Want to know how you can make your hiring and firing process as seamless and frictionless as possible? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan break down the key components of hiring the right employees and letting go of unproductive team members professionally without the emotional blow-up. Hannah asks Melissa which is easier: hiring or firing an employee - Melissa points out that both are hard as they all come with their own set of challenges. Melissa reveals that she's always had trouble f...
Aug 18, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 56
Not sure about the exact steps you need to follow when scaling your business? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan go through the key steps to scaling a business and how you can develop a process that ensures lasting and profitable results. Hannah explains why she believes the first step to scaling a business is realizing it’s time to scale, then committing to scaling effectively. Melissa lists the steps she went through during the initial stages of scaling her business. Melissa goes throu...
Aug 16, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 55
When should you make the transition from growing to scaling a business? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan talk to Serena Shoup from Of Course Bookkeeping - they discuss how bookkeepers can transition from growing to scaling a business, eliminate the growing pains, and maximize their chances of getting it right. Serena Shoup is the Host of the Ambitious Bookkeeper Podcasts and the Owner of Of Course Bookkeeping. She's on a mission to mentor bookkeepers and accountants so they can leave b...
Aug 11, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 54
Is there a difference between growing and scaling a business? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan expand on this introductory episode to their scaling your business series and talk about the difference between growing and scaling a business. Hannah explains the difference between growing and scaling a business - and why business owners need to learn how to differentiate the two. Hannah asks Melissa the first action steps she took when scaling her business. Hannah and Melissa go through th...
Aug 09, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 53
Do you want to scale your business? How big do you want to be, and how quickly can you get there? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan share insights into the most important aspects of scaling a business and how to dodge the vulnerabilities that arise from super-fast growth. Hannah asks Melissa about the exact moment she decided it was time to scale her business. Hannah explains why she believes the first step to scaling a business is bridging the gap between where you are and where you wa...
Aug 04, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 52
Scared to niche down? Wondering what to do with the clients outside your niche once you niche down? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan talk to Brandy Derrick from Legal Ease Bookkeeping - they discuss the benefits of having a niche, what to do with clients outside your niche, and the only time it makes sense to fire a troublesome client. Brandy Derrick is the owner of Legal Ease Bookkeeping - she helps attorneys grow their law practices by making financial statements easy to understand w...
Aug 02, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 51
Do you really need a niche to grow your business? If so, how deep should you go? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan talk to Brooke Swan from Clarity Bookkeeping - they discuss the process of finding a niche, how long it takes to build a strong brand within your niche, and break down a simple strategy you can use to generate more business referrals. Brooke Swan is the Owner and CEO of Clarity Bookkeeping and Consulting - she has helped hundreds of business owners reach their goals and eve...
Jul 28, 2022•28 min•Season 2Ep. 50
Niching down in your bookkeeping business is important. But how do you go about finding and growing a niche? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan interview Tyler Otto from Speciality Bookkeepers – they define what a business niche is, why you need to build your business around one, and how to find a niche that’s perfect for your brand. Tyler Otto and his wife are the owners of Specialty Bookkeepers, a firm that specializes in serving medium to large hospitality-based businesses. His compan...
Jul 26, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 49
How important is originality in your bookkeeping business? Are you constantly looking for unique ways to innovate and develop new ideas within your niche? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan discuss how bookkeepers can build authenticity and originality in their niche and develop new, creative ways to serve their clients and create content. Hannah explains how the foundations of originality in business are built on consistently trying new things, and on being okay with things not working ...
Jul 21, 2022•26 min•Season 2Ep. 48
Would you like to get the most out of your next trade show and walk away full of leads, prospects, and new connections? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan discuss how bookkeepers can get the most out of trade shows, maximize their presence at exhibitions, and ensure they achieve a positive ROI. Hannah and Melissa talk about how intimidating it can be to run an exhibit at a trade show, especially if you’re an introvert. Melissa explains the difference between selling a product and selling...
