I Took My Own Advice and FINALLY Hired a Bookkeeper...
Did you notice? Did you notice that the regular cadence of emails and blogs from TIENNE Consulting had stopped?
So where were we, you ask?
…we were underwater!
Personally, I was drowning as I ramped back up from maternity leave and onboarding new clients. I stopped running my business and it was running me. I did not make time for the daily work that goes into the business and was simply servicing my clients. I was surviving (barely)-- not thriving.
As a business owner and business consultant I hate admitting when I've messed up, when I failed in areas that I preach to my clients, and the specific areas of expertise I help my clients with.
But I finally took my own advice and hired a bookkeeper!
(I also re-engaged my virtual assistant after returning to work and taking on new clients. [more to come on virtual assistants!])
I know this may seem silly, but I kept telling myself… “I'll get the hang of this.”
“I can save money if I just do it myself”….(Check out my advice #3 in this blog)
I tell my clients all the time to “know their numbers”.
I tell my clients all the time you have to be in front of the revenue, to “be revenue first company”… ( Here’s that blog)
I tell my clients all the time “consistency is key”…. (You can see more of that advice on the blog about sales cycle pitfalls.)
I tell my clients all the time. I mean seriously I write blogs about this stuff! But I was not listening to my own advice.
Here’s the advice that I am giving myself right now:
SH$T HAPPENS. Get up, shake it off, and get moving again.
Circle back to your core values and the business basics.
Consistency is key. (See I said it again because it’s oh so true).
Outsource if needed. Don't keep telling yourself lies! Haha
Build a system that works for your business not someone else’s. This means I am adjusting when I work on certain projects, how I delegate (hello bookkeeper!!), and where I spend my energy.
Now, let’s make a hard left and Ill tell ya what I have my bookkeeper doing for me:
Financial Reporting. She will be creating the monthly Profit and Loss Statement and cash flow report. This will help me be that revenue focused company I was talking about and help me plan better for growth in my business.
Receivables and payables. The nitty gritty, as I like to call it. She will make sure invoices are sent out on time to clients and paid on time. She will also take care of my expense reports which saves me hours a month. And lastly she will reconcile bank statements.
Quickbooks. TIENNE Consulting uses @Quickbooks online so she will audit, automate and ensure everything is accurately set up as I am quite confident there are plenty of errors in there now that need correcting.
Taxes. 1099s and W2s Oh My! In addition to allocating quarterly taxes.
Credit Building. As a small business with big dreams we will need to establish good credit to scale our vision.
While I have hesitated to share this all with you, I actually feel really proud of myself for taking my own advice and doing the things I’ve been putting off, because it means I know what I share with my clients works. I know that there are a million ways to run a business, but there are standard best practices that I think every business owner should be implementing.
So now you know… I’m not perfect! HA! However, I am honest, I am growing alongside my clients, and I am only giving out advice that I would take myself.
Now, whatever it is that you’ve been putting off in your own business- go do it! This is your sign!
If you’ve been feeling like a train off its tracks or like the world around you is moving faster than you can keep up- there could be some simple tweaks (like hiring a bookkeeper) that will get you back in your zone of genius, out of overwhelm, and in a place where your business is ready to explode with new business.
Unsure how? Book your free call with us today and we will walk you through the TIENNE Consulting strategy!