EP475: Christina Springstead - How To Price Cleanup & Rescue Jobs Plus More Business Tips!
“As a business owner, you have to pick up everything. So right now, it's not my goal to hire at that capacity, but definitely to hire more of an assistant for myself to make sure that I am getting the support that I need as I'm building this business, rather than bringing someone in to run this business.” -Christina Springstead Christina Springstead, founder of Springstead Solutions, shares her journey about hiring, finding her niche and much more! In this interview, you’ll also learn… How cleanups & rescue jobs became her niche & passion How to price cleanups & rescue jobs The power of paid diagnostic reviews for pricing & client fit To learn more about Christina, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Time Stamp 02:55 – Hiring & losing a key operations manager 05:32 – Shifting focus to build the business around personal goals 10:33 – Defining & niching into cleanup & oversight services 14:23 – Nonprofits, trades & in-house training as a niche 20:04 – How Christina prices cleanup vs. rescue jobs 23:04 – Why charge for diagnostic reviews & what’s to include 28:10 – Where best leads come from 30:31 – Converting cleanup clients into monthly engagements 36:51 – How systems like Pure Bookkeeping improve cleanup work 38:29 – What A2A gave her: safe space & smarter growth 45:01 – Where to connect with Christina This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Sage! Drowning in paperwork? AutoEntry lets you snap, scan, and sync receipts, invoices, and statements—so you can ditch manual entry, reduce errors, and get back to what really matters: growing your practice and delighting your clients. Learn more about AutoEntry or get started for free at Sage.com.
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48:44
EP474: Cindy Schroeder - Build A Business That Feels Like A Fairy Tale
“Think about what you want. Be intentional on why you're growing your business. Are you growing it for a money goal? Are you growing it so you have more time and flexibility? And then create those boundaries around giving yourself what your why is. Build a business that feels like your own fairy tale.” -Cindy Schroeder Cindy Schroeder, owner of Bright Bookkeeping and founder of Bookkeeping Buds, shares how she went from job-hopping in unfulfilling roles to building a remote bookkeeping business for painting contractors, creating a supportive community for women bookkeepers, and designing a life she loves. In this interview, you’ll learn… Simple networking tactics to grow your bookkeeping business The benefits of niching into one industry Why designing your business around joy can lead to lasting success To learn more about Cindy, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Time Stamp 00:29 - Cindy’s background and why she left corporate accounting 03:58 - Overcoming introversion through small networking goals 08:30 - Designing a remote business 13:15 - How niching into painting contractors changed everything 16:49 - Partnering with a coach to streamline client growth 19:07 - Building a team and creating repeatable systems 19:20 - Founding Bookkeeping Buds to support women bookkeepers 22:49 - Advice for new bookkeepers: Start with your “Why” This episode is brought to you by our amazing friends at Hub Analytics! Imagine having all your financial data in one place, with real-time analytics and customized reports at your fingertips. Hub Analytics is a financial platform that streamlines bookkeeping operations, so you can focus on what really matters—delivering high-quality results for your clients. With Hub's easy-to-use tools, you’ll save time, reduce errors, and gain deeper insights into your clients' financials! Ready to take your bookkeeping to the next level? Book a demo to learn more and start your FREE trial TODAY!
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27:30
EP473: Ruth Milligan - Building Influence Through Better Words
“Speaking requires feedback. We have to listen to ourselves. We have to listen to each other and give feedback in order to get better. Speaking is social.” -Ruth Milligan Ruth Milligan, founder of Articulation and curator of TEDxColumbus, dives into how better communication leads to better business — especially for bookkeepers and business owners who want to be more clear, confident, and effective. In this episode, you’ll learn… The hidden cost of unclear communication How to fix filler words, jargon & “shaded habits” How to explain complex topics without dumbing them down To learn more about Ruth, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Time Stamp 02:14 – Helping people own their voice & ideas 02:53 – From speechwriter to TEDx coach to business owner 05:47 – What’s a “threshold concept” in speaking? 07:30 – Speaking is social: your audience decides the meaning 09:30 – Why technical experts lose audiences 14:35 – Bookkeepers: Your audience isn’t in your field 15:15 – The pain (and power) of watching yourself speak 17:43 – The power of feedback & self-awareness 20:30 – Emails that confuse vs. emails that get results 23:00 – Declarative vs. procedural knowledge 25:00 – Training clients: Why reschedules are your problem 34:18 – Using AI for voice notes & speech prep 37:28 – The risks of AI hallucinations with real content 41:23 – A direct takeaway for introverts: Watch your “shaded habits” 43:07 – What you don’t know can hurt your influence 45:48 – Breath: the simple fix for filler word 55:29 – Valuing yourself & your time This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Hub Analytics! Imagine having all your financial data in one place, with real-time analytics and customized reports at your fingertips. Hub Analytics is a financial platform that streamlines bookkeeping operations, so you can focus on what really matters—delivering high-quality results for your clients. With Hub's easy-to-use tools, you’ll save time, reduce errors, and gain deeper insights into your clients' financials! Ready to take your bookkeeping to the next level? Book a demo to learn more and start your FREE trial TODAY!
