to serve all the clients in the same way, like to serve the next 20 clients or whatever. But yeah, it's really cool to think about all that. So

Madelyn:

Definitely, yeah.

Serena:

So. You talk a lot about transforming your customers or your clients into your biggest cheerleaders. So let's jam on that.

Madelyn:

This sounds good.

Serena:

I guess first off, like, why do you talk about it and why is it so important?

Madelyn:

so intentionally, like, prioritizing this client journey and really leaning into, like, how to turn my clients into cheerleaders has been a huge strategy. to like scale my business, but then also like, you know, when I teach my clients the strategy, it's helped them as well. So when people feel excited about your business, I mean, that's where the magic happens. And so this all kind of came out of the concept of unreasonable hospitality. And I actually heard about this from a book by the same name as by Will Ghadara. Super great book. It's amazing. I mean, completely will just transform your business, but there's this example that kind sums up the book and the concept. So, the author, Will, was running Eleven Madison Park, which is this, like, super fancy restaurant in New York City. It's, like, fine dining and it's just, like, one of the finest restaurants, like, in the country. And so, one night at this restaurant, there was a couple there, and Will heard them talking about how they hadn't had time to go get like a New York hot dog. And so, Will ends up like running outside to a nearby hot dog cart, like, and then brings it back, convinces their chef, who's, you know, of course, used to preparing like the fanciest food,

Serena:

Yeah.

Madelyn:

him to like, Basically prepare this hot dog and like serve it to the table. So, Will takes the hot dog to the table of Taurus and they are absolutely floored. They have such an emotional reaction and they can't stop talking about it. And so, this hot dog that was literally like two dollars absolutely made their night and their trip. And then, you know, they went back home. They told their friends about it. Their friends went to the restaurant. They posted about it on social media. So, it created like And so, um, It's all about like this concept of going above and beyond. So. When I first started my business, you know, I asked myself as I'm sure a lot of people do, like, why should someone choose me to design their website or help them with their marketing when there are plenty of other people out there? Like, what sets me conclusion that when businesses genuinely put their clients first and they care about them, it not only boosts, like, your business's reputation, but I mean, it's a marketing strategy in and of itself. It opens the door to. Like referral programs user generated content and improves client retention and, I mean, so much more. I mean, the possibilities are endless. So, so yeah.

Serena:

Yeah, I, I totally agree with that. And the question that you asked, like initially, like what's going to set me apart. That's like, that's the thing that's going to set people apart these days too, especially in the age of AI. It's like, well, why do I need to hire a bookkeeper? Everything can be automated. I mean, it's not perfect yet, but a lot of business owners don't really care. So, and they don't understand how it's still like, it's not quite there yet to just be able to like, just, Let QuickBooks do its thing by itself. Like it still needs human intervention. And that's where like I always tell my listeners is like, that's gonna be your selling point. If you don't wanna offer like super high level services, you can at least say, I'm gonna take care of you and like, treat you like a human. and answer the phone and answer your emails and guide you through things instead of just, you know, making you feel dumb and stuff because money is the whole thing. People have stuff around, but yeah. that's definitely going to be like, it has been for ages. That's a timeless marketing strategy, right? And it will continue to be, especially in the age of AI.

Madelyn:

That human touch. Like, I mean. People just crave it now, especially like, as you said, in the AI age. So just being able to bring that to your business and having that like relationship, it means so much.

Serena:

yeah, absolutely. So what are some of the things that you do to like go above and beyond?

Madelyn:

Yeah. So I like to say that there are three sort of like components to the client journey. So it's organization, personalization, and then going the extra mile. So. I mean, laugh at me all you want. I think it's, I love organizing. I love planning.

Serena:

You're talking to the right crowd here.

Madelyn:

it's so

Serena:

Preaching to choir.

Madelyn:

And I love like planning out my week. And so just being able to you know, have a good organization system when it comes to like your clients. It's huge. So even though you wouldn't think that it plays a big role into turning your clients into cheerleaders, it really does because, you know, it shows. You respect your clients and their time and their business. So you can't obviously plan for everything, but you can be as prepared as possible. And a few things that like I like to do and I recommend my clients doing as well is just establishing like a clear communication plan with your clients up front. So just saying like, you know, Hey, this is how this is going to work. this is when you can expect, you know, this. And so just having that upfront and showing them like what they can expect will only like answer a lot of their questions, but also just help them feel a lot more comfortable throughout the whole process. And then making checklists and SOPs so you know exactly like what the process looks like for yourself. You would not believe how many checklists and things that I have. Like I love ClickUp. And so, I mean, my ClickUp dashboard is just like, it's ridiculous. And then also just streamlining your work. So I know this kind of falls into like the operations side of things. But really operations and marketing, they really can go hand in hand. So, streamlining, automating, I use Calendly, Metricool is fantastic for social media. I mean, you can schedule your post, you can look at data analytics, all of that. So, organization is definitely like that first component of the client journey.

