The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast

"We always say 'Motivation is like a shower. You should visit it daily.' You have to keep yourself motivated every day. How do I get myself motivated and sold back on myself so that I can be the best version of how I want to show up for my clients?"
–Julee Gracey

In this episode, sales and marketing coach, speaker, and author of Highly Confident, Julee Gracey explains why confidence is the foundation of pricing, pitching, and growing a bookkeeping business. She shares practical strategies to help you strengthen your internal dialogue, communicate your value clearly, and attract higher-quality clients who are willing to pay for your expertise.

In this episode, you'll learn:
How to stop underpricing & stand firm behind your fees
Why you must get sold on yourself before you try to sell your services
How to identify your ideal clients & speak directly to their needs
To learn more about Julee, click here.

Follow Julee on Instagram.

Get a copy of Highly Confident.

Time Stamps

00:55 – Introduction to Julee & her background in sales
06:17 – Why confidence is required before you can sell
10:41 – Rewiring negative self-talk & managing imposter syndrome
14:01 – The difference between selling & closing
16:05 – Why you should stop handing out business cards
20:11 – Understanding the three types of clients
27:01 – How to overcome fear of networking events
33:21 – Shifting from price focus to return on investment
36:26 – A real example of raising prices & holding firm
40:29 – Overview of Julee's book Highly Confident
This episode is brought to you by our great friends at BILL!
They're hosting Bookkeeper Appreciation Week from March 30th to April 3rd—dedicated to recognizing the real work you do and giving you tools you can actually use to free up time for more strategic work.
Get ready for 5 days of practical resources delivered straight to your inbox, plus live, CPE-eligible webinars!
Register now at bill.com/successfulbookkeeper!
Don't miss it!

" In order to create that trust, you have to be honest enough to know that you're not the right person for everybody. But those people that you do connect with, when you find that connection, that is when you can start to go through that process."
–Amy Jacobson

In this episode, Australian emotional intelligence expert, speaker, and author of The Emotional Intelligence Advantage: Mastering Change and Difficult Conversations, Amy Jacobson explains why technical skill alone will not build a strong, sustainable bookkeeping firm. She shares how emotional intelligence drives trust, strengthens client relationships, and improves leadership inside growing firms, along with a practical five-step framework you can apply immediately.

In this episode, you'll learn:
How emotional intelligence builds client trust & retention

How to adapt your communication style to different clients

Why leadership requires a different skill set than bookkeeping

To learn more about Amy, click here.

Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Buy her book, The Emotional Intelligence Advantage: Mastering Change and Difficult Conversations, at this link.

Time Stamps

01:11 – Amy's background & her path into emotional intelligence
04:14 – A clear definition of emotional intelligence for business owners
06:08 – Where bookkeepers commonly struggle with EQ
09:51 – How trust is built through real connection
12:24 – The five-step emotional intelligence framework
15:11 – A real example of client loss due to poor communication
18:10 – Shifting from technical language to client-centered language
21:10 – Becoming part of the client's business instead of an outside vendor
23:44 – Why leadership is not the same as technical skill
27:13 – How reactive leadership drains time & energy
30:00 – A simple daily question to improve emotional intelligence
31:41 – Where to access Amy's books and free tools
This episode is brought to you by our great friends at BILL!
They're hosting Bookkeeper Appreciation Week from March 30th to April 3rd—dedicated to recognizing the real work you do and giving you tools you can actually use to free up time for more strategic work.
Get ready for 5 days of practical resources delivered straight to your inbox, plus live, CPE-eligible webinars!
Register now at bill.com/successfulbookkeeper!
Don't miss it!

"The biggest one and the most impactful one is not making the time every week to work on the business. They get themselves into the rat race. They spend the money on these programs, and then they don't make the time to implement them. That's the biggest mistake that I see. Do the hard things 'cause we can all do hard things and it's okay if we screw up."
–Teresa Slack

In the final episode of this four-part series, co-founder of Financly Bookkeeping Solutions, Teresa Slack shares how her bookkeeping firm shifted from survival to stability by building the systems, pricing, and team structure needed to scale. She breaks down the decisions that increased profitability, supported growth, and turned the firm into a sellable asset, along with the real challenges of restructuring roles, working through setbacks, and preparing for a successful exit.

In this episode, you'll learn:
What made the firm scalable & no longer dependent on the owners
Why systems, profitability & cloud operations increased business value
What buyers actually looked for when acquiring the firm 


Click here to learn more about Teresa and email her at [email protected].
Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Pure Bookkeeping.

Subscribe to the Value Pricing Academy YouTube channel.

Join VIP list for free training from Mark Wickersham here. 

Get your free copy of How to Price Bookkeeping eBook (the tool she used to turn her business around).

Click here to join the VPA on Skool platform free training and support.