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51:52
EP472: Michelle Quiñonez - Growing A Business That Aligns With Your Values
“Practice is what gives the consistent and reliable delivery of whatever you're mastering. So for me, I remind myself that I'm not faking, I'm becoming, I'm working on it until I become it.” -Michelle Quiñonez Michelle Quiñonez, CEO and partner at Financial Stories Inc, shares how childhood play led to a lifelong love for administration and business building. She opens up about her journey from stay-at-home mom to entrepreneur, and how her passion for structure and growth fueled the launch of a full-service accounting firm alongside her CPA co-founder. In this episode, you’ll learn… Why keeping your word to yourself matters The impact of joining a CEO peer group Simple time-blocking that actually works To learn more about Michelle, click here. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Time Stamp 00:53 - Michelle’s early influences: childhood office play & college mentorship 02:11 - MBA shift & why she chose the accounting field 04:04 - Founding her first solo business as a stay-at-home mom 05:01 - Pain points with external tax firms & why she co-founded Financial Stories 06:50 - Merging systems, hiring, remote tech stack & onboarding 08:19 - Surprises: how hard it is to find good people & differences in accounting roles 09:51 - Personal transformation, CEO roundtable, imposter syndrome reframed 12:00 - Time management 14:18 - Why business growth is about daily consistency & reps 16:35 - How Lisa Campbell & A2A influenced Michelle’s mindset & systems 19:45 - Setting clear intentions to stay present with her family 22:39 - Keeping your word—to yourself & how that shifted everything 25:47 - Visualizing success, parenting parallels & trusting your own word 31:33 - Her experience with Profit First & how it supports delegation 34:48 - Where to connect with Michelle This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Hub Analytics! Imagine having all your financial data in one place, with real-time analytics and customized reports at your fingertips. Hub Analytics is a financial platform that streamlines bookkeeping operations, so you can focus on what really matters—delivering high-quality results for your clients. With Hub's easy-to-use tools, you’ll save time, reduce errors, and gain deeper insights into your clients' financials! Ready to take your bookkeeping to the next level? Book a demo to learn more and start your FREE trial TODAY!
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37:17
EP471: Morgan Law - The Unexpected Way Bookkeepers Are Winning On YouTube
“Just start small. Just start doing it. It'll take a while, most likely to kind of build. So start even before you feel like a hundred percent ready. Just start. It's a lot of it the first year or so, it's just like kind of practice too.” -Morgan Law Morgan Law, founder of Fine Points Bookkeeping and a popular YouTuber, shares how she transitioned from corporate life and copy editing to part-time bookkeeping, and eventually into full-time content creation. Morgan's story is packed with actionable advice for anyone starting or growing a bookkeeping business. During this interview, you'll learn... How to build a thriving YouTube channel Why confidence, clarity & community are key for new bookkeepers How free certifications like the QuickBooks ProAdvisor program can jumpstart your journey Click here to learn more about Morgan. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Check out her YouTube channel at this link. Time Stamp 00:27 - Morgan’s Journey to Bookkeeping 01:49 - Early Hurdles in Starting a Business 02:37 - Starting on YouTube 03:54 - First Breakthrough Video 04:44 - Challenges with Growth 05:45 - YouTube vs Bookkeeping Today 06:36 - Common Struggles for Bookkeepers 08:32 - Content That Resonates 10:04 - Should Bookkeepers Start a Channel? 11:29 - Getting Started on YouTube 12:53 - Growth Timeline & Milestones 14:02 - Bookkeeping Today vs 10 Years Ago 18:53 - Favorite Tools & AI Experiments 20:14 - Resources for Listeners 22:02 - Value of Facebook groups & online communities This episode is brought to you by our friends at Dext! Dext handles transaction capture, keeps your data accurate, and even simplifies e-commerce reconciliation, all in one place. Join thousands of bookkeepers and accountants who’ve already made the switch. If you're ready to save time, reduce errors, and make bookkeeping more efficient, Dext is for you! Go to thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com/dext to book a demo TODAY and see how it can transform the way you work!
The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast is a weekly show to help increase your confidence, work smarter and build a business you love.
Each week you'll listen to inspiring guests who will share their success secrets, so you can take your bookkeeping enterprise and life to another level.
Some of them include New York Times Best-Selling Author of E-Myth, Michael E. Gerber, Pure Bookkeeping Co-Founder, Debbie Roberts, the host of The Productive Woman podcast, Laura McClellan and the author of *I Know How She Does It*, Laura Vanderkam.
If you're a bookkeeping business owner who is looking for an uplifting, entertaining and informative podcast exclusively for YOU then you have arrived at the right place!
Get ready because your journey towards success begins — now.
Your Host
Michael Palmer is an acclaimed business coach who has helped hundreds of bookkeepers across the world push through their fears and exponentially grow their businesses and achieve the quality of life they've always wanted.
Ireland