Serena:

Yeah, I totally agree. And as you're talking about it, I'm like, Oh, I could be better about that part on like, cause I usually handle the sales calls and the onboarding. So that establishing that communication piece during, and the communication plan during like, not only the discovery call process. But also like the onboarding to just like reiterate it, the better the results are going to be like that. I need to add to my list.

Madelyn:

Well, we can all improve. So I'm, I'm with you there.

Serena:

Yeah.

Madelyn:

sort of like the second component that I wanted to share with you and your listeners to that journey is like personalization. And so this to me is really fun. This is so, here's a fun example. Like when you go to your favorite coffee shop, we all love it. Like when they remember our go to order at least I do, it makes me feel like important and special. And,

Serena:

Yeah.

Madelyn:

know. It just makes me smile because they remembered me. I always get like a decaf latte with honey and cinnamon. And when that barista remembers, like it just, yeah, it makes my day. It's something so small, but yeah, it's just, it makes me smile. So you know, if you can go beyond the surface level and like get to know your clients and you can. Surprise them with unexpected kind gestures. So this could be a handwritten note, thanking them for their business or a birthday card every year. Or I mean, even something as simple as remembering to follow up with them about something they told you. I know for me, like a few weeks ago, one of my clients found out that they were having a baby. And so, you know, it's just sending like a baby gift. something so simple, but it made their day and it just was a way that I could add a personal touch and like celebrate this huge milestone with them and just build that relationship. So,

Serena:

I totally agree with that. When we onboard clients, they get a box and get like a curated gift box in the mail. We use a service that does that, like curates the gifts for us. And so it's like, Kind of our branding, but it's with like things that they like. So in their onboarding intake form, they, we ask a couple of questions like tea or coffee and like chocolate or caramel or like some different options, because those are the options we usually have to work with from the gift box. And then like their favorite color. So they'll include like a candle with that color or like a journal or something. So. yeah, so we do that during onboarding and it's like our, our big surprise and delight factor on the, front end, just to kind of like, especially when you first onboard someone, like first impressions are key, obviously, but like, it also just solidifies the decision that they made to work with you when they get something like that of like, Oh, okay. All right. Yeah. I'm in good hands.

Madelyn:

So

Serena:

They see me. the other part is like, if you have a team, like I do, one of the things that I know I could probably be better about is just like ensuring that the team is also doing how I would do like, right. Like having the same, like. Establishing rapport, having the conversation in the email, doing like the greeting, checking on them. Like for instance, we have a client who was in the big the first big hurricane in North Carolina. And so they were out of power for like two weeks and they were kind of like stranded at their homes, but like they had a generator and stuff. So they were still on the grid, but like yeah, I know there's like, they're traumatized over it. So like when we sent the financials this month, I like let my team know is like, please like do whatever you can to like soften. Like we're here for you. Like we see you, we understand like what you're going through instead of just going right into like, here's your financials for the month of that. You weren't able to work and they look like trash. You know what I mean? Like your business wasn't able to run. So it's like, let's just like, Be human, like recognize them as humans and like what they're going through. So like just keeping that kind of stuff in mind is really important, but also like if you have a team communicating it to the team, because sometimes people just get into the routine of like, this is the email I send every month with the financials. And like the personal touch kind of fizzles out, you know, but it's important to continue to, to keep that going. So I love that you're talking about that too. It can be so simple as like. Something like that.

Madelyn:

Oh, for sure, for sure. Again, even just like, you know, remembering something that they told you or checking in with them after the hurricane, yeah, it just, it means a lot to them, that

Serena:

Yeah.

Madelyn:

and component. So

Serena:

Yeah.

Madelyn:

you.

Serena:

So what's the third thing? You have a third one, right?

Madelyn:

Yeah. So the third one actually ties in a lot with personalization and that is going the extra mile. So, um, you know, one way that you can do this is just reaching out randomly to see if there's anything extra that you can do. Again, people are just so grateful. Like when you go the extra mile or you reach out I've seen this time and time again. And one thing that I do is just have like a quarterly reminder in my ClickUp dashboard because I'm obsessed with it.

Serena:

I was just thinking that I was like, I need to put a task in the, in my projects for each client to like randomly reach out.

