Are you exhausted right now?

Most folks we know are, right?!

Together, we are all coming off a couple of tough years, and collaborating in an entirely (or mostly) virtual model requires us all to work differently. The old ways don't work as well anymore - we can't just pop our heads over the cubicle walls and ask co-workers “what’s up"?”. Instead, we have to peck things out in an email/Slack/Teams/WhatsApp… or schedule* a Zoom/call them to ask questions. It takes more work. And confusion can often reign supreme.

You are not being hired, you are engaging.

Lucky for you dear reader, this week my email is super quick. I have stuff on the go that I need to put my energy towards.

But I wanted to ship out a quick note reminding you that if you are a business owner, make sure you think like one. And make sure your communications and processes reflect it.

Accounting professionals are uniquely positioned to offer their clients business devastation insurance advice.

To mitigate the total loss of not just their livelihood but also to protect them personally.

I bet you thinking “wait, what isn’t that the role of insurance brokers?”

Yes, but… you should be a partner in this because insurance is based on business valuations and income. But by and large insurance brokers don’t follow up enough on the health of a business and owners almost always don’t take the consequences of misinformation seriously enough.

You are so not alone if you struggle with pricing your products and services!

Even the most seasoned of business owners wonder and worry if they are doing it right.

It’s a fine balance between leaving money on the table and pricing yourself too high on the work you really want.

And then buckle down to make it happen.

I am going through big changes in my business right now. And as I preach “Change is hard. Not changing will be harder.”

I have really nailed down what lifestyle I want. I think many of you may be navel-gazing right now as well. The last few years have got a lot of folks re-evaluating their lives and their work.

It will be harder to step in it, if you have a clear idea of who you are dealing with.

My Dad* is a bit of a rough & tumble guy. He wears Carhartt coveralls, a green polka-dot welder’s cap and is generally a little scruffy. Clean but definitely scruffy. He looks like your average working Joe and talks like one too. He loves a good convo about backhoes and tractors while sitting at a bar with buddies.

A blog about dogs and loyalty. We can learn a lot about it from our canine friends.

Take a few minutes to assess if you are creating sustainable client loyalty.

Work through what you are doing well and craft up ways to improve where you are falling down.

My corporate and personal tax experience is a calm and, dare I say, enjoyable (almost) one.

My tax dude, Mike, sends a Typeform , I fill in only new/changed info.

Then he sends a Karbon checklist, which auto-nags me to get my shit into him - including warnings of the consequences of missing his deadlines.

Next up is an Ignition engagement with the option to pay for and schedule a tax planning meeting - right, this is extra and I have to commit to it with my wallet.

He uses RightSignature for me to sign off on my tax returns.

All of it is automagical!

It’s interesting times for clear directions.

I’m going to preface this discussion with I wouldn’t want to be making Covid decisions for the masses & imparting them. I have the utmost empathy and admiration for anyone trying to keep us safe from our silly selves. And I am more than happy to follow whatever directives I can figure out - I’ll do my part willingly.

Zapier is one of the most versatile apps, and their blog is one of my “must follows.”

Building authentic customer testimonials is a key driver for increasing your business.

But it is no small feat. This article from Zapier is solid advice that you can action smoothly and quickly.

Enjoy!

Bookkeeper’s and accountants are at the forefront of advising SMBs. We are already trusted.

My husband, Jeff Parks, is a fly fishing guide for Calmwaters Fly Fishing and he has a client that he guides regularly. He has many actually, but this one has a particularly important, stressful job (he saves lives – literally) and fishing is his outlet.