The Ambitious Bookkeeper Podcast

LIMITED ⎸ The Bookkeeping Biz Workshops Day 1

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Welcome to this special workshop series that will only be up for a LIMITED TIME (Till December 1st) where we're diving deep into what it really takes to start and run a virtual bookkeeping business.

In this first session, we talked about imposter syndrome, limiting beliefs that hold us back, and the big scary topics everyone's whispering about: AI and market saturation.

In this episode you’ll hear:

  • The truth about AI and your bookkeeping career
  • Why market saturation is a myth
  • The difference between bookkeeping and accounting
  • How to flip the script on your limiting beliefs

Resources mentioned in this episode:

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

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Welcome to the Ambitious Bookkeeper Podcast. So welcome to the workshops. I'm super glad you all are here. And I wanted to talk about how these workshops are going to go first off, and then we'll dive into today's lesson. So without further ado, by the end of these workshops over these next three days, I want you to have confidence where there was once uncertainty about your abilities to run a business and clarity where there was once confusion about what it entails. And what I need from all of you is an open mind and commitment to finish what you start. Not much pains me more than seeing people hold themselves back, just not following the steps given to them because they're too closed off to the possibilities. Um, so do we have a deal that you will finish what you start here in these next three days? All right. I do want to talk a little bit about how these workshops came to be for those of you who are new to finding me. I used to work 50 to 60 hours a week as a corporate controller. And while I love my team, the work itself was unfulfilling, stressful and draining. And I was also tired of being away from my daughter so much at this, at that time it was just this one and she is now almost 20. Um, when I left in 2016 to have my second baby, this one over here, um, I knew I would never go back, especially with little ones at home. So this was kind of a career progression. And so in that next year, while I was learning to be a new mom all over again, cause there was a 10 year age gap there, I squeezed in CTE to reinstate my license. I researched all the tools out there. I spent time. I'm getting certified in QBO and zero and all their software. I researched how to start a business, how to get clients, how to price. And I spent countless hours tinkering with my website, my branding and lurking in Facebook groups, trying to learn as much as I could. but I failed to do one thing and this is the most important thing and was to focus in on the things that mattered that would move the needle the most. So fast forward to about a year in business. And I started to notice the same questions coming up in Facebook groups with newer bookkeeping business owners, freelancers, and side hustlers. These were the same questions that I had when I started. So I realized that there was a gap in the information that was available to us, either that or it just was really hard to find or no one was willing to share. so that's when I created vicious bookkeeper blog, which is now a podcast. And shortly after that, I compiled a PDF with all of the things I wish I had known starting out. I call that the bookkeepers biz kit that has since been retired. but we have filled in the gaps with, that this PDF left with the rest of my programs, including these workshops, as well as like I said, started the ambitious bookkeeper podcast. And, you can still access the old blog. If you scroll way back on our website on the blog page, you can see some of those initial blogs. Um, but people were loving the PDF but still had questions and we're looking for more support and accountability. And that's when it hit me that I needed to put together these workshops to help people take action, to help them understand the content a little better and to help them execute it so that they would have the confidence to finally kick start their bookkeeping businesses. because to be honest, there's more to it than just what was in that PDF. And it's really hard to articulate unless you start working through it together with other people. also your mindset is really important. it really helps to have a group of people going through this, these things together so that you can see that you're not alone and that overcoming your fears, objections, and worries is completely possible. so the first workshop series that I held was in September of 2020, which is honestly incredible that it's like, we're in year five of offering these. And, since then I've been doing them two to one to two, two to three times a year early on. I did them more often, but we've made them better and better every year. And so sometimes things just, it's harder to pull them together, multiple times a year plus life. So this year it's only happening once and you guys get to be a part of it. and we found that they're just super inspiring and fun for people. Every time we have so many people declaring to open their businesses and even landing clients during the workshops with what they're learning. Some of the feedback that I have gotten, um, is that people have learned more in these few days together with me than they have in a program that they've paid thousands for. So if you were kind of nervous to invest$37 in this, I hope this makes you feel better. because people have actually confirmed that that they've learned more than they did in larger programs. So, even if this is as far as you take it, you might be in the position as Aisha when she joined the workshops, I think she came in in like 2021 or 22. She was on the fence about whether she wanted to start her own business or try to find a remote position working for someone else. But after taking the workshops, she decided to just go for it and it gave her the push and she, that she needed and the confidence and a game plan to just do it. and recently she's still in our Facebook group and I tagged her in an opportunity that came up cause we share opportunities and referrals when someone comes across, um, either our company's desk or someone else in the group and they don't either don't have capacity or they're not in the right niche. And so we share those opportunities with each other and I tagged her because I know that she does e-commerce and she said she's too busy to take them on. So, that's really cool when students are like doing so well that they don't have capacity to take on more clients. and then Heather, she was less overwhelmed after the workshops and got a ton of value from the tech workshop alone, giving her the confidence to move forward with her new business. so say me in the chat, if you're looking for this kind of clarity on tech and just kind of getting over that hump of doing it. Um, and then Conrad, even though he thought as a seasoned business owner, but newer to bookkeeping, he had it covered, he was pleasantly surprised at all the value packed in these workshops. And so even though we condensed them into three days, it's still all the same content that we normally teach over the four to five day eight versions. So, be prepared. I will try not to overwhelm you. but I, I really like to over deliver and make sure that people get what they came for. So, by the end of these workshops, I want you all to have launched your business or have a solid plan to move forward and continue to grow your business so that you can quit your nine five or add to your household income, whatever your goal, your end goal may be. So does that sound like a plan? Say yes in the chat. If it does. Cool. Love it. so there are not a lot of people in our industry teaching the basics of starting a business. There are several options out there for learning bookkeeping. I hope was clear enough that I'm not teaching bookkeeping. We're talking about business building. So, um, if you fall into the category that I did where already had an accounting background, so I didn't need the bookkeeping business, or the bookkeeping basics, but rather business building basics, then you are in the right place if you are that, but even if you don't have a strong accounting background yet, I do encourage you to stick through the workshops because they will still be super valuable for you. honestly, in any business that you start. And you can add the bookkeeping and accounting basics separate from this workshop and still be light years ahead of where you would have been otherwise, um, when you are ready to start your business. So here is the agenda for these workshops. Like I said, in the past, we've done, each day, over the course of a week, this time we are convincing them into three days. if you cannot attend all of these live, I suggest, just coming back to the portal, you have access to these for 12 months. So if you cannot attend live, you have access to the replays for 12 months, you can come back right into this portal where you are watching this video of the replays will be available. They should be available pretty much immediately after tonight, and every evening. and yeah, let's get going on today's agenda. Um, today we are talking about the foundations, what it really takes, what goes