The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

“A lot of people say, ‘Oh retirement, that’s for old people. I don’t need to be thinking about that now.’ But it is just good cash flow management. It's good financial planning. To be thinking not only about what I am spending my money on today as a business owner but also what does this look like in 5, 10, 20 years.”
-Courtenay Shipley

As bookkeepers, it is our job to help others understand how the flow of money works in and around their business. A critical yet often overlooked part of that, is how we plan for the future. It’s easy to get excited by success, so much so that we don’t feel the need to save for a rainy day. This is true for our clients too. They’ve worked so hard. They want to enjoy the profits of their labour.

When planning for the future, it’s hard to ignore the glaring warnings of our own mortality. This is perhaps why we take the first most accessible retirement plan we find, and let it tick over in the background. 

But saving doesn’t have to be from a place of fear in what the future holds, you can create a plan that celebrates your success and keeps you solvent long after you’ve stopped working. 

Courtenay Shipley, founder of Retirement Planology is this episode’s featured guest. She has spent her career helping businesses navigate the retirement landscape in a way that aligns with their values, saves time and makes their money work harder. In this episode, Courtenay and Michael discuss all things retirement, from finding the right plan to essential resources for success.

If you are finding yourself in a place of success but aren’t sure how to provide yourself and your employees with a plan for the future then this is the episode for you!

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of building long-term financial freedom
• How to effectively plan for the future
• The importance of sticking to the plan

To find out more about Courtenay, click here.

Connect with with her on LinkedIn.

Time Stamps
 
01:46 - Courtenay discusses her career journey 
05:28 - Planning for the future
08:54 - Finding the right fit
13:47 - Sticking to the plan
16:34 - The essentials of a great retirement plan
18:06 - Building your financial freedom
23:23 - Resources that can help you
25:50 - Getting integrated 
28:35 - Learning more from Courtenay 

This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Payworks!

If you're looking for a reliable and affordable payroll platform for your business, look no further!

To learn more, visit Payworks.ca TODAY!

“Oftentimes, we’re our own worst enemy, and so we listen to the one negative comment or the one negative undertone that someone gives us, and we hold onto that.”
-Trixy Castro

Every challenge provides an opportunity for growth. A chance to build a mindset of resilience, that will let us face any problem with a mind to solutions. That bias and barriers to success exist, is not in question. What is in question is how we react to them. 

We spend far too much time paying attention to the opinions of people who aren’t paying our bills. It is time to cut out the noise, get focused and start chasing our goals with everything we have in us. Criticism is important, but we must cultivate the ability to filter out whether it is really something about us that we need to work on, or about someone else wanting us to feel as bad as they do.

Trixy Castro, business executive and entrepreneur, is this episode’s featured guest. She has spent her career founding and selling businesses while breaking down every barrier put in her path. She speaks powerfully about the need to build a resilient mindset, embrace challenges as learning experiences and how to get focused on your goals.

If you are struggling with negative self-talk, quitting before you’ve even begun, or after a few bumps in the road, then this is the episode that will set you free of your limiting beliefs and put you on the path to enduring success.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of embracing challenges as learning opportunities
• How to build a resilient mindset
• The importance of getting focused on your goals

To find out more about Trixy, click here.

Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Time Stamps

01:46 - Trixy discusses her career journey 
13:35 - The path to success 
19:07 - There’s always a way around
22:37 - Building a resilience mindset
27:10 - Getting it done

“Spend 15 minutes a day every single day on something that matters to you. I don’t care if it matters to anybody else, but something that matters to you, and preferably do all this before you check your email.”
-Sam Bennett

Habit building is hard, especially when we aren’t always sure which way to direct our energy. The more we build a habit, the more momentum we gain, and the less we want to quit whatever it is we are doing. Unfortunately, the same is true of negative habits. If we struggle to even try, that is all that will happen. We’ll give up before we start to see results, and the more we give up, the more we’ll keep giving up.

We can’t just copy others and hope to find the same success, we aren’t them. It’s scary to realize there is no right way to success, there is only our own way, all we have to do is lean into it, and build it up with good habits. Success is what follows those good habits. 

Sam Bennett, author of The 15-Minute Method, has spent her career helping overthinkers get things done, 15 minutes at a time. She has created an environment to help people live their best, most fulfilling and productive lives. 