Madelyn:

yes, it keeps me on track because I would just not even think about it. I mean, as you know, there's so much that goes on like in the day to day and like a business owner's life. So ClickUp has saved me, especially in that regard. But another way that you can like go the extra mile is just anticipating your client's needs. So, um, I mean, of course we want to protect our time. So, I mean, don't go crazy and like do a bunch of extra work for nothing, but it doesn't, hurt to put forth a little bit more effort and thought. So for me, if I'm, you know, working with a client to help with their emails, but I see something on like their social media that I really think we can tweak and, you know, make it shine I'm going to share that with them offer support if they need it. And. know, another way that you can sort of anticipate their needs is like so this is a client a few months ago. They, I knew that they were going on vacation and I usually work about two weeks in advance with my marketing services, but again, I knew she was going on vacation and so I just went ahead and made an extra week of contents in advance so she wouldn't have to worry about it on her trip. Like she could approve it now or like tweak it now and then She could just kick back, relax, not have to worry about it on the trip. So that didn't cost me anything extra. I just shifted, you know, my time around a little bit. But it meant a lot to her and she was very appreciative of it. And then another way that you can Just anticipate their needs is, and this is gonna sound super basic, but just do an amazing job. When you do a great job, it really speaks for itself. I mean, you don't just want to settle for getting the job done, but you want to take pride in your work and just really enjoy it and show that they matter. So yeah, that is just a few of the strategies that I like to put into action.

Serena:

Yeah. I love all of it. And it really does Obviously, if you're listening and you don't have any clients yet, it's going to be hard to implement something like this and rely on it as a referral source. But this is one of those things that once you literally just have your first client, you implement these strategies and that client will be referring you. And like, that's how I built my client base too. I just served the heck out of my first couple clients and they referred me to other people and I just It just started, you know, bubbling out like that. Right. So it's like, don't discount, especially for us accountants, like we don't really like marketing. So it's like if you can land a couple clients through whatever channel it is, like, Then you just really serve them and they will be your cheerleaders. Like it is hard to find, first of all bookkeepers with a personality. And then second of all, like account for this is like what I'm saying, like business owners think this way. I'm not saying it's hard to find a bookkeeper with a personality. Like I know lots of bookkeepers with personalities, but for some reason we have like this, whatever it's called. I'm like drawing a blank on the name, on like the word stereotype, the stereotype of being, especially accountants, being like real buttoned up and serious and not fun. And and so it's like, if you can show that you have a personality and really serve them, they're going to be referring you to everybody. So yeah.

Madelyn:

100%. Yeah.

Serena:

so what are, Like I've had a question looming before I started jabbering about that. Yeah, so I was going to say like, how quickly, or I guess, like, I always feel like pretty much every marketing strategy is a long game, so you just have to be consistent over time, but how quickly have you seen people get like results like this from using this marketing strategy?

Madelyn:

Yeah. So honestly, like it just. of has this ripple effect. And the timeline changes or ranges a little bit from person to person, but if someone's really like excited to work with you and they really see, you know, that, Hey, like they're doing a good job, then they're going to go tell their friends. And so it could be very quickly. As far as like that referral process goes other marketing strategies, you know, It'll take a little bit longer. Like you said, consistency really is so important. Like I have a business mentor and she says consistency trumps talent. She's like, you don't have to be the best at the game, but you just have to stay in it. And so, um, I think a lot of times people get frustrated and they give up when they don't see like instant results. I mean, I'm very impatient. I want like the instant gratification. But like you definitely have to stay consistent and you know, just. Also like have quarterly or even monthly check in meetings with yourself and just make sure you are putting like these strategies into action and that you are providing your clients with like the best customer journey. So yeah, I don't have like a super specific, like timeline answer cause it does range, but

Serena:

Yeah.

Madelyn:

can be very sure. I mean, mouth, um, travels, you know,

Serena:

And that's one thing that I like to tell people too, is to like, don't forget to let your clients know that you're accepting new clients. Because if, they sense that you're super busy and overwhelmed, they're not going to refer people to you because they want to make sure that everyone is taken care of that they refer to you. Right? So it's like, that's how I feel. I'm like, if I work with a service provider and They are always like, every time I talk to them, they're like, I'm so busy. And like, I just am having a hard time keeping up or they're constantly late. Like one, they're not going to get my referral because I don't have that trust with them. But like, even if they're always on time, but they're still saying like, you know, I'm really busy. Like things are so busy and I need to hire, I'd be like, I'm not going to send anyone your way. Cause you don't have the capacity. So you have to like verbalize like, yeah, we're accepting new clients. I'm constantly like in my newsletter every month that I send out to my clients, I always say like, we're accepting X number of clients. Tell your friends, like we do referral fees and like all the things. So, but yeah,

Madelyn:

perfect. You were so right. I've been encouraging clients to even just like have a PS strategy. So like, here's the details of my referral program and like what you can get. Obviously it's worded a lot better. and then telling them like in person, you know, on zoom like asking them maybe once a quarter, Hey, do you know anybody who would be a good fit for this or who might be looking for, a marketing strategist or a bookkeeper or accountant, whatever. Just asking them like verbally is very helpful too.