Time Stamps
01:43 – Realizing the business was no longer fragile
02:04 – Setting new goals for growth & team support
03:26 – Building benefits & a sustainable work environment
04:22 – Turning revenue goals into clear action plans
05:46 – Growth setbacks & unexpected challenges
07:15 – Restructuring roles into bookkeepers & client managers
09:33 – Why the transition was harder than expected
12:01 – Systems that finally made the new structure work
13:36 – How role clarity improved efficiency & client service
14:59 – Using outsourced bookkeeping to support scale
16:41 – When selling the business became a real option
18:16 – Choosing buyers who aligned with the firm's values
20:09 – What increased the firm's valuation
22:55 – Preparing financially before selling
25:19 – Why systems & owner independence matter to buyers
27:22 – Lessons learned after selling the firm
28:37 – The biggest mistakes Teresa sees firm owners make
30:02 – What's next for Teresa & how she supports other bookkeepers

Your expertise has more value than you think, so Own Your Authority at The Successful Bookkeeper Summit 2026!

It's a high-energy two-day virtual experience for bookkeepers ready to lead with confidence and elevate their impact.

Join inspiring leaders on November 4th–5th to gain actionable strategies, powerful tools, and the clarity to shape the work you want, not just keep up with it.

Don't miss this incredible opportunity!

REGISTER TODAY!

"You can have all the great checklists and all the great systems for quality bookkeeping and you can hire all the right people, but if you don't know how to price your services, you are going to fail. You will not be profitable."
–Teresa Slack

In part three of this four-part series, Teresa Slack, co-founder of Financly Bookkeeping Solutions, shares the phase where momentum finally began to build. After resetting the firm, she and her sister shifted their focus to working on the business, not just surviving inside it, and made real progress through uncomfortable pricing conversations, focused implementation time, and disciplined investment in systems and training.

In this episode, you'll learn:
Why systems alone are not enough without proper pricing
The difference between fixed pricing & true value pricing
How Teresa increased prices & discovered clients were willing to pay
To learn more about Teresa, click here  and email her at [email protected].
Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Pure Bookkeeping.

Subscribe to the Value Pricing Academy YouTube channel.

Join VIP list for free training from Mark Wickersham here. 

Get your free copy of How to Price Bookkeeping eBook (the tool she used to turn her business around).

Click here to join the VPA on Skool platform free training and support.

Time Stamps

00:54 – Entering the phase where momentum begins to build
02:29 – Why poor pricing guarantees failure, even with great systems
03:29 – Fixed pricing versus value pricing explained
04:22 – Presenting higher prices & hearing clients say yes
05:47 – Making large investments without feeling ready
06:40 – Closing Fridays to work on the business
08:17 – Turning training into real results through implementation
09:35 – Fixing pricing mistakes & rebuilding confidence
12:02 – Hiring experienced bookkeepers using structured systems
13:56 – Why skills alone are not enough without the right mindset
18:09 – Building a training process that sets staff up for success
20:16 – Repricing existing clients & facing the fear
22:09 – Increasing revenue by 45 percent in six weeks
23:27 – Losing the wrong clients & moving forward stronger
24:16 – What's coming in the final episode
Your expertise has more value than you think, so Own Your Authority at The Successful Bookkeeper Summit 2026!

It's a high-energy two-day virtual experience for bookkeepers ready to lead with confidence and elevate their impact.

Join inspiring leaders on November 4th–5th to gain actionable strategies, powerful tools, and the clarity to shape the work you want, not just keep up with it.

Don't miss this incredible opportunity!

REGISTER TODAY!

"We can do hard things even though you're afraid, even though you don't know if it's going to work. You have to try. You have to do different things and you will fail. And that's part of the growth. Part of the learning is to not be afraid to take that leap."
–Teresa Slack

In part two of this four-part series, Teresa Slack, co-founder of Financly Bookkeeping Solutions, shares the breaking point that forced her and her sister to reset their firm. With the business no longer working, they made hard calls that led to Financly 2.0, including letting staff go, rebuilding client trust, and investing money they didn't have into systems, coaching, and pricing education.

In this episode, you'll learn:
How poor hiring & hourly pay created bigger losses as the firm grew
The difference between fixed pricing & true value pricing
How investing in systems &coaching changed how they viewed their value
To learn more about Teresa, click here and email her at [email protected].
Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Pure Bookkeeping.

Subscribe to the Value Pricing Academy YouTube channel.

Join VIP list for free training from Mark Wickersham here. 

Get your free copy of How to Price Bookkeeping eBook (the tool she used to turn her business around).

Click this link to join the VPA on Skool platform free training and support.

Time Stamps
01:19 – Hitting the breaking point & questioning whether to continue
01:43 – Deciding to rebuild the firm from the ground up
02:23 – Investing in systems & support with no margin for error
02:44 – Letting staff go & repairing client relationships
03:56 – Realizing pricing was a major problem
04:52 – Discovering value pricing for the first time
05:13 – Rolling out fixed packages & why it made things worse
06:11 – Paying staff more than clients were paying the firm
06:57 – Committing to hard changes & doing things differently
07:40 – Investing in pricing education despite fear
08:14 – Learning to believe in the value of bookkeeping work
09:35 – Having pricing conversations without panic
11:18 – Why systems & hiring processes became the turning point
15:04 – What's coming next in part three
Your expertise has more value than you think, so Own Your Authority at The Successful Bookkeeper Summit 2026!

It's a high-energy two-day virtual experience for bookkeepers ready to lead with confidence and elevate their impact.

Join inspiring leaders on November 4th–5th to gain actionable strategies, powerful tools, and the clarity to shape the work you want, not just keep up with it.

Don't miss this incredible opportunity!

REGISTER TODAY!