into running a virtual bookkeeping business. We're going to talk a little bit about, possible services you can offer and things like that. And day two is going to be all about the tech, um, this stack for running a virtual bookkeeping business. Say me in the chat if you're here purely for this one workshop on day two, it's okay if that's true. You will get your money back, tenfold just from that one workshop and all the time you save not having to research anymore. and then Wednesday we will, that will be our last workshop where you will get clear on what you want out of your business. and then we'll dive into a little sales 101. It's really important to set up your business according to your goals and your desires. So on day three, we are going to talk about building a business you love and building it intentionally. and we're going to get clear on your vision, your why, and what you really went out of this plus the types of clients you want to work with. This workshop is really valuable for anyone who is brand new and for anyone who might already have a few, maybe not so great clients or some really good clients too. That's all right. Um, my students come back to this lesson again and again, as do I in my own business, and this exercise. Uh, so keeping your goals and ideals top of mind really is going to keep you pointed in the right direction this journey. I will also be extending an invitation to anyone interested in continuing working to me and joining some other, um, ambitious bookkeepers and accountants in our community after these workshops in the bookkeeping business accelerator. So that's the opening day for that. You are in no means required to jump into that. It's just an offer to continue what you started here. and I guess I have multiple pages of this slide. Okay. The following Thursday I will be hosting, an information session on the bookkeeping business accelerator. for anyone who has more questions about that, just to kind of keep it separate from these workshops. Um, but keep an eye on your email for that. If you're interested, is the accelerator a cohort program? It, it kind of is this one, the program content itself is self paced so you can go through it. It's prerecorded. You can go through it at your own time. Um, but when we open up this cohort, we will be having weekly calls. so that part is the cohort basically where it's weekly support calls, with me coaching calls as a group and we will be running those for eight weeks. And then when we're not in a cohort, we usually do the calls monthly. So yeah, here are all of this. let's see. Is that the case with all your workshops? I don't, Deborah, I cannot remember where, where you asked that question. so if you can clarify that one, the 12 month thing, usually I do them twice a year. This year I had a, I usually do them like in Q one and Q three, and this year in Q one, I was doing not to get too personal, but I was dealing with healing from mold toxicity and moving out of a moldy house into a new home. Um, and so I just did not have the capacity, health wise, energy wise or anything to do the workshops. So we skipped them in January. but yeah, If I buy the accelerator without cohort, we get to the monthly calls. so there is a self paced version of the accelerator that does not have the weekly calls, but there is a monthly live Q and a that you do get access to and you also get access to the Facebook group still. and yes, you can also upgrade to VIP anytime. when it's best for you. So, um, we just, we open it up when we're kicking it off, like our eight weeks of weekly calls. That way we can get everyone in at the same time. And then after that, it's open, to upgrade whenever you're ready. All right. With that, I asked you to make a commitment to keep an open mind and finish what you start. And I'm going to ask you to make more commitments over the next few days. and each day I'm going to ask you to keep an open mind. In fact, I'm going to ask something of you every day because getting out of your comfort zone is the only way that you're going to grow. and taking tiny action every day will build your confidence and your momentum. you might notice if you've already downloaded that there's not much in there for today, except maybe some notes or a blank note page. And that's not an accident. before we get into the learning, I want to take a moment to celebrate. I want to celebrate you all for being here. And I want you to start thinking about how you are going to celebrate getting your first client or hitting your first revenue milestone. Where will you go? What will you wear? How will it feel? Um, if you can take a moment to type that into your workbook, if you have it up as a PDF or and just kind of try to feel into like, what are you going to do to celebrate? and while you're at it, let's set a goal that you would like to achieve from these workshops. Maybe it is fine tuning your tech stack or simply exploring this as an option for a side hustle. but try to make it tangible and results driven. If you are not quite sure what to expect, think of your biggest question that you have about starting or growing your business and use that. you will have a chance to ask that question during this, these workshops, if it isn't already covered in the material. So now let's tap into that celebration feeling. if you want to turn off your mics or, or not your mics, keep your mics off. Definitely keep your mics off. Turn off. If you want to turn off your cameras and stand up, or you can keep your camera on and stand up with me. I'm already standing. I use a standing desk. up helps, you know, it creates energy. So, if you are, if you can stand with me, recall, close your eyes and recall a time that you were extremely excited when you were celebrating something. Sometimes this exercise can be a little challenging. So if you can't recall or visualize something, there's nothing wrong with you. Not everybody thinks and visualizes things the same. but if you can think of how it felt to be really excited about something, visualize it, feel it, remember what it felt like. And if you were able to achieve feeling what it felt like to be excited and when you recall a memory, you now have access to feel that state of elation anytime that you choose. So I hope that you use that tool as often as you need to. All right. Okay. Let's get into today. like I said, today we're going to be learning about what running a bookkeeping business really entails. We'll go into a little bit of mechanics. Um, and then we're going to answer the question, do I have what it takes? I know that was a big one for me, even with years and years, over a decade of accounting experience, I still felt like I didn't know if I had what it took to do this as a business. which is crazy to think about now. so I hope that I can help you guys move out of that feeling if you're feeling that too. as well as we're going to have a discussion around common objections, I see like market saturation and a newer component AI, which we haven't talked about in these workshops before. So I'm really excited. A lot has happened in the last 12 months that I just didn't really need to address before, but now I do. So we're going to talk about it. Um, so raise your hand or I don't know if you can raise hands in this little weird version of video call that I have, but say me in the chat, if you have asked your ask this, maybe you're already in business and you've been asking yourself this question, do I have what it takes? Um, cause things do get hard sometimes. Let's first start with bookkeeping versus accounting, um, because you might wonder if your background can translate into bookkeeping or if you'll be good at it. I'd like to get an idea of who's here and what your background is. So let me know if you are in or have been number one, corporate accounting in industry, like a staff accountant or junior accountant, accounts payable, accounts receivable, maybe a controller or accounting manager or even a CFO. Number two, if you worked in a CPA firm as a full charge bookkeeper or a staff or senior level, anything in between. number three, accounting student, just getting started in your degree or maybe you're in your graduating or number four, no formal background or education. Maybe you're a new bookkeeper or you've only ever done taxes. Maybe you've just graduated bookkeeper launch. This is great first step or next step for you. If you fall into number four, that is totally okay. Like I said, you will be light years ahead by going through these workshops. You'll have figured out all of your tech before you need to have it in place. still stick around for the rest of the workshops. And I do have recommendations for you, for accounting, experience and education and all that. If you are in the number four, So let's get into the differences and similarities between bookkeeping and accounting. So you can start to see what you can offer business owners because the beauty of all of this is that you get to choose what services you offer and what kind of business you build. so bookkeeping is the day to day, like purchase recording purchases, cash receipts, sales accounts receivable, maybe accounts payable, payroll. sometimes you can do the collections and payments for the clients too. We personally like in my firm, we don't do any of that. Um, and we've because we've just decided we don't want to. And, and