Jul 19, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 47
Have you ever experienced an awkward or embarrassing interaction with a client? How did you handle it, and what did you do to salvage the situation? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan share their most embarrassing client situations and reveal how they remained super professional even though deep down they were ready to crawl into a hole. Hannah and Melissa agree that most people have experienced at least one awkward client interaction in their careers. Hannah describes how a verbally abu...
Jul 14, 2022•16 min•Season 2Ep. 46
Can bookkeepers evolve their business, follow new trends, and still stay true to their business's core values? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan talk about how bookkeepers can authentically evolve their business by keeping a close watch on social media and capitalizing on trends that connect with their audience. Hannah explains how hard it is for business owners to keep up with ever-changing social media trends. Melissa asks Hannah what a trend is. Hannah breaks down the dictionary defi...
Jul 12, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 45
Are you looking to start creating content for social media but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you have a hard time coming up with content ideas for your online brand? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan share their thoughts on how bookkeepers can consistently generate engaging social media content and authentically market their brand. Hannah and Melissa start by addressing the generational content gap - and how different age groups consume content. Hannah asks Melissa what she strugg...
Jul 07, 2022•28 min•Season 2Ep. 44
What can bookkeepers do to stay on brand with their overall business image? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan discuss how bookkeepers can manage their business' identity, stay on brand, and become immune to the ever-changing social media trends. Melissa explains why she's very intentional about brand authenticity and maintaining a consistent business identity. Hannah and Melissa explain why consistency is the key to successful branding - they also go through tips you can use to stay imm...
Jul 05, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 43
How important is it to have originality in your business? Is it even possible to be creative as a bookkeeper? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan discuss why originality is a bookkeeper’s greatest weapon and how creativity leads to business success. Hannah and Melissa start by describing their creative backgrounds and how being creative helps in building originality. Melissa reveals, for the first time, that she initially went to college for fashion design - This is the primary reason she...
Jun 30, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 42
What’s your go-to work snack? Is it healthy or you’re only worried about the energy boost and getting through the workday? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan talk about their go-to work snacks and how having healthy snacks throughout the day can decrease hunger and boost productivity. Hannah reveals her go-to work snack and why she can’t seem to get enough of it. Melissa explains why bookkeepers who are too busy to schedule lunch should always have snacks within reach. Melissa shares how...
Jun 28, 2022•7 min•Season 2Ep. 41
How can you have a hard conversation without the conversation turning into a frustrating battle of wills? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan discuss why people fear having difficult conversations and what you can do to ensure the conversation does not precipitate conflict, bad feelings, or further negative outcomes. Hannah explains how leaders can learn to manage difficult conversations even when there's the risk of a confrontation - she also explains why most people procrastinate on hav...
Jun 23, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 40
How can bookkeepers and tax preparers build relationships that provide better customer support? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan share their thoughts on how bookkeepers and tax preparers can gain insight into each other's practices and improve client outcomes by building better working relationships. Melissa talks about why, as a bookkeeper, it's always a good idea to collaborate with tax preparers in your space. She also explains how a bookkeeper and a tax preparer working for the sam...
Jun 21, 2022•20 min•Season 2Ep. 39
How should you go about building relationships with clients? What are some things you can do to stand out from the competition and wow your customers? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan share their thoughts and examples of things business owners can do to build better relationships with their clients. This episode, which is part of the Building Relationships series, addresses what’s probably the most important topic: building relationships with clients. Hannah asks Melissa whether, when ...
Jun 16, 2022•26 min•Season 2Ep. 38
What are the benefits of being in a mastermind group? And how should you approach finding and joining one? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan discuss free and paid mastermind groups, the benefits of being a member of one, and share their experiences. Hannah talks about the fact that mastermind groups are a very popular topic among the Bookkeepers.com community and shares that she and Melissa actually met at an in-person mastermind. Melissa often doesn’t get many questions from those who ...