In this episode, Sam and Michael illustrate the power of the 15-minute method, how to beat procrastination, and how to spend more time in your flow state. If you are an overthinker, constantly worried about making the right choices, then this is the episode that will get you believing you can be who you want to be.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The power of the 15-Minute Method
• How to spend more time in your flow
• The importance of overcoming procrastination

To find out more about Sam, click here.

To explore the Get it done! Daily Practicum, visit this link.

Connect with Sam on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram

Time Stamps

01:35 - Sam discussses her career journey 
04:30 - Adjusting to a new reality 
10:10 - The power of 15 minutes 
17:43 - Getting to grips with procrastination
20:58 - Building time in your flow state 
32:03 - The daily practicum 

This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Forwardly!

With Forwardly, you can send free instant payments while keeping funds in your bank longer, receive instant payments for 80% less than credit card fees and enjoy same-day ACH—absolutely free!

The best part?

You can leap into the future of business payments with Forwardly and possibly earn yourself a FREE iPhone 15 Pro this summer!

Visit thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com/forwardly for more information! 

“You need to surround yourself from an inclusion standpoint, with people who fill in the gaps and complement the skills you don’t have so that you don’t have those blind spots.”
-Carice Anderson
 
Building a business is never easy, and yet we often make it so much harder for ourselves by believing we can’t be truly successful unless we are the ones doing everything. This kind of thinking only leaves us with skill and knowledge gaps we didn’t even know we had.
 
Being intelligent alone isn't enough. There will always be things we are drawn to and things we don’t like doing. What matters is the ability to recognize when we have gaps and fill them with people who complement the skills we lack.
 
Carice Anderson, a workplace diversity and inclusion expert and author, is this episode’s featured guest. She has spent her career working to understand why even after achieving so much academically, there were still so many gaps that could only be filled by the experiences of others.
 
She speaks powerfully about the need to build connections between people. To work on your relationships with others, not just in them. To think in the long term about people, not just in the short term to meet a deadline or push a product.
 
If you are trying to go it alone and finding that maybe you don’t even know what questions you should be asking, this is the episode to get you thinking about how a mindset shift might open up a world of possibility.
 
During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of taking ownership of your client’s problems
• How to work on your relationships, not just in them
• The importance of creating a support network for success

To find out more about Carice, click here.
 
Connect with her on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
 
You can buy Carice’s book here.
 
Time Stamps
     
01:42 - Carice talks about her career journey
03:52 - Learning to adapt when things don’t go your way
08:10 - Overcoming personal obstacles
11:13 - Carice talks about her book
15:28 - Working on your relationships, not in them
18:55 - Tips for building healthy relationships
25:40 - Introversion vs extraversion; creating connections in a different way
28:20 - Ownership, taking responsibility & initiative
33:35 - No one becomes a success alone, it takes a community
36:40 - Learning more about Carice

“With Anchor, you work and then you get paid by default and your client needs to actively do something in order for you not to get paid.”
- Omry Man 

It’s well-known that comfort and convenience rule everything we do. People and especially clients are always looking for simpler and more effective ways to handle their business. We have all had clients that aren’t good at paying us on time, not because they are bad people, but because their priorities and attention are directed elsewhere.

Omry Man, co-founder of Anchor, is this episode’s featured guest. He recognized a gap in the market, a gap created by the friction between bookkeepers and their clients. Anchor is an autonomous billing solution that sets out payment relationships from the get-go, and automates the entire process. So, you never have to wait on a bill again.

If you are struggling to get clients to pay on time, are feeling strained around repeatedly asking for payment, or are even too scared to push for the money you are owed for fear of losing a client, this is the episode for you. 

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of being consistent with your clients
• How automation reduces friction in relationships
• The importance of streamlining your services to focus on your bookkeeping business 

Click here to find out more about Anchor.

BLACK FRIDAY SALE OFFER: Anyone signing up or booking an Anchor demo during November, who bills over 50 monthly invoices, is eligible for $500 in Anchor credits to use in their first 3 months in Anchor. Visit this link for more details!

Connect with Omry and Anchor on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Time Stamps

01:48 - Omry talks about his career journey 
03:55 - Overcoming bad experiences with clients 
09:10 - The real reason your clients aren’t paying on time
13:20 - Using automation to reduce friction  
17:20 - How Anchor works for you & your client
20:14 - The right metrics to measure 
26:20 - Getting connected with Anchor 

“There will always be chaos. There will always be change. You will always be dealing with fires in your life, and it’s really about how you respond to the chaos that will determine your success or failure.”
-Elisa Schmitz
 
The way we think becomes the way we act. If our thoughts are riddled with self-doubt and fear, we are never going to get to the place of success we dream about. Life is full of change and chaos, and there will always be another fire to put out. What separates successful people and businesses from the unsuccessful, is how they learn to adapt and respond to the chaos.
 
