Send us a text Listen in to an on-air strategy session with one of my students! In this episode you’ll hear: How to handle 10k of prior year transactions on a cleanup when the client has already filed those taxes How to have a conversation with a client about compliance issues and presenting multiple options How to handle when a client doesn’t take your advice or can’t afford to hire you to implement Thanks for listening. If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listeni...
Apr 26, 2023•30 min•Ep. 95
Send us a text In this interview episode, I chat with Mallika Malhotra about brand strategy, niching, and positioning. A continuation of last week’s topic around marketing! In this episode you’ll hear: How to begin working on your branding How to define a niche whether you’re established or brand new How to position your team as part of your branding if you are building an agency Resources mentioned in this episode: Be sure to watch for her September Mastermind Meet Mallika: Mallika Malhotra is ...
Apr 19, 2023•42 min•Ep. 94
Send us a text In this interview episode I have Michael King from the CFO Accelerator on to chat about marketing, branding, and positioning your firm. In this episode you’ll hear: The importance of branding an exercise you can do to figure out why you’re attracting the ‘wrong’ clients keeping your marketing machine (examples, too!) going even when you aren’t accepting new clients How to manage the ChatGPT conversation with clients Michael King is the CEO of KFE Solutions, a fractional CFO firm b...
Apr 12, 2023•45 min•Ep. 93
Send us a text In this special interview episode, I have my sister on the podcast! She’s a former social worker and relationship therapist-turned-coach here to talk about building a strong inner circle of friends. In this episode you’ll hear: why strong friendships are important for entrepreneurs how to be intentional about building relationships how to manage capacity & boundaries in business (and your personal life!) Resources mentioned in this episode: The Art Of Asking by Amanda Palmer F...
Mar 29, 2023•45 min•Ep. 91
Send us a text Our on-air 1-1 strategy sessions are back! Listen in today as I mentor and coach a student of mine through feeling overwhelmed and at capacity while still wanting to grow her business. In this episode you’ll hear: tips for deciding on what to delegate steps to take to create guardrails around your time introducing the waitlist & intake form to filter out prospects Would you like a strategy session? You can book yours here! Or join our Small Group Mentoring calls here. About As...
Mar 22, 2023•47 min•Ep. 90
Send us a text In this interview episode, I am chatting with one of my clients, Marisa, about how she’s been leveraging LinkedIn and relationship marketing to book clients and grow her audience. Grab your notebook, because we have lots of actionable tips and advice around LinkedIn! In this episode you’ll hear: How to connect with B2B on LinkedIn What kind of content works well How often to post & engage 5 tips for growing your authority on LinkedIn About our guest: Marisa is a Ray Edwards Ce...
Mar 15, 2023•45 min•Ep. 89
Send us a text In this episode, our leadership coach, Meriah, is interviewing ME, Serena, on my full story & journey on getting to where we are today! In this episode you’ll hear: How I got into accounting Tips for managing a sidehustle/studying for the CPA exam Creating a plan to leave your 9-5 and much more! Resources mentioned in this episode: The Bookkeeping Business Accelerator 🎙️ Should you get your CPA license? Thanks for listening. If this episode inspired you in some way, take a sc...
Mar 08, 2023•54 min•Ep. 88
Send us a text In this solo episode I tackle two of the most common questions I get asked about: pricing & diagnostic reviews! In this episode you’ll hear: why you shouldn’t fall for the trap of pricing like your competitors why Bench & Pilot are able to charge as low as they do why you should incorporate diagnostic reviews into your proposal process what you’ll need from clients to complete a diagnostic review Resources mentioned in this episode: The Bookkeeping Business Accelerator nai...
Feb 22, 2023•20 min•Ep. 86
Send us a text This week we welcome back a good friend of mine and repeat guest - Alyssa Lang, the Workflow Queen, to talk about choosing a marketing strategy that’s right for you. In this episode you’ll hear: Alyssa’s current marketing campaign for her bookkeeping firm My current marketing strategy Comparing and contrasting why we both chose these differing strategies About our guest Alyssa, aka the Workflow Queen, teaches bookkeepers and accountants how to utilize tech and automation to create...
Feb 15, 2023•37 min•Ep. 85
Send us a text Everyone is talking about 1099s right now but there’s another tax form you should be aware of as a bookkeeper. I’m going to give you my year end pointers in this episode so you catch many of the things your clients need to handle at year end. Or that you can handle for them, and be the expert they rely on to know these things! In this episode you’ll hear: Business Property Tax 1099s Annual Corporation filings Head to ambitiousbookkeeper.com/store and grab the workshops bundle to g...