you have the authority to decide that too in your own business. Um, and then, I always like to think of the bookkeeping as the detailed, the detailed transactions, recording them in the software, keeping track of the receipts. And, then the accounting side is period end activities like bank reconciliation, analyzing, reporting, advising, forecasting, and budgeting, maybe some strategy. and I think of that as more of the big picture and where the overlap, the overlap happens is compiling the data to make it useful for the, the business owner, the client. when I developed this Venn diagram, I developed it after maybe a couple versions of the workshops, because a lot of people were like, where, you know, like how does my experience fit in and what can I do? Um, and I don't want you to look at this and be like, that's a lot of stuff that we have to do because you don't, like I said, you don't have to do all of it. and this hopefully gives you the, visualize like that you can, that you have the freedom to choose. You can choose like some of the things, even though we call ourselves a bookkeeping firm, we are basically just categorizing bank transactions and reconciling the accounts. And then most of what we're doing is actually over here. We're just not doing it all in journal entries like a CPA firm would, if that makes sense. I believe in the industry, they call this client accounting services, um, or CAS, which I don't know. I have a weird thing with that because owners don't look at it that way. They look at it as bookkeeping. So that's what we call but yeah, just because they're separate functions doesn't mean that you can't do all of it. Also doesn't mean that you have to do all it. but you do have the freedom to choose. Like I said, we don't do AP at the very beginning. I did AP for a couple of clients, but I personally didn't like the lack of flexibility on my time. and for the majority of our clients, we live more here. Like I said, we enter the transactions from the bank, the bank detail, and then we do all of this, um, and this, I guess, compiling the data and analyzing it and all that. and that's because that's mostly my background. so you can develop your services around what your background is. Okay. So as you're looking at this Venn diagram, what are some fears that come up for you or thoughts around offering any of these? Maybe I don't know enough, or what if I don't know the answer to a client question or something like that? Do you guys have any fears about offering one or any of these services? Lack of confidence, fear of making mistakes. Mm hmm. Don't know what I'm talking about. Not feeling ready and growth and strategy nor forecasting. That is totally fine. You do not need to start there. Um, I honestly don't recommend starting there unless you've already had experience working with lots of different businesses. Um, but once you do, you start to realize there is a pattern between all businesses. They struggle with pretty much the same thing, even if they're in different industries. So then it kind of becomes a matter of like being able to speak their own language. Should I offer tax too? That is a very common question. It's even a question that I oscillate back and forth on. worried about my quality control or checks in case I miss something. Yeah. that is one of my big things is quality control. And so that's probably why like I've, yeah, my big thing on that, my recommendation for you on that is to reconcile the balance sheet, at least quarterly, the very least annually, but quarterly is better because then you can catch things throughout the year because if the balance sheet is correct, then you know that the income statement is correct. So that's an area where if you're like, okay, why don't even know where to start on quality control, start with the balance sheet and make sure you understand each account and why the balance is what it should be. I do have a podcast episode on that. It's back probably in like the first year. but I do go through most of the common balance sheet accounts and talk about like what should be your support on that. so that's a good place to start if you are also, if anyone is worried about quality control, if you're someone a lot of money, again, it all comes back to the balance sheet. If you have good quality control and you know that like everything is accounted for, you're reconciling the bank account, you're verifying all of those old outstanding things. there's nothing that you can't tie back to a source document in some way or an explanation from the client was more like it. Clients aren't going to give us source documents for everything. That's just what I've learned. Um, but if they have an explanation for it, then yeah, fear of mistakes. Yeah. Mistakes are inevitable. And, what I always recommend with that is to just, just as you would want somebody in your own life to deal with a mistake is own up to it and then tell the person in this case, the client how you're going to prevent it from happening again. the worst thing you can do is brush things under, under the rug, but yeah, mistake will happen. It's inevitable. Hopefully it's not a huge mistake. Hopefully it doesn't cost the client a lot of money, but also you're honest and you have integrity and you own up to your mistakes and all that, it's probably going to be a bigger deal to you than it will be to the client. and get business insurance, so that you don't have to use it. how much to charge clients? If you're saying no, if you're telling the client exactly what they need to do to succeed or avoid fines, I work in university accounting and we have to tell our departments what they need to do to ensure an audit won't happen. that has always, that's always been a tricky one for me too because I feel like there's been times in with working with clients where I feel like I wasn't stern enough telling them how things were going because I've had a couple of clients, close their business and I felt like I should have been more stern with them and told them like they were not profitable. They knew they weren't profitable. I did tell them all the things, but like you can't take responsibility for that. But yeah, that is a challenge. I had to do some reflecting on my communication style to really decide like, was, you know, was it my fault? No, it wasn't my fault. They knew things were not going as they needed to, but yeah, telling the client exactly what they knew need to do to succeed. all you can do is show people what is happening and it's still only, ultimately up to them to make the moves to succeed. And, also you don't have to be engaged to give that type of advice either if you don't want to. if you're strictly doing bookkeeping and accounting services and reporting on the past, you don't have to give them that advice. So that too. Getting my systems together. So that I have time to market to get clients that I want in my niche. Yeah. Um, don't spend too long stalling on that. Amber. I just read your name. I was like, Oh, I know you. Um, having secure systems is a big concern. so tip on that is get cyber insurance and then also don't use any softwares that don't have SOC one and SOC two reports. All my audit folks are probably like, yeah, fear of not finding clients is in the first place. That's my biggest worry. You will find clients. It might take a little bit of hustle. I'm not going to sugar coat that. Like finding your initial clients is going to take work. and you have to like be willing to talk about what you do, whether it's locally or on the internet or like going and applying to upwork jobs or whatever it may be. Every form of marketing takes time and or money. with ONE insurance in place, should it not provide a safety net? Also be accountable. Yeah. You should always have insurance, but also just have integrity and own up to your mistakes. fear of finding clients and making mistakes. Yeah. we are all very risk averse people. Aren't we? Okay. So since we're getting into some fears now, I want to switch gears a little and talk about what, um, about your inner game. We touched on this earlier, uh, we talked about our like mindset slash inner game. I talked briefly about your mindset and this is seriously for me, what has been the biggest game changer in my business. So, um, I felt it was a little bit of a, I felt it worthy to start the workshops with it. because without this one, none of the other stuff matters. Your workflows don't matter. Your software doesn't matter. If you don't have a solid mindset and you will have a much harder time getting good clients without working on this. so it is about becoming the person you want to be before you're actually there, shifting from technician to business owner, setting an intention to do what it takes and commit. It's not about feeling confident first, but I do hope to instill a little bit of confidence with you today and throughout these workshops anyway. and I wanted to start off with this because like I said, it has been probably one of the most instrumental things in getting me to where I am, more so than fancy workflows or processes or software knowledge. on my mindset is like it plays into everything, hiring, um, getting the right team, getting the right clients. and I'm not special. I'm just dedicated and a little bit stubborn. Um, and since you're here today, I'm guessing you are probably, dedicated and stubborn as well because you know what you want. to talk about imposter syndrome cause this tends to come up a lot. Um, imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern, of doubting your accomplishments or talents and having a persistent internalized fear of becoming exposed as a fraud, despite external evidence of your competence. And when you experience this phenomenon, you remain convinced that you are a fraud and not deserving of all you've achieved. it is more likely to affect women for some reason, but it does affect men. and I want to know on a scale of one to 10, one being the least, how much of an imposter do you feel starting a business or maybe advising other businesses? I know that came up already. 