Jun 14, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Did you have a mentor? If so, are you making the most out of their guiding hand? What have you learned from them so far? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan discuss why they believe having a mentor is key to developing and fulfilling your potential. They also reveal how you can find your own mentor and build a long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationship. Hannah and Melissa both agree on why everybody should have a mentor. Hannah asks Melissa whether she has an official mentor. Melissa ...
Jun 09, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 36
Does your business need a referral partner? Should you even be building referral relationships with other bookkeepers in your space? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan share their thoughts on why and how you can build mutually-beneficial referral relationships with other service providers in your space. Melissa starts off by explaining who an official referral partner is and why you need a signed document that clearly states what you'll both get from the relationship. Melissa describes t...
Jun 07, 2022•20 min•Season 2Ep. 35
When should you hire an employee and when should you go for a contractor? Co-hosts Melissa Honan and Hannah Robinson discuss what to consider and what business owners can do to build great relationships with their contractors. Melissa discusses the differences between a contractor and an employee. According to Melissa, oftentimes, the first hire is trying to find a contractor for your bookkeeping business. That’s followed by you hiring a virtual assistant. Melissa talks about the subcontractor-b...
Jun 02, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 34
The Workflow Queen, Alyssa Lang, joins co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan to discuss whether you should be a leader or a boss, and how to build a great relationship with your employees. Hannah asks Alyssa what are some things she does to have boundaries with her employees while also maintaining the fact that Alyssa is the boss. For Alyssa, the biggest tactic is not being scared to be exactly, and authentically, who she needs to be as a boss. Alyssa believes in not wanting to be someone’s...
May 31, 2022•28 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Should you have your camera on or off during zoom meetings? Do the benefits of having your camera turned on in a zoom meeting outweigh the drawbacks? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan discuss a hugely contentious topic regarding zoom meetings: camera on or camera off. They go through zoom etiquette tips to help you decide when it's appropriate to have your camera turned on as well as the pros and cons of turning on your video for zoom meetings. Hannah reveals why she doesn't like turnin...
May 26, 2022•8 min•Season 2Ep. 32
What should bookkeepers think about and actually do to help their clients save money? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan share their thoughts, pet peeves, and advice when it comes to saving your clients some of their money. Melissa shares that she’s skilled at being frugal and helping her clients save money. When asked about pricing, Melissa confirms that her bookkeeping business has higher pricing compared to other ones. For Melissa, having a toolbox of how to save clients some of their...
May 24, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 31
What should you consider and do to manage expectations, especially during the onboarding process? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan discuss the role onboarding has in the entire sales process, how to share your expectations with existing and new clients, and how to act when things don’t go well. Melissa explains why, in her opinion, the onboarding time is actually the most important time of a relationship with a client – and what you should do during onboarding. Hannah asks Melissa at w...
May 19, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 30
How should you go about pre-qualifying sales leads? And why should you do that in the first place? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan share their thoughts and experiences of the good, the bad, and the ugly of attracting and working with clients. Hannah thinks that narrowing down who’s going to be a good client for you is key, especially when you’re starting out. Melissa strongly recommends against trying to close every single person out of desperation like she did when she started out. M...
May 17, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan talk about the 3 key principles of an effective sales process, as well as some tools you can use to make your own sales process a more efficient one. [1:33] Hannah asks Melissa what’s something that each of her sales processes have in common. [3:57] For Melissa, crafting an effective sales process starts with the desire to make sales easy. [6:08] Melissa shares a pet peeve she has when it comes to scheduling meetings. [9:14] Melissa believes that making...
May 12, 2022•28 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan discuss how to communicate value, the role your mindset plays, and they share an exercise that will help you better articulate what you do in a way that’s clear and attracts customers. [1:14] Even though, in this episode, the topic of communicating value is addressed from the perspective of entrepreneurs and bookkeeping business owners, Hannah believes that it can be applied pretty much anywhere concerning your workplace and relationships. [1:43] Hannah...
May 10, 2022•23 min•Season 2Ep. 27