Serena:

Yeah. Absolutely. Just like your clients are your best friends. Like best referral source, best marketing strategy, like all around. it takes way less time from the business owner to implement this strategy. So like, you literally have nothing to lose. might take a little bit of extra time figuring out, like, how am I going to go above and beyond? Or like, figuring out your onboarding process so that you can capture information to personalize things. Like, yeah, so that part takes time, but once you have this system down, like it's repeatable, you do that with every client ongoing. And like, it's just kind of. So yeah, I'm so excited. We chatted about this. give us a little rundown of the like the best place to find you online and connect with you. If someone wants to connect, obviously, if you have a show at website, this is your girl.

Madelyn:

Exactly.

Serena:

And yeah, so yeah, give us a little info on like the services you offer. You kind of did at the top, but um, Reiterate and like where people can find you.

Madelyn:

Yeah. So if you would like to stand out online with the show it website and engaging social media content, just go to my website madelinevictoriaco. com and you'll see like how I can help you. And then I also wanted to share that I know we've covered a lot, but I'm just like super passionate about attracting your ideal customers and clients through marketing. So instead of worrying about, Oh my goodness, I need to post like 17 times a day on social media or send out 100 emails. I know these are like super extreme examples, but I created a guide to just really help you connect with potential clients and be profitable while doing it. So just go to MadelineVictoriaCo. com slash visibility and check it out.

Serena:

Awesome. And we will link all this in the show notes. I have one last question that I like to ask my business owner and I did prep you for this one. Normally I just surprised my podcast guests. But like when I bring someone on that is not a bookkeeper and accountant, I like to ask the question, do you have a bookkeeper or do you do your, your own stuff? Yeah.

Madelyn:

kind of a funny story. My uncle is an accountant, he's a CPA. So like, he is basically like. He takes care of all that, but we work together like on QuickBooks. So it's kind of like he walks me through everything, but also like, he's my CPA, if that makes

Serena:

Yeah. That's super helpful to have that support, obviously. Like it's really good. Okay. So with that so I would say like, you don't necessarily have a bookkeeper, but you're a DIY er, but what is one of the like biggest impact things that like, if you hired someone you would be looking for or if there's something that your uncle has done with you that was like super impactful and helpful. I

Madelyn:

used to have a bookkeeper before him. I should have mentioned that earlier. And. wasn't like the best fit just for a variety of reasons, but going from that to you know, my uncle who is my accountant now, he has just been like, I mean, it's really been the biggest transformation in my business. Like he actually, I mean, he's one of the smartest people I know, and like, has all these like, huge, you know, clients and firms and things like that. But he actually can like, bring it down to my level. I used to think that I hated numbers, like, I hated math. I was an English major in college, so that's like the furthest thing away

Serena:

was too.

Madelyn:

Yeah. and so lo and behold like I found out that you actually have to use numbers when you have a business owner. So, like, cue the panic. And when I had that first bookkeeper, it just wasn't the best, like, relationship. There wasn't communication. She talked, like, above my head. And, I mean, I'm sure she was, like, a nice person. It just wasn't, like, the best fit. And so, now having someone to, like, actually walk me through things and take the time to explain you know, like, Even the most like basic things to me, it's been the best thing. Like I don't do well if I feel like dumb or inadequate or like that. And so, you know, now I know how much to pay myself. I know how to like strategically plan for the future. Like I work with a business coach and so I was able to make that decision because I had information about my finances and I know how to prep for my Like slow months, even like June and July for me are kind of slow because everybody's on vacation. And they don't want to think about like marketing or their website. helped me like plan ahead and either like save or cut back on expenses during those months. Yeah, it's because, like, of that relationship now that I actually enjoy budgeting for, like, both myself and my business,

Serena:

Yeah.

Madelyn:

talking you know, to him about my numbers. So, even though we have, like, that family component, like, I've seen him with other people as well and he just is very good about, like, bringing, you know topics that maybe some people, like, struggle with or aren't the best with down to their level and, like, treat them like actual people, you know.

Serena:

Yeah. And it all still comes back to that, like the personal touch. Yeah. So that's great. Full circle. Well, thank you so much. That's awesome. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast and sharing and we will link everything in the show notes. I'll link the book that you talked about and all that good stuff. So thank you so much.

Madelyn:

you, this was so much fun.

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