10, seven, eight. Yeah. Yeah. 10, five, got some threes. That's good. Y'all are already working on your mindset. Okay. So let's look at this Venn diagram again and identify just one thing on the slide that you know how to do. Um, drop it in the comments. If you know how to do all of it, you can say all. If none yet, do you at least understand the concepts behind these services or tasks on here day to day period and most of it cool tables. Then you do have what it takes, but you don't have to know everything, um, about all of it. You, if you can conceptually get something on that list, you have it in you to do the work and to learn the rest. So if you take one thing away from today, let it be that you don't have to wait until you've mastered it all or know every possible scenario. I still get stumped by my clients pretty frequently. I have to look up rules and regulations cause those suckers change all the time. How could anyone just constantly know all of it without doing research? I have to say, I'll look into that more often than I'd like, but we just literally cannot know everything and your clients don't expect you to either. They expect you to know how to research and find the answer. I sometimes also have to refer my clients to other professionals for certain things. it is about knowing your limitations, having the integrity to learn or refer the things that you don't know. So if you do have imposter syndrome, congratulations, you're human and you care. and caring is one of the highest values that you can offer your clients, especially in today's AI landscape. Um, AI cannot care for your clients the way that you will. Um, so how many of you have been wondering about this AI situation? Isn't it going to take her jobs? I even had someone comment on one of my ads for these workshops. It was either an ad or one of my reels or something. And someone was like, our, even hiring bookkeepers anymore. AI can just do everything. And I was just like, Oh honey, bless your heart. Um, I'm sure there's people out there, are people out there that don't see the value in a bookkeeper, and do believe that AI can do it all. But those aren't not the people that you want to work with. And there's plenty of other people that do still want the human touch. And they want someone that is going to care about their business just like they do. and there's still plenty of them out there. Heck, I was on a call earlier today with someone who was doing a, um, I don't know if you're on here, but I won't call your name, but he was doing a, like a diagnostic slash, discovery call for a client that had seven companies that they were still doing on QuickBooks desktop. And client is resistant to even just going on the cloud. So if there are still business owners out there using desktop, don't even want to go to the cloud yet. Those people aren't even going to touch AI. There is still work for us. Um, so yeah, I'm going to look at the chat real quick. AI is my right hand at this time. I love it. I've been wondering how AI can be used to assist me in building a business. Yeah. So many different ways. outsourcing bookkeeping overseas. Yeah. And that's been happening forever. But like I said, there's, there's still people that are hesitant to even go on the cloud. Yeah, cool. Okay. So let's have a little side history lesson on the evolution of accounting technology. This is new for these workshops. So if you've been in the workshops before you can like start coming back to me now and tune back in. Um, this is new content. So, so that we can look at this objectively and not through the lens of fear. So in the beginning, there were abacus is abacai. I don't know. What's the plural plural for that from the 1600s to the early 1900s, the abacus was used and double entry accounting was developed on paper ledgers with manual tabulation. And I know there was someone here that knows what that means because you said it earlier. and then when electric calculators were introduced, bookkeepers and clerks feared job loss as electric calculators made manual tabulation obsolete. So we're just gonna, we're repeating the same cycle over and over again of the fear thing. So efficiency increased drastically, reducing the need for large clerical accounting departments, accountants who resisted the new tools were quickly outpaced in productivity. Right? So, let this be a little reminder to you. Yes. We're kind of competing with AI, but also like, don't resist it so much that it just like you get outpaced. You still need to like understand it, adopt it where you can work with it so that you are still still relevant. and then fast forward to 1979, a new product appears um, the app to, oh, here we go. I had the wrong picture up. The Apple to computer, the visit calc, the first spreadsheet, I was in elementary school at this point, so I don't have firsthand experience with this, but I did learn how to type on an Apple to E computer. so suddenly accountants could run hundreds of, calculations in seconds. They could model what if scenarios and build forecasts without even touching a pencil. So then by the mid eighties, Lotus one, two, three was on every accountant's desktop computer and accounting softwares were being developed and implemented from peach tree to Intuit. they launched a program that was easier for non-accountants to use. Despite this, our services have still been needed. okay. And then in the early 2000s, I clicked too soon. So you got to see this before I started talking about it in the early 2000s, QuickBooks online zero and other cloud platforms emerged. There's no more floppy disks or jump drives, no more physical backups unless you're that other client that's still doing, QuickBooks desktop as many clients still are. Um, now clients can log in from anywhere and so can any accountants, right? And that's why we're here at these workshops because like the possibilities. So the fear, if clients can see their books in real time, will they even need us? This was the fear in the early 2000s. What if our data isn't safe that already came up? Let's, let's be smart about the data stuff. But, instead of replacing accountants, the cloud has made us faster, more collaborative and more valuable. clients want guidance. They want integrations. They want real time insights and accountants who can deliver that are essential. That sentiment still stands today. So today, here we are again, AI artificial intelligence can categorize transactions. It can draft reports, even answer client questions, but it really is far from perfect. And once again, the fear whispers through our industry. If AI can do this, what is left for us? And the answer today is the same as it was in 1950, 1979, 2005 technology replaces tasks, not trust. Every leap in accounting has freed us from manual repetition and pushed us towards advisory strategy and human connection. So even if you're not wanting to do advisory and strategy yet, I do think it's important to start learning it, but you have human connection still and you have the ability of oversight, quality control, like we talked about. So even if AI does end up doing most of the bookkeeping, there's still going to be so many messes for us to clean up. So many things for us to review and verify and analyze and make sure that it's correct. we can just probably do more of it, you know, serve more businesses, help more people. So the message here is that those who adapted didn't just survive each leap. They thrived and now it's our turn. So AI is here to stay probably, but it does need oversight. Clients still need, I want human connection. It would be of you to get familiar with the tools and what they're built in AI is capable and what it's not capable of so that you can position yourself to work with it, and educate clients on like how much can you trust AI? And I'm here to oversee it and make sure that it doesn't completely ruin your bookkeeping. but don't give up and don't dig your heels in. Try to adapt. been wondering how you can use AI to help draft reports and such without compromising clients, privacy, and financial details. number one, I would say if you do use it for that, you can either, I wouldn't link it directly to like their books, although like QBO already has AI built into it. but you can redact the client information from spreadsheets that you import and things like that. But, you can also create custom bots that are not part of like the mass AI learning, like the machine learning that is like encompassing the whole internet. So I would, I would look into that. I'm not extremely well versed on what is or isn't like public in those regards. We don't, put our clients stuff into like a free chat GPT. We