I Love Bookkeeping

Want to know how you can make your hiring and firing process as seamless and frictionless as possible? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan break down the key components of hiring the right employees and letting go of unproductive team members professionally without the emotional blow-up. Hannah asks Melissa which is easier: hiring or firing an employee - Melissa points out that both are hard as they all come with their own set of challenges. Melissa reveals that she's always had trouble firing people and sometimes holds on to unproductive employees a little too long. Melissa explains why she believes the "slow to hire but quick to fire" mantra is super effective, especially when running virtual teams. Hannah explains the first step to hiring an employee is identifying the role and then reviewing the job description according to your need. Hannah and Melissa go through the process of crafting a clear and concise job description - as well as a smart way to attract top-shelf candidates. Melissa describes

Not sure about the exact steps you need to follow when scaling your business? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan go through the key steps to scaling a business and how you can develop a process that ensures lasting and profitable results. Hannah explains why she believes the first step to scaling a business is realizing it’s time to scale, then committing to scaling effectively. Melissa lists the steps she went through during the initial stages of scaling her business. Melissa goes through the primary reasons most bookkeepers struggle when it comes to scaling their business. Hannah describes why it’s extremely important to perfect your product or service before deciding to scale. Melissa agrees and adds that maintaining the quality of your product or service leads to successful scaling. Hannah shares her thoughts on the benefits of having regular internal check-ins even when you’re not scaling. Melissa points out that you must understand your capacity to maintain a scaling business before making any

When should you make the transition from growing to scaling a business? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan talk to Serena Shoup from Of Course Bookkeeping - they discuss how bookkeepers can transition from growing to scaling a business, eliminate the growing pains, and maximize their chances of getting it right. Serena Shoup is the Host of the Ambitious Bookkeeper Podcasts and the Owner of Of Course Bookkeeping. She's on a mission to mentor bookkeepers and accountants so they can leave behind the stress of working their 9 to 5. Hannah asks Serena why she decided to start a business midway through a successful corporate career. Hannah asks Serena about the time it took growing the business before she felt it was eventually time to scale. Her response is scaling takes time, but there needs to be a good reason for it. Serena explains that following a path of careful, calculated growth is smarter than scaling a business you already can't handle. Melissa is intrigued by Serena's work-life balance and how

Is there a difference between growing and scaling a business? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan expand on this introductory episode to their scaling your business series and talk about the difference between growing and scaling a business. Hannah explains the difference between growing and scaling a business - and why business owners need to learn how to differentiate the two. Hannah asks Melissa the first action steps she took when scaling her business. Hannah and Melissa go through the key signs that confirm it’s time to scale your business - they also acknowledge that it’s okay for some business owners not to want to scale their businesses. Melissa breaks down the first measure business owners should implement when scaling their business - she also explains why reverse engineering your goals makes them easier to archive. Melissa reveals strategies business owners can use to cope with the growing pains of scaling a business. Melissa explains why getting rid of employees and clients who no longer s

Do you want to scale your business? How big do you want to be, and how quickly can you get there? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan share insights into the most important aspects of scaling a business and how to dodge the vulnerabilities that arise from super-fast growth. Hannah asks Melissa about the exact moment she decided it was time to scale her business. Hannah explains why she believes the first step to scaling a business is bridging the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Melissa illustrates how having a consistent business process is all you need to achieve consistent results. Hannah and Melissa go through the benefits of consistently showing up in your business, even when you don't feel like it. Melissa explains why sometimes it's okay to just "wing it" in your business and figure things out as you grow. Hannah describes why she feels having a well-defined business process makes it easier to identify the cogs in your systems that need changing or updating. For Melissa, lear

Scared to niche down? Wondering what to do with the clients outside your niche once you niche down? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan talk to Brandy Derrick from Legal Ease Bookkeeping - they discuss the benefits of having a niche, what to do with clients outside your niche, and the only time it makes sense to fire a troublesome client. Brandy Derrick is the owner of Legal Ease Bookkeeping - she helps attorneys grow their law practices by making financial statements easy to understand while teaching accounting professionals the ins and outs of legal bookkeeping. Brandy shares her journey into bookkeeping and what she learned running books for her father’s multiple businesses. Melissa asks Brandy about the benefits of running a virtual bookkeeping business - and what it’s like to serve clients in 27 states. Brandy describes the moment she decided to niche down and what she did to gather information about attorneys and businesses in her niche. Hannah asks Brandy what it’s like working with people who

Do you really need a niche to grow your business? If so, how deep should you go? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan talk to Brooke Swan from Clarity Bookkeeping - they discuss the process of finding a niche, how long it takes to build a strong brand within your niche, and break down a simple strategy you can use to generate more business referrals. Brooke Swan is the Owner and CEO of Clarity Bookkeeping and Consulting - she has helped hundreds of business owners reach their goals and even enjoy accounting. Hannah asks Brooke what made her want to niche down and why she settled on service-based businesses. Brooke describes how her business has evolved since the last time she was interviewed on ILB. Hannah asks Brooke how much time it took to completely niche down in her business. Based on her experience finding and working in one specific niche, Brooke believes building your business around a niche almost always guarantees business growth. Brooke explains the challenges of adding new services to your