Often our lack of self-belief comes from doing things differently from other people in our industry. Yet it is those very differences that allow us to offer unique strengths and perspectives no one but us could.
 
Elisa Schmitz, founder and CEO of 30seconds.com, and author of the new book, Become The Fire, is this episode’s featured guest. Elisa has spent her career helping people embrace failure as a tool for learning and teaching them to shift their mindsets from ones based on fear to abundance and growth.
 
If you feel like you are pushing against the tide, unsure where to start or how to let go of the fears that have long protected you then this is the episode to pull you into the fire and so you can start to truly realize your personal and professional dreams.
 
During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of practicing resilience in your personal & professional lives
• How to transfer your mindset from fear to abundance
• The importance of embracing chaos & change 

To find out more about Elisa, click this link.
 
Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Click here to learn more about her new book.
 
Time Stamps
       
02:07 - Elisa talks about her career journey
04:44 - The birth of 30Seconds.com
07:52 - Riding the business owner rollercoaster
09:33 - Learning to embrace the chaos
12:27 - Seizing your moment when it comes
15:25 - Practicing a resilience mindset
22:42 - Elisa’s strategies for success
27:48 - Making friends with your fear of change
32:34 - Where to find Elisa’s new book

“If you have the belief, you can’t get off that rat wheel…you’re not going to reach out for something to build the skills to help you.”
-Sharon Francisco

The wheel keeps turning and if we are not careful, we can end up trapped chasing the same things that aren’t working for us. Belief is a key component in the mindset of successful people. Very rarely do people master a skill on the first attempt. They become masters by believing that with every practice attempt, their abilities will improve.
 
If your environment and the people in it aren't serving to help lift you up to new heights, it might be time to consider a change of metaphorical scenery. To seek out a better space and people who can teach you the valuable skills you feel you are missing.
 
Sharon Francisco, an Australian bookkeeping business mentor, is this episode’s featured guest. She speaks about the need for belief and confidence when building a business and explores the key assets that will set the firms of the future apart. Her approach to mentorship sees bookkeepers overcome their barriers and limited beliefs, by getting hands-on with the aspects of business that have previously scared them.
 
Whether you are struggling with pricing, or which niche to focus on, or how to hire the right people, you will only get better with practice. If you need that push, that injection of courage to get off the wheel and start moving in the direction of true success, this is the episode for you!
 
During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of developing your niche skills to charge premium prices
• What the future of business is going to look like
• The importance of building a positive environment for your bookkeeping business

 
Click here to find out more about Sharon or connect with her on LinkedIn.
 

Time Stamps
      
01:38 - Michael & Sharon catch up
03:20 - Overcoming the barriers to success
07:38 - Building a positive environment  
11:43 - Working on your business, not just in it
19:18 - Firms of the future: the ingredients of success
26:50 - Building positive relationships & good impressions
31:42 - The nine projects - a road map to the future

“Leadership is something you do with people, not to people.”
-Dr. Elizabeth Moran   
 
We have all found ourselves at one time or another having to react to an unexpected change. Often those of us that go into business for ourselves do so to have more freedom and control over the decisions that will affect the long-term viability of our businesses.
 
Problems start to occur when we become so avoidant of change that we fail to address the concerns our employees or clients have in the choices and changes we make. But we do not have to fear change or be reactive and defensive to its presence in our lives.
 
Dr. Elizabeth Moran, an experienced leader, consultant, and coach is this episode’s featured guest. Dr. Moran has spent her career helping teams and organizations navigate and evolve through complex changes. She speaks powerfully to the need for curiosity when addressing change, the value of allowing yourself and your teams to explore and play with what the changes may mean, and how to take the time to reconnect with why you wanted to do what you do in the first place.
 
If you are struggling to adapt to change or find it challenging to evolve at the same pace as your teams, leaders, or other organizations, this is the episode to help you take a pause, dig into where you are placing your energy and intention, and get curious about what changes could really mean.
 
During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value in taking time to reflect on the impacts of change
• How to overcome resistance to change
• The importance of reconnecting with your why 

Click here to find out more about Elizabeth.
 