pay for ours. and we are working on creating, um, custom bots for summarizing information, but we still do all the preparation ourselves in zero. So, so just to reiterate, every technological leap in accounting has sparked fear. This is nothing new, but it has also been followed by an evolution of the role, not extinction of it. So, um, I do believe that's happening today too. I think it's just an evolution of what our roles as accounting as accountants are more of an oversight, um, data integrity, quality control type role. but like I said, there's still a ton of clients out there who are, needing bookkeepers who are not even willing to go on the cloud yet. So, accountants who adapted, have gained leverage, influence, and incomes. And those who resisted were often left behind. now if our roles are not going to become extinct, let's talk about market saturation. I don't know why. There we go. how many of you have thought, isn't the market saturated? Maybe coming onto this call and seeing how many other people are interested in this as a career path or being in Facebook groups or watching other bookkeepers online. I would be remiss if I did not address this. Truthfully, I even succumb to those feelings sometimes. And when I do, I try to put the blinders on and remember that these other peers are not competition. We all have our own way. We all have various our own niches or niches. And as we just learned, many people will leave the industry prematurely or decide they don't want to adapt and evolve with AI. Many people in the accounting profession are also retiring right now, all the boomers and their clients still need support. So with that, these are the things that we're addressing right now. These fears are limiting beliefs, which are just thoughts that limit your potential, not based in truth, but in fear of the unknown, kind of a lot like imposter syndrome, not based in truth type of situation. All of these things that are holding us back and hindering our confidence. So I wanted to spend some time on a few more today that were big for me. And so I suspect that they probably will resonate. Some of them will resonate with some of you. Some of them may not, and that's great. But as we go along, feel free to drop more of your own limiting beliefs in the comments. And we're going to practice flipping the script changing the story for ourselves. And yeah, there's still plenty of opportunity. Yes, Natasha, there are three 33.2 million small businesses in the US alone. Thank you, Crystal. I love stats. We can all find enough work to stay busy. I have faith. Yes, absolutely. The side hustle approach worries me. Lots of competition. until I started letting people know what I was starting and people are contacting me. Yeah, yeah, exactly. That's, um, L's I don't know if that's how you pronounce your name, but that is one of the things that I wish I had been better about when I first started. I was so like nervous to talk, to talk about like, oh, I'm starting a bookkeeping business at first. And like I probably missed out on getting a lot of initial clients from people in my own network. do what I did. Go forth and talk about it. There's going to be people in your network that want to support you. Doesn't mean you have to work with people that are like, you know, close to you. It could be someone, a friend of a friend situation that, All right. So, um, let's practice with the ones we just talked about. AI is going to take our jobs. Can any of you, any of you give me a positive like affirmation based on what we already talked about? That's like opposite of this. I'll give you a little hint. It was on one of the previous slides or maybe I talked about it. AI is going to help our tasks. Yes. AI is going to 10 X my output. Love it. Air is going to help me do my job. Yes. Awesome. Love it. Um, so I just put this in here. AI is a tool I'm willing to adapt to and evolve with. and then the bookkeeping market is saturated. Anyone have like a positive the script on that one? Tech reduces tasks and human touches what keeps clients. I love that. Yeah. There is still a lot out there for me. Yes, Michelle, there are plenty of people looking for the right fit. One of my CPA classes that AI is not going to replace our jobs, but accountants that know how to use AI will. Yeah. There are always room for more in different roles. Yes. there is plenty of businesses needing my specific expertise and style. All right. Okay. Here's one we kind of talked about earlier. I don't have what it takes to start a business. and I firmly believe that you have to believe in yourself. If you don't believe in yourself, how do you expect anyone else to really? So don't start a business because like everyone has a side hustle and you feel like you need to like up with everyone else. It's cool to have a side hustle. and don't do it because anyone tells you you should, even me, like I shout from the rooftops, like if you have accounting experience, running a bookkeeping business is like literally the best thing you can do. Cause it's really easy, especially if you come from corporate or audit or tax or anything like that. And you had like long stressful hours and like hard work, bookkeeping is so easy in comparison to that. And so yes, I do shout it from the rooftops, but don't do it just because I say it. do it because you want to and that you believe that you can, if you are like me and you're a total rebel, it might help for some of you, um, for someone to tell you that you can't start a business just so that you can go prove them wrong. that's my style. otherwise stay clear of the naysayers, surround yourself with people who also believe in you. even if you are a rebel, it will make your journal so much less lonely. okay. We've got some questions. I will do anything to avoid month and that lasts till 1am. Yes. I remember those days. Um, Q Fatima says, or Fatima, I'm not sure if which, probably Fatima cause I know a Fatima. Okay. I have some other friends who are CPAs and they are all brilliant, but I want to have my own business control over the work. They want to join me, which I'm not totally closed off to one day, but I made really want this to be my business and clients. yeah, I don't know what the question is in there, but I support you doing this on your own and making it what you want it to be. and potentially adding partners later, unless you all are very, very aligned and have separate strengths. Um, that's just my opinion. if you do a partnership with someone, is very important to have very clear defined roles and separate strengths so that you guys aren't competing, and butting heads on stuff. Yeah. Make them referral partners for sure. So, um, I ask you, do you believe you can start and run a business? Accountants really do have accountants and bookkeepers. We really do have a leg up not knowing how to look at the numbers and keep up with record keeping is a very, very common reason for business failures and you're ahead of the game. My friends. Yes. Yes. And I'm doing it. Yes. Love it. Okay. Next one is I don't have the knowledge and expertise to support other businesses. almost guarantee you do in some capacity. If you have bookkeeping and accounting experience or education, you do have the knowledge and expertise to serve other businesses on some level. Maybe you don't have all the experience and knowledge that you want. but you will learn a lot along the way and more and more with each client you work with, as long as you're willing to dig in and understand things and don't take shortcuts. at the beginning of my business, I definitely was undercharging. but I also, not only was I undercharging, but I was working lots of extra hours on clients just to understand to dig into things. And, and that's kind of like, what do they say that I always mess up how to jizz of like earning your stripes basically of like, just putting in the reps. There we go. Putting, I was putting in the reps. And so I was probably making a loss at the very beginning because I was highly undercharging. And then also I was spending lots of extra time just like learning about the client's industries and what's normal in that industry. And like, where can I help them and learn more about the business so I can have conversations with them. So if that's what you have to do, that's what you have to do. and you will figure out how to find the answers. I taught myself from knowing very little before and I can do it again. Absolutely. You can always learn drive, heart, and determination is priceless. Yes. You're a CPA and that shows I can learn more. Yes, absolutely. Oh, here's a question from earlier. I'm going to pop back to Maggie or Maggie said, what about the liberation and saturation of the workforce market? What is your position on outsourcing bookkeepers and accounts abroad? I personally don't outsource anything abroad, but I know lots of firm owners who do and have done it very successfully. It's, for me, it's just a personal preference to have our whole team here in the United States. and being able to hire other, you know, other moms and things like that is one one of my values. So, I'm not closed off to offshoring, but I really like, I really like having everyone in the United States on the same time zones and all that kind of stuff. Yeah. Um, businesses hiring bookkeepers abroad. Oh, for businesses to hire bookkeepers abroad. Well, people are