Feb 08, 2023•16 min•Ep. 84
Send us a text For this episode, I decided to play another panel interview I held with some students from our Elevate Summer Sprint last year. They share what this course truly has to offer! In this episode you’ll hear: some of the roadblocks students struggled with before Elevate what Elevate entails & how it works how Elevate can help you finally get compensated for the services you’re providing Resources mentioned: The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Profitable Bookkeeping Business Elevate T...
Jan 25, 2023•26 min•Ep. 82
Send us a text In this solo episode, I’m sharing a couple of my biggest mistakes in business and how I’ve handled them. And if you’re curious about offering higher level services (CFO/advisory) to clients, you’ll definitely want to listen to this one. In this episode you’ll hear: how to handle “bad” investments shifting perspective when making mistakes radical responsibility how not to offer advisory services Programs + resources mentioned: Elevate - Self-paced The Bookkeeping Business Accelerat...
Jan 11, 2023•15 min•Ep. 81
Send us a text In this episode we are playing a panel interview I held with a couple of Accelerator students from a previous cohort. I thought it would be fun to take a little trip down memory lane as we kick off 2023 to inspire you whether you’re in the dreaming stage of starting your business or you have a full roster and you’re thinking of ways to grow and shift your business to serve you better. I’ll be interviewing Bahiya Thompson and Penny Rose. In this episode you’ll hear: A bit of their ...
Jan 04, 2023•22 min•Ep. 80
Send us a text In this episode, I interview Simone, founder & host of the Cannabis Business Minds Podcast, a former auditor and current consultant in the financial industry. She shares her story about getting into cannabis accounting and how she helps accountants and cannabis customers navigate the industry. Many tips will translate into any type of accounting practice. In this episode you’ll hear: Freelance vs consulting The importance of pre-education in acquiring clients Interviewing busi...
Dec 21, 2022•47 min•Ep. 79
Send us a text This week on the podcast I have my right hand & resident leadership coach, Meriah on the podcast and we’re talking all about core values, mission, and vision for your business as a way to build the culture (and business) you want to have. Even if you don’t plan on having a large team (or a team at all), this work is still imperative. It took me years to nail down my Vision, Mission, and Values, and truth be told, they’ll likely continue to morph. But Woweeeeee has this helped ...
Dec 14, 2022•50 min•Ep. 78
Send us a text In this interview episode, I chat with Julee Yokoyama, a small business operational consultant who specializes in helping small businesses create contingency plans and succession planning. She helps people answer the question: “if something happens to me, what happens to my business?” In this episode you’ll hear: the difference between contingency planning & succession planning why both are still crucial for solo-business owners what types of events you can plan for About our ...
Dec 07, 2022•51 min•Ep. 77
Send us a text I interview Katie Fleming, an intuitive business coach & podcast host of The Ambitious Mom Podcast, and we talk about how your presence is the most profitable thing you can do, bridging your life with your business, and the number one thing you can do to level up in your business. In this episode you’ll hear: why radical responsibility is important to your success looking at things objectively to find the meaning what the both and life is all about Katie Fleming is the founder...
Nov 30, 2022•38 min•Ep. 76
Send us a text I interview the CEO of Liveplan, Sabrina Parsons, and we chat about worklife balance as a mom; discussions to have with clients and how Liveplan can help support those discussions. In this episode you’ll hear: the mindset shift Sabrina had to make as CEO of a company and mom to little kids a piece of advice that would help any bookkeeper add more value to you clients (it’s not even advisory!) features on the roadmap for LivePlan About our guest: Sabrina Parsons is CEO of Palo Alto...
Nov 23, 2022•51 min•Ep. 75
Send us a text In this episode, I get to interview one of my favorite podcast hosts, Natalie Eckdahl, from Biz Chix Inc. She shares a wealth of knowledge with us on outsourcing, building an enduring business, and building an agency model. In this episode you’ll hear: how to talk to your partner about outsourcing things at home what an ‘enduring business’ means what building an agency could look like and so much more. Resources Mentioned: Built to Sell The Big Leap BizChix.com/outsourcing Connect...
Nov 16, 2022•55 min•Ep. 74
Send us a text In this Interview episode I chat with Co-host Erin Andrews of the Owners & Operations podcast for Accountants. We talk about the “traditional firm model” and creating a different work environment for our future accountants. In this episode you’ll hear: What it’s like taking over an accounting firm from your Dad What we should (and shouldn’t) be doing to attract talent to our industry as a whole What the “traditional accounting firm model is” and what to do about it a conversat...