Niching down in your bookkeeping business is important. But how do you go about finding and growing a niche? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan interview Tyler Otto from Speciality Bookkeepers – they define what a business niche is, why you need to build your business around one, and how to find a niche that’s perfect for your brand.  Tyler Otto and his wife are the owners of Specialty Bookkeepers, a firm that specializes in serving medium to large hospitality-based businesses. His company leverages technology to simplify clients’ financial processes and drive profit. Tyler shares his origin story on how he transitioned from a corporate finance job into running a bookkeeping business. Hannah asks Tyler why he decided to focus his business on a particular niche and why he chose the hospitality industry. Melissa strongly believes the more successful bookkeeping businesses focus on one specific niche - Tyler is quick to agree and explains the drawbacks of running a business that serves all types of clie

How important is originality in your bookkeeping business? Are you constantly looking for unique ways to innovate and develop new ideas within your niche? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan discuss how bookkeepers can build authenticity and originality in their niche and develop new, creative ways to serve their clients and create content.  Hannah explains how the foundations of originality in business are built on consistently trying new things, and on being okay with things not working out sometimes. Melissa talks about authenticity within your niche and how creating authentic content drives audience engagement. Hannah asks Melissa how she effortlessly manages to stay original in her business. Her answer is she focuses on being as authentic as possible. Melissa describes the benefits of coming up with original ways to serve clients as a small business owner. She also shares how you can build originality & uniqueness in your branded elements. Hannah and Melissa agree that taking risks when creat

Would you like to get the most out of your next trade show and walk away full of leads, prospects, and new connections? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan discuss how bookkeepers can get the most out of trade shows, maximize their presence at exhibitions, and ensure they achieve a positive ROI. Hannah and Melissa talk about how intimidating it can be to run an exhibit at a trade show, especially if you’re an introvert. Melissa explains the difference between selling a product and selling services at a trade show. Hannah describes easy ways to gain the most from a trade show even if you’re operating on a budget. Hannah and Melissa agree that you don’t have to exhibit at hundreds of trade shows to drive leads to your business - sometimes simply going to the right ones is more than enough. Melissa reveals simple strategies you can use to minimize costs and still stand out at a trade show. Hannah and Melissa go through display tips and ideas to help your exhibit stand out at a trade show. They also descr

Have you ever experienced an awkward or embarrassing interaction with a client? How did you handle it, and what did you do to salvage the situation? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan share their most embarrassing client situations and reveal how they remained super professional even though deep down they were ready to crawl into a hole. Hannah and Melissa agree that most people have experienced at least one awkward client interaction in their careers. Hannah describes how a verbally abusive co-worker embarrassed her in front of a full salon after making a minor hairdressing error. Hannah and Melissa believe that working for a mean boss is more than enough reason to get another job. Melissa talks about why it’s always a good idea to keep your cool after something embarrassing happens during client meetings. Melissa shares her most embarrassing client interaction. It’s both embarrassing and funny, yet she remained calm and professional, even though deep down she was mortified. Melissa explains why you

Can bookkeepers evolve their business, follow new trends, and still stay true to their business's core values? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan talk about how bookkeepers can authentically evolve their business by keeping a close watch on social media and capitalizing on trends that connect with their audience. Hannah explains how hard it is for business owners to keep up with ever-changing social media trends. Melissa asks Hannah what a trend is. Hannah breaks down the dictionary definition and adds what it means from a social media perspective. Hannah and Melissa discuss when and when not to ride a social media trend. Hannah shares the most important question you should ask yourself before deciding to follow a trend on social media. Melissa asks Hannah if a content creator can ride a social media trend and still be authentic. Hannah believes it's possible, as long as you stay true to your company values. Hannah advises content creators to go after social media trends only if they align with their

Are you looking to start creating content for social media but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you have a hard time coming up with content ideas for your online brand? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan share their thoughts on how bookkeepers can consistently generate engaging social media content and authentically market their brand. Hannah and Melissa start by addressing the generational content gap - and how different age groups consume content. Hannah asks Melissa what she struggles with when creating content. Her answer is what most people also struggle with: ever-changing social media algorithms. Melissa reveals her content creation process involves creating as much content in advance and then scheduling it on a content calendar. Hannah clarifies that you should only consider outsourcing your content creation if you have the budget for it. Melissa talks about the benefits of professionalizing your content creation process. Hannah describes the difference between looking for inspiration and