going to do it. it's, and they, they have knowledge, they have the knowledge to do the work as well. So some businesses are not going to want to pay what, bookkeepers cost in the United States. And so they have that prerogative to hire abroad for sure. okay. So if you don't think maybe the limiting belief was, I don't think I have the knowledge and expertise to support other businesses. My question to you is, do you believe you have something to offer? I know all of you do. so what is it that you specifically can bring to the table? What problems can you solve? And, um, if this is an area that you're like, yeah, this is me, I highly encourage you to jot some things down in your, in your notes page or your journal of like things that you bring to the table, whether it's industry experience, experience running a different business, or being hands on in different businesses, not necessarily accounting. Anything like that is very valuable. Okay. Here is one that sometimes I even still struggle with. It's like today I'm like, why am I doing this? I have the kids. Um, schedule's changed. I was not, I was supposed to be solo for the next three days, but alas, here we are. I'm making it work. I can't have a business and a family and like, I'm not going to sit here and say that it's easy running a household and a business, even if you have a partner or help. But it is possible and think of the example that you're setting for your kids when you do it. Hopefully mine is over there. Like, I'm so grateful for my mother that she's doing this for us. He's like, I don't care. I just care about my Fortnite. Um, but it is possible and think of the example that you're setting for your kids when you do it. you will get good at letting things go that aren't that important. Like for me was cooking dinner tonight. They're getting leftovers. You already know this. He's like, what? Leftovers. and you'll start to find ways to be more efficient, like outsourcing things that take you too long, that aren't your zone of genius in the home and your business. I personally don't, I don't subscribe to the work life balance statement. And, um, for me, it's more of a work life integration because that's what it is. There's days where I work for a few hours, get the kids from school, work some more after they're in bed or work for a couple hours on the weekend when they're like occupied, things like that. It's just totally integrated. and I'm okay with that. I know that some people like to have like a hard boundary of like, this is the work day and this is the family time. And, I don't know. I, for me, I'd rather just work when I feel productive. Um, the bonus of being remote is being able to change your on your schedule. Yes. I am always there on when it's my day to pick up the kids, always there at school when they need me. I can, I can rearrange my schedule, rearrange meetings to go pick them up from school if they're sick. Um, all those kinds of things. Yeah. Um, the balancing all of life work separate from life is a lie. Yeah. Even if you work a nine to five, I think that, is not the case. The company I was working for hired a controller over myself who was more than qualified for the position from the Philippines. After I trained him, I was like, Oh, cause they couldn't afford me any longer. That is really unfortunate. that's a really crappy of them to do that too. It's very unfortunate, but also not cool. okay. So I obviously know that you can have both because I'm doing it and I've been doing it for like eight years. there has been seasons of super duper challenge with that. And then there's been seasons that have been super easy. and it ebbs and flows. I will say having a team really helps. Making things, things feel easier. Um, and that's something that I did early on. Um, I hired my first, part time bookkeeper when I was like, I had like five clients. So for me, I have always had pretty much always had a team and I've always been used to splitting the profit, in that regard, because, that's just what I'm used to. And I've just adjusted pricing and the way that we run the business for that. So, I encourage you to think out of the box on that. A lot of people in our industry, talk about like waiting to hire until you're at six figures or waiting to hire until you have a certain number of clients. But every client is different in the level of capacity that we each have is very different. So you've got to figure out what works for you and what you want out of your business and your lifestyle and all that good stuff. So I actually want to do this because I want children. Eventually, I hate having to explain to manager if I need to take off, I want to control that part of my life. Yeah. yeah. If you, if you all came in through my, like if you were on my email list and then you joined the workshops, you might have seen an email where I did talk about, like, I requested time off to go see my daughter's, um, like music performance at preschool and they denied it. And so I just quit, just quit like the next day. I was like, well, I'm going to this anyways and you guys can suck it. Basically. Um, so I want to know what's the first thing you're going to outsource at home or work when you start making enough money. write that down, solidify it. so you have a bit, you know, that vision to work toward, worried about the insurance factor for my kids. Is there insurance out there that is as good as my corporate insurance? there is always insurance that's as good as corporate insurance. If you're willing to pay for it. Um, but there are other options too. Um, I'm on a private insurance plan. and I actually had someone on my podcast. Her name is Carissa and she puts together private insurance plans for business owners, even if you don't have employees. so there's definitely options out there. Yeah. Insurance is a big one. The laundry. I love cleaning. I like cleaning too. Um, but I did have a housekeeper, a house cleaner for a while when I was like in the throes of building the business. And I was like, okay, I need to outsource some of this. Plus my kids were way smaller and we had a dog, so it needed to be done. I like your model. So part-time bookkeepers and a housekeeper. Yes. I heard someone that organized my house. Cool. okay. And then who am I to want more than my current circumstances? I know this is something, that I've always kind of struggled with, which is also kind of why I named the brand, the ambitious bookkeeper, because it kind of ties into like, the word ambition, like kind of being a dirty word for some people, but it was kind of like along the same lines. Like I felt like, who am I to want more than my current circumstances? Like this was the career path I chose. Like this was supposed to be like, I'm supposed to work in corporate and do all this stuff. who am I to want more, you know? and strongly believe like people, we are meant for more like you're created for more than sitting in a cubicle and working 40 plus hours a week and then getting in a car and having a crappy commute. maybe you're not commuting these days, or maybe there's a threat of going back to the office. but if you do have the knowledge and expertise that, you know, that you gained during working in that cubicle, you have the potential for serving multiple small businesses and having an even bigger impact with, you know, our society, right? If you are an accountant that works at one soul sucking company versus an accountant who helps multiple small businesses, you can affect multiple families and those small business owners by helping them. And so that's kind of where I've shifted my mindset to over the years of like, look at, I'm like, we have 20 clients in our firm. We're able to affect 20 families. So the ripple effect of that versus working in a corporation where kind of just a number kind of just there to feed the bottom line of the owner at the top, like, or the shareholders or whatever it is, like, this feels a lot better for sure. And you were meant to create all of this on your own terms. If you want to work less than 30 hours a week, if you want to skip the commute and work in your robe and slippers, be able to pick your kids up from school and not have to pay for after school care. That was a big one for me. My oldest, sometimes I feel so guilty that like I worked so much when she was growing up and I had her in after the afterschool program. And so I didn't pick her up until like five and after five. And, I just did not want that for my other two little ones. So, and she reminds me of it all the time. Um, so if you desire it, it is possible. All right. Here is, um, I believe this is the last one. I can't get clients as an introvert. This was really big for me. I waited so long to make this leap into starting my own business because I was really afraid of networking or having to have difficult conversations with clients, which honestly happens way less often than I ever expected it to. and most of all, I was really afraid to have to sell because all of my previous experiences with being on the receiving end of sales were very yucky. And, um, so I was really like, I just didn't understand that it could be totally different. this kind of piggybacks on number four, but part of creating a business on my own terms was that I would only work with clients on cloud software and I wouldn't need an office because everything would be virtual. and