Connect with her on LinkedIn.
  
Click here to pre-order Elizabeth’s new book, "Forward: Leading Your Team Through Change."
 
Time Stamps
       
01:51 - Elizabeth talks about her career journey
04:52 - The peaks & valleys of starting your own business
11:08 - Common mistakes facing leaders
16:42 - Understanding why we resist change
22:17 - Embracing the chaos of change
26:01 - The networks of our brain & how to engage them
29:41 - Taking a pause to truly reflect on what leadership means
33:38 - What it means to be a change maker
40:40 - Adapting, evolving, and overcoming
45:14 - What does change mean for me & why?
50:14 - Elizabeth talks about her new book 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

Don’t miss your LAST chance to get your free ticket to The Successful Bookkeeper Summit! Click here for more information!

“The minute you move into a leadership role, it's no longer about you.”
–Shelli Warren
 
Being a great individual contributor doesn’t always make for the best leadership material. We all know someone who is great at what they do but struggles to scale those skills when put into a leadership position. When filling leadership roles too often we are looking for someone to fill a gap, when we should be looking for someone who will grow and fulfill the future needs of the business.
 
Stepping up can be a real challenge. It takes courage to seek out people that can help us on our journeys to becoming effective leaders and the will to take an honest account of our current skills and get focused on self-development.
 
Shelli Warren, a team and leadership coach with Biz Chix and host of the Stacking Your Team podcast, returns to The Successful Bookkeeper podcast this week. (Catch her previous episode here.) Shelli has spent her career developing people into leaders. Questioning, encouraging, and helping people from a range of industry backgrounds to understand what it really means to be a leader.
 
If you are struggling to break into a leadership role, or are currently in one, but don’t know why things just aren’t working the way you had hoped, this is the episode for you.
 
During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of hiring for the future, not for a crisis
• How to upgrade your leadership skills
• The importance of understanding team dynamics

Click here to learn more about Shelli and Biz Chix.

Listen to the Stacking your Team Podcast here.

Connect with her on LinkedIn.
 
Time Stamps
 
02:04 - Shelli talks about her career journey
04:02 - Shouldering responsibilities with grace
06:38 - The key skills of a good leader
13:32 - Good business leadership: a personal inventory
23:22 - Hiring for the future
27:28 - Why leadership skills are so rare
30:13 - Figuring out how to upgrade your leadership skills
39:14 - How to promote a team member into a leader: TSBK Summit sneak peek
42:20 - The perfect time to grow
45:46 - Where to find Shelli

SPECIAL ANNOUCEMENT:

Don’t miss a chance to get your free ticket to The Successful Bookkeeper Summit coming up on November 9th! Click here for more information!
 

“LiveFlow gives the ability to create these very tailored dashboards. What's really good about that, is that it allows the bookkeepers to increase the fees for their services.”
-Lasse Kalkar
  
Bookkeeping is not what it used to be. Clients are less willing to spend large sums of money on people to keep accounts when they can be easily kept by automated technology. The role of bookkeepers is changing, and those that are willing to embrace new technologies will be the ones that thrive in the bookkeeping advisory economy.
 
Lasse Kalkar, founder and CEO of LiveFlow, is this episode’s featured guest. He has spent his life filling the gaps for what the market needs, and his latest invention, LiveFlow revolutionizes the real-time ability of clients and bookkeepers to see their data in Google sheets and Microsoft Excel.
 
If you are tired of wasting hours manually inputting data and sending reports to your clients, this is the episode to get you thinking about what the future of your bookkeeping business could look like. Not only in how you share information with clients, but how through templates and sharing you could get immediate access to the best practice of some of the most skilled bookkeepers.
 
During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of automating systems to save time
• How to offer better value & advice to your clients 
• The importance of believing in yourself & being persistent

 
Click here to find out more about Lasse.
 
Connect with Lasse on LinkedIn.
 
Click here to find out more about LiveFlow.
 
Time Stamps
    
02:18  - Lasse talks about his career journey
03:54 - Overcoming the obstacles of entrepreneurship
09:47 - Understanding LiveFlow
12:51 - The value in automated systems
20:34 - Getting to grips with formulas
27:25 - Live Flow and team building

SPECIAL ANNOUCEMENT:

Don’t miss a chance to get your FREE ticket to our upcoming Successful Bookkeeper Summit! Click here for more information!