What can bookkeepers do to stay on brand with their overall business image? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan discuss how bookkeepers can manage their business' identity, stay on brand, and become immune to the ever-changing social media trends. Melissa explains why she's very intentional about brand authenticity and maintaining a consistent business identity. Hannah and Melissa explain why consistency is the key to successful branding - they also go through tips you can use to stay immune to social media branding trends. Melissa shares why she believes the more successful businesses operate primarily in the best interest of the clients or the best interests of the team. Hannah talks about the benefits of having an accountability partner in business. Hannah explains the difference between changing and evolving your brand. Melissa reveals that she likes working with professional graphic designers because they effortlessly maintain consistent brand assets. Melissa talks about brand reputation - and ex

How important is it to have originality in your business? Is it even possible to be creative as a bookkeeper? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan discuss why originality is a bookkeeper’s greatest weapon and how creativity leads to business success. Hannah and Melissa start by describing their creative backgrounds and how being creative helps in building originality. Melissa reveals, for the first time, that she initially went to college for fashion design - This is the primary reason she has such an easy time coming up with creative ideas. Melissa explains how the less creative bookkeepers can build originality in their business by outsourcing or delegating tasks that demand creativity. Hannah breaks down the misconceptions around creativity and originality - she also goes through some easy-to-implement hacks bookkeepers can use to differentiate themselves from the competition. Melissa explains how analytical bookkeepers can turn their businesses into creativity hubs by experimenting with the brandin

What’s your go-to work snack? Is it healthy or you’re only worried about the energy boost and getting through the workday? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan talk about their go-to work snacks and how having healthy snacks throughout the day can decrease hunger and boost productivity. Hannah reveals her go-to work snack and why she can’t seem to get enough of it. Melissa explains why bookkeepers who are too busy to schedule lunch should always have snacks within reach. Melissa shares how back in the day, her work days were fuelled by caffeine - She’s on a healthier kick right now, so caffeine is off the table. Hannah talks about her love for Starbucks and how she always finds a reason to pop into one of their stores whenever she’s running errands. Hannah reveals that she’s actually a pretty good cook - she also shares a story of how she overcame her pretzel addiction in the thick of the pandemic when everything was closed. Hanna and Melissa dissect the pros and cons of treating yourself every once in

How can you have a hard conversation without the conversation turning into a frustrating battle of wills? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan discuss why people fear having difficult conversations and what you can do to ensure the conversation does not precipitate conflict, bad feelings, or further negative outcomes. Hannah explains how leaders can learn to manage difficult conversations even when there's the risk of a confrontation - she also explains why most people procrastinate on having uncomfortable conversations. Melissa reveals what she does to stay calm when having an uncomfortable conversation. When thinking about when to have hard conversations, Hannah encourages people to have them as soon as possible. Immediately, if possible. Melissa shares the benefits of preparing for a hard conversation ahead of time - she also reveals reasons why she's against having a script for the conversation. Hannah and Melissa agree that removing emotions from the equation is the best way to manage a difficult

How can bookkeepers and tax preparers build relationships that provide better customer support? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan share their thoughts on how bookkeepers and tax preparers can gain insight into each other's practices and improve client outcomes by building better working relationships. Melissa talks about why, as a bookkeeper, it's always a good idea to collaborate with tax preparers in your space. She also explains how a bookkeeper and a tax preparer working for the same client can make the client's life easier by collaborating. Melissa reveals how millennial or introverted bookkeepers can take the first step and reach out to the tax preparers in their space. Hannah and Melissa explain why you'll always be on the winning side if you constantly operate in your clients’ best interests. Hannah asks Melissa how she maintains her relationships with the tax preparers in her network. Hannah and Melissa discuss how bookkeepers and tax preparers can communicate their needs to each other with

How should you go about building relationships with clients? What are some things you can do to stand out from the competition and wow your customers? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan share their thoughts and examples of things business owners can do to build better relationships with their clients. This episode, which is part of the Building Relationships series, addresses what’s probably the most important topic: building relationships with clients. Hannah asks Melissa whether, when she first started working for the company she now owns, she really prioritized building relationships with clients. Melissa shares a story that shows the power of relationship-building. For Hannah, focusing on getting to know people and what they’re focusing on, and going the extra mile, was one of the best ways for her to the foundation of a good relationship with a client. Melissa admits that going the extra mile to get to know clients better isn’t something that comes naturally to her. Melissa asks Hannah where she

What are the benefits of being in a mastermind group? And how should you approach finding and joining one? Co-hosts Hannah Robinson and Melissa Honan discuss free and paid mastermind groups, the benefits of being a member of one, and share their experiences. Hannah talks about the fact that mastermind groups are a very popular topic among the Bookkeepers.com community and shares that she and Melissa actually met at an in-person mastermind. Melissa often doesn’t get many questions from those who don’t know her but does get plenty from people who attend mastermind events she’s part of. Hannah isn’t part of a mastermind group but she’s a member of a Facebook group. Melissa discloses that the Bookkeepers Elite mastermind group doesn’t exist anymore but some members have kept it alive through unofficial events. Hannah and Melissa see mastermind groups as a unique opportunity for different people to come together in a non-judgemental and friendly space. For Hannah, being open and the willingness to accept a differ