Nov 09, 2022•40 min•Ep. 73
Send us a text Scott Scarano - fellow Xero enthusiast, podcaster, and firm owner joins me today to riff more on getting through burnout, purpose, and building things YOUR way. If you don’t like hearing how human other accountants actually are, don’t listen. In this episode you’ll hear us talk about: checkered pasts creativity vs productivity Going against the grain and other real sh** Listen to the end to hear Scott’s Lil Toddler’s most recent accounting rap! Scott is the host (rapping custodian...
Nov 02, 2022•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 72
Send us a text In this solo episode, I’m giving you 7 simple steps to use when you feel like throwing in the towel or burning it all down. Entrepreneurship is hard. You’re not alone. In this episode you’ll hear: How to silence the noise How to protect your time How to give your brain space to rest Important questions to reflect on By the way, here’s that awesome novel I was talking about: 📘 Merewif - By Amanda Adam Thanks for listening. If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screensho...
Oct 27, 2022•16 min•Ep. 71
Send us a text In this special episode, we’re airing a student spotlight interview with an Alum of The Bookkeeping Business Accelerator. You get an inside look into a real bookkeeping business and hear from one of our amazing students! Come listen and get inspired. In this episode you’ll hear: Who Ashly is and where her business started How BBA gave Ashly clear processes to follow and lots of confidence to create a flourishing business The struggles and benefits of hiring The importance of setti...
Oct 19, 2022•29 min•Ep. 70
Send us a text In this interview episode, Geraldine and I discuss communicating your value more effectively & exactly what IS valuable. We also discuss how we, as women, can make more money by working on becoming more confident, plus priorities and ‘success’ defined. In this episode you’ll hear: How to communicate your value more effectively & tying to package pricing How to reprice underpriced clients Why working on your confidence is key in making more money 3 roles in a business that ...
Oct 12, 2022•36 min•Ep. 69
Send us a text In this episode, Serena Interviews former Clients: Austen & Gina Meier and they discuss some effective ways to market (especially if you have a niche) and tips for getting on your client’s level with how you talk to them. In this episode you’ll hear: strategies for niching down where to find your clients what business owners struggle with — where you can help! Connect with Austen and Gina here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austenmeier Thanks for listening. If this episode inspi...
Oct 05, 2022•43 min•Ep. 68
Send us a text In this solo episode, I give you some actionable tips on meeting with clients as a way to add value to your bookkeeping services. In this episode you’ll hear: How to set a meeting agenda Why back to back meetings are no good What reports to present to clients How to add extra personal touches to your engagements → Join our next cohort of Elevate, starting in October: https://www.ambitiousbookkeeper.com/elevate → Listen to Episode 5: What to do when you get your first client → Read...
Sep 28, 2022•22 min•Ep. 67
Send us a text In this solo episode, I’m helping you decide whether offering advisory services is something you should pursue in your business. I’m also giving you a little taste of the first lesson inside of our newest program: Elevate, where I teach the foundational skills of offering advisory! In this episode you’ll hear: 4 questions to ask yourself to decide whether you should offer advisory the foundational skills you need in order to be an advisor to clients my hot take on raising your pri...
Sep 21, 2022•30 min•Ep. 66
Send us a text In this episode you’ll hear: Why Cash Flow Forecasting is important How to get started How to go deeper on this 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: Visit our website: ambitiousbookkeeper.com Follow the Blog:...
Sep 14, 2022•15 min•Ep. 65
Send us a text This is part 2 of our previous episode where Meriah (my Director of Operations at Team Shoup) and I are breaking down how we collaborate as a team to get everything done and maintain our team culture. In this episode you’ll hear: the tech and tools we use to collaborate externally (client-facing) and a few that we use to collaborate both internally and externally how we get the most out of these tools our favorites tips to handle learning new tools Products Mentioned (some are aff...
Sep 07, 2022•50 min•Ep. 64
Send us a text I get so many questions about what tools we use and how we use them, so this week Meriah (my Director of Operations at Team Shoup) and I are breaking down how we collaborate as a team to get everything done and maintain our team culture. In this episode you’ll hear: the tech and tools we use to collaborate internally (next week will be about tools we use client-facing) how we get the most out of these tools how to handle the overwhelm when it comes to all of these tools Episode 19...
Aug 24, 2022•28 min•Ep. 63