I had this dream at the time. was like 2010. So that was like 15 years ago at this point. Um, I knew back then that the opportunity to do this was coming and I was so excited that I would be able to like serve clients on cloud accounting software and work from home. And so in those, like 10 years that I was still in corporate, I learned a lot more about being a leader, how businesses ran. I finally felt almost ready to start my own business. And then I remember that I would have to find clients and also sell. and so I want to know who else feels that way. Totally me. Penny says, I'm talking myself into networking. That's me. I'm not completely introverted, but I cannot say I'm selling myself. Yeah, that was a big, it held me back a lot too. Um, but it turns out selling does not have to feel sleazy. It doesn't have to be sleazy at all. And it doesn't even really need to feel like selling. I go into the sales conversations just ready to serve and get to know someone. And that's part of why I call it a discovery call because I'm kind of like just discovering things about their business, about them, discovering if we're going to be a good match to work together. It's just as much like me feeling out the, the client as them feeling out me. So it's like, when I approach it like it takes the pressure off. And then I don't feel like I need to use a sales tactic. really into that. Um, I just go into those conversations ready to serve and get to know someone and just be authentic and be myself. because that's like, that's who they're going to mostly be working with. Well, initially, not anymore, but, I'm still the one that onboards all of our clients. Um, but I, yeah, I still, I just had to add that to the conversation of like you get me here on these calls and through onboarding. And then we're going, I'm going to introduce you to someone else on my team and they're going to handle your bookkeeping, but I'm always here too. Like, I'm not completely stepped out of the business. Um, they can always reach me if they need to. So, um, that made it a lot easier. And as for networking, it's a lot, it's pretty easy online with a little bit of practice and it's really not too hard in person. If you just allow yourself to be open in conversations and opportunities. Um, it also helps to have a networking buddy. So if you can find, if you want to do local networking and it kind of freaks you out, I would highly recommend find someone in your local area to go with you. So you have like a wing person, you know, that makes it a lot easier. yeah, chatty, Kathy. I'm more insecure about my accountant abilities and skills than selling. so you just need to that up and build a team around you that also like just because, I mean, I don't know what your end goal is, but be open to thinking out of the box. Maybe you're not the one that's that offers the service. Maybe you hire bookkeepers and you sell, just about, how long do you onboard clients to get used to transactions and make rules and learn process? usually just through one month end cycle. but it also depends on the client how complex they are. Yeah. Look at it from the lens of wanting to help people. Absolutely. Selling is serving. so yeah, I go into these conversations ready to serve and get to know someone. listening skills are your friend and honestly, your super power. If you are an introvert, you've probably been told, Oh my gosh, it's so easy to talk to you. I get that all the time from strangers, like at airports, I was at a little get together with a friend recently and I didn't know anyone else there. And this lady was just like telling me her a whole life story. And then afterwards she's like, I'm really sorry about that. You just are so easy to talk to. I was like, it's cool. I get it a lot actually. Um, but anyway, we're going to get more into the selling stuff on Wednesday. so not to worry about that. So the underlying theme here today is taking action. However small will help you build your confidence. So I'm going to ask you to take an action here today or before our next call. If you're watching the replay, you can comment below the video. but I want you to declare to someone in this group or even outside of it, if you have a group of friends or other business owners or people that you trust, um, that you are starting a business and when, when a date, um, if you've already started your business, I want you to declare in the group, what you're after more clients, better workflows and commit to it. Saying it out loud has power. and saying it out loud to others has power and accountability. the other thing that I like to tell like, when you're having these conversations is just like low key does not feel salesy at all is to just be like, yeah, I started, but keeping business. If you know of any business owners that need a bookkeeper, please send them my way. So it's not like directly asking that person, even if it is someone you would want to work with, do it like the, like roundabout, like if you know of anyone, I'm here. when I first started my business, I would at this point, like I had little ones. And so I was going to like mom meetups and stuff. Like I still like would talk about, um, my business, like not in a weird way, but if people ask me what I did, I would let them know. And, just be open to conversations. Cause you really, you never know. You could end up at a completely unrelated meetup, maybe like a kid's birthday party or something like that. And just like, before you walk in, just being like, okay, I'm open to like any conversation and I know I'm going to meet the right person, and make the right connection at this event or whatever. What type of networking events should I attend? I always recommend if you know an industry that you like to work with, go to where those people are going to be hanging out. Um, and if you're not ready to like niche down to, um, a specific industry, depends on what you have in your area. I would, I would look around to see what you have. I know in our area, we have a young professionals, we have chamber of commerce, we have BNI, we have other like small business mixers popping up all the time. And I live in a pretty small town. It's like 50,000 people. So, there's a lot, and then there's a lot online too years of my business. I didn't really leave my house cause I had little babies. And so I did all my networking in Facebook groups and online. Yeah. All right. And then, um, work on your limiting beliefs that we kind of talked about uncover more. If you have them, journal through them, all that kind of stuff. And then start thinking about which path you are wanting to take. Um, with firm, whether you want to stay more on the bookkeeping side or the accounting side or a blend of both. and then as promised here are some of those resources. They are also in your workbook. become a bookkeeper is geared towards learning in zero. So become a bookkeeper is geared towards learning. Um, the bookkeeping is your bookkeeper launch is more geared toward QBO. we might've added some more in the workbook that are not on this page. Acadian is another option for learning QBO. I always recommend taking a bookkeeping course. If you're completely brand new, taking something at like a community college and getting into the accounting foundation is down. and then accounting coach is also a really good resource. If you don't want to go to classes, my bookkeeping team, neither of them have accounting degrees. They've both done, either this program or done like accounting coach. So become a bookkeeper accounting coach. And then, I mentor them. So, um, if you're willing to do that too, you've got this, let's see, what's the typical price on these? Um, I don't know off the top of my head, but they should be listed on their sites when you click on them. I don't want to say anything wrong. Um, on those. Yeah. Acadian is legit. We've got some Acadian love in the chat for sure. thank you, Lauren. I try. Um, most community colleges have online and clowning classes. Yes, absolutely. Just that did that as a refresh and it was perfect. It was about 400 for the class. Yeah. Also a lot of, community colleges and universities too will allow you to audit a class where it's like cheaper if you're not trying to get credit for it. Um, but you still learn. So, which would you recommend if you know the concepts but need a day to day refresh? it depends on like what software you want to be using with clients. my team loves become bookkeeper. that one's, and there's a lot of people that have loved that one too. She actually takes some stuff from accounting courses, like from an accounting textbook and like strips out all the things that you don't need and applies what you do need to small businesses, which is different, usually different than what you would learn in an accounting program. Accounting programs are very geared towards like gap financials and, um, big corporate type transactions. And the reality of small business bookkeeping is not that most of us do cash basis, type accounting and it's a lot more simple. What's the difference between bookkeeper launch in your course bookkeeper launch is going to show you how to actually do the bookkeeping transactions. don't know if they have like a payroll thing in there as well. but yeah, they're going to be showing you like they're teaching bookkeeping. I don't teach bookkeeping in my program. I show you how to build a business with the skills you already have in book keeping or accounting. so hopefully that clears that up. My opinion on QVO versus zero. I love it. When this comes up, I have a whole entire podcast about that. preference is zero. and that partly is because of just my background in accounting. zero is harder to mess up. It has better controls in its systems. You can't just delete transactions. It has a good audit trail. You also don't have to pay per user. Um, it's unlimited users on every tier. it's a cleaner interface visually for me. and it's not changing every time you log in like QBO is right now. Okay. I'm going to go back through some questions. Some of them happened earlier on. Okay. Michelle had asked wonder how much tax I would need to know related to period. And, when it comes to how much tax you need to know for bookkeeping, my suggestion is to just get familiar with like the small business tax, like, the small business publication from the IRS, kind of skim through that, um, and get familiar with like what's a deductible expenses and what kind of documentation do clients need to have all those kinds of things. but you don't need to like no tax. unless you're talking about sales tax and that's like kind of a different thing. If you want to offer sales tax, I would definitely learn that. So hopefully that answers your question, Michelle. Reena says, can we get a schedule C expense sheet template for from you? I don't have a template for that, but like I just mentioned, I would go to the, small business publication that the IRS puts out irs.gov and then search, um, small business publication. And there will, or even just look up a schedule C. I actually did this recently. Here's a good way to use AI. I downloaded a schedule C, or maybe I didn't even download it. I just chat GPT to basically, and I asked chat GPT to give me a, uh, like a breakdown of all the expenses that are on a schedule C for like marketing purposes. Cause I was going to put together a blog. so you can do that and get all of the expenses for that. did I ever network with LinkedIn? I have not really put any much effort into networking on LinkedIn. And that's mostly because I, my client base isn't really on LinkedIn. My ideal clients, they're more on Instagram and in, groups that I participate in. So has been my approach. LinkedIn does work. I've heard a lot of people use it and it works for them. I did have a podcast episode that I did, a while back with, her name is Marissa on networking on LinkedIn. So that's a good resources as well. it does work just like anything, but you have to put the effort in. so choose one platform that like you think that your ideal clients are going to be on and try it and be consistent with it for long enough to actually see results. That's where I think people get discouraged. They expect things to happen right away and they don't on any platform. That's not really going to happen unless you, maybe have some good luck. Um, Emily says do these help with work paper development? I'm assuming you're talking about the programs on the screen. I'm not quite sure how in depth they go into that, but if you have like a specific question on work papers, that's something that I would like, if you were going to join BBA, I would definitely like talk through that with you and share whatever I have. Like when people join BBA, I share pretty much everything that I use internally in my firm. If someone has a question and we've already developed a resource for inside of our firm, we put it in the template vault. So, um, as far as like work papers, we do balance sheet reconciliations for some of our clients and believe we've put that in there. things like that, AIPB certification. What are my thoughts on that? I have used their test, for hiring people to see like what their levels of, skills are when it comes to bookkeeping. Um, and that test has, has proven pretty well as far as like what kind of skill level people have. Um, so if it teaches all of those things, then it's probably a good, a good option. I personally haven't gone through it, but maybe one of these days I will just to see, but the questions they have on their like, bookkeeper tests are, are really good. So what would you recommend for people that understand the fundamentals and can get around in QBO, but would like best practices on process for smaller real world bookkeeping? honestly my suggestion with that is if you have accounting, you understand accounting fundamentals, you understand journal entries and what's happening in the background of an accounting system. And you already know your way around QBO, go get a client, like go practice on a real client, honestly, and then be a part of a community of other bookkeepers that you can bounce ideas off of and be like, Hey, am I doing this right? Or here's a scenario with, um, X, Y, Z client. Like they have this, that, and the other thing, what would you do in this scenario? And, yeah, honestly, you probably have what you need and you're stalling a little bit. But you're going to learn so much from that first client, go out and get a client and start developing, the things and like getting feedback from other people in the industry of like how they handle things and, and gaining best practices. Um, but yeah, that's always something that, we talk about that kind of stuff in BBA a lot. Um, that's what those coaching calls are for is like, Hey, I have this scenario. Like how should I handle this? Whether it's like an accounting thing or a mindset thing or a sales thing, all of that is on the table. what about booming bookkeeping? I have, um, uh, I don't know if I've heard much about that. I think I had one student that went through that. and they, I think they said it was decent. I don't think there was anything negative about it other than the only negative was that, um, it didn't go as far as like setting up the business type side of things. It was more focused on the bookkeeping skills. So, um, did you choose your niche or did you fall into it? I fell into it. Um, when I started out, I had experience in inventory and manufacturing and restaurants and all sorts of stuff that I didn't necessarily actually want to do for small business clients. And so I was really open to working with anyone and I had lots of different types of clients at the very beginning. and then I started getting clients all in this one niche or I had like a handful. I wasn't like getting a ton of them, but I had been making connections within a certain industry. And so I had like maybe three or four clients in the industry that I'm in right now, which is online business. And, I sat down with my bookkeeper, and we were like, okay, what like, let's narrow things down. Let's list out all of our clients and decide and figure out like, which ones are our favorites? What software are they on? Because at that time we were using QBO and zero. And why do we like working with them? And it just so happened that all the clients we loved, we were on zero with and they all had like a very similar, similar values and mindset about running business. they were tech savvy. They were open to like following our processes and all that kind of stuff. And they all happened to be in the same industry. So that's how we developed, um, the industry or the niche that we have. So is how it came to be. And that's the story with a lot of people when you talk to them about niches, but a lot of people go out knowing what niche they're going to be. And like, um, someone earlier said they're going to go for the lawyer niche. Niche. I've been told I should be saying niche because that's how it's supposed to be pronounced, but the riches aren't in the niches. Okay. They're in the niches. Um, okay. Last question. Are there groups on Instagram to discuss in attracting clients or offer free info? I have a hard time figuring out how to get clients on Instagram. I know my desired niche is on Facebook, but I would think even more on Instagram. trying to think of Alyssa Dylan, I think that's her last name, Alyssa J Dylan. If you look her up, she's definitely on Facebook. I'm pretty sure she's on Instagram too. Um, she does a lot or she used to anyways, she used to have a program of like a client attraction, um, for Instagram and face. I think it was both Facebook and Instagram. so I would look at that and she's also got an accounting background. so I would start there if you, yeah, if you know, your desired niche is on Facebook, they probably are on Instagram too, but maybe not. I don't know. Yeah, you never know. Try it out. All right. as always bring an open mind tomorrow will be more, a little more practical. We're going to be talking about tech and that is it for me. Thank you all again. And I'm super excited to continue, um, teaching and workshopping with you for the next couple of days. All right. Talk to you soon. Thank you to everyone who helps make this podcast possible. Content and interviews are produced by me, Serena Shue. Our intro and outro music is written and performed by my brother, Ian Gilliam. Editing is also by Ian using his awesome sound engineering skills along with Descript Software. Hosting and publishing is by Buzzsprout, and you can check out the show notes for links to all of these amazing resources and resources mentioned in the episode. Be Unbrushes!

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