You can be an incredibly talented, successful bookkeeper and not have the desire to become a business owner. Running a firm is not a journey everyone wants to take, and that’s totally okay! 

Bookkeeping and business owning require two very different skill sets, so don’t assume you HAVE to become a business owner to feel “successful” or “fulfilled.” Your journey is your own, and you should follow the path that’s best for you and your family’s needs.

This is a huge reason why I offer tools for everyone, whether they’re focused on freelancing or upping their game to becoming full-fledged firm founders. 

(Quick note: If you fall into the second camp and are looking to grow your firm and quickly scale your revenue, my Bookkeeper’s Business Incubator is opening its doors in early 2023 and you can join the waitlist now!)

So while honing your bookkeeping skills is one thing, becoming a successful business owner requires a few pretty big mindset shifts. 

Mindset shift #1: You need to find your courage

When starting your own firm, you’re stepping into the role of being a leader. You’re not just working with clients, you’re now responsible for the livelihood of other people – your team. 

This is a realization that took me a while to come to, but eventually, I embraced it. And when I did? Boy oh boy, did my team benefit from it. Under strong leadership, we were able to gel as a unit and offer a much better client experience.

Mindset shift #2: The idea of “natural born leaders” is BS

Being an organized, level-headed, compassionate leader is really important if you want to retain your people. Why? Because nobody wants to work for a you-know-what-hole (sorry, it’s the truth).

With that being said, there’s this term “natural born leader” that gets thrown around a lot. But I’m calling total BS on it. 

Sure, there may be people out there who are predisposed to be good leaders, but becoming a great leader requires a skill set nobody’s born with.

In 2021, my firm was financially healthy and making more money than it ever had before. But personally, I was directionless and felt like I was hitting a personal rock bottom. I didn’t know what the next step was, and the loneliness of entrepreneurship was really setting in. When you’re responsible for other people’s livelihoods, there’s a huge weight on your shoulders that other people don’t really relate to.

I decided to take a huge leap of faith and join a leadership course. Yeah, the five-figure price tag was scary. 😳 But the benefit I got out of it was PRICELESS.

I learned about planning, goal setting, HR, creative problem solving, you name it. It got me incredibly inspired and compelled to lead a program of my own for other businesswomen, specifically bookkeepers.

Mindset shift #3: You don’t have to reinvent the wheel

Remember the old Apple commercial, “There’s an app for that?” 

Sometimes business leaders, especially really organized and analytical ones like us, feel like they have to establish their own systems and processes from scratch. When in reality, someone else has already done the work for you.

Instead of trying to start from square one, spend your time learning how to look for the right resources instead. I PROMISE you, whatever solution you’re trying to solve, there’s a tool, platform, or entire system that exists to make your life easier. 

A huge example that comes to mind is the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) which originates from the book Traction by Gino Wickman.

He gives a very specific methodology for defining your values and mission, tracking the health of your business, and overall just getting things done. There are even trained EOS implementers you can hire to help overhaul your business and set up these sophisticated systems.

I will say, this isn’t for the faint of heart. While I wish I had implemented the EOS into my business sooner, I also believe in divine timing — it takes a certain level of maturity as a business owner to really embrace this solution. But once you do, holy cow does it work wonders.

Mindset shift #4: You must til your own soil to grow

I feel like this next mindset shift is something everyone experiences at least once in their life. I think of it as the “Great Shedding.” Like a garden, you must pluck the weeds out of the bed to give space for your flowers to flourish. 🌷

So over the years, I developed quite a few relationships that ended up draining my cup more than they filled it. To put it bluntly, I knew a lot of people who became dead-weight. They were takers, and they just needed out. This included professional and personal organizations/clubs too, I was giving them my time and it wasn’t producing joy or good results.

Pulling those “weeds” so to speak and tilling the soiling is what needed to happen in order for me to grow.

I’m speaking pretty frankly here, but don’t get me wrong. Some of this was really, really painful. If you’ve ever said goodbye to a long-lasting friendship, you’ll know the kind of heartbreak that happens as a result.

But at the end of the day, I kept coming back to one of my favorite sayings, “You only fly as high as the flock you’re with.” So keeping bad relationships around was truly dragging me down. It was unhealthy for me so I decided to make better choices. 

As a mentor, this is a HUGE reason why I’m so protective over my students. It’s a fundamental mission of mine to create a safe space for women to grow into successful bookkeepers and business owners.

You can only become the best version of yourself if you’re surrounded by people who see the best in you.

And once I released the “bad” from my life, I had SO.MUCH.MORE.ROOM. for the good! Like during the beginning of Covid, I joined a mom text chat with a group of 8 women who I love dearly — but otherwise would have never gotten to know! Change is scary, but sticking with people who don’t want the best for you? Now that’s even scarier.

What are your dreams for 2023?

Wherever you are on your bookkeeper or business owner journey, I hope you found this helpful.

I mentioned it earlier, but if becoming a high-earning business owner is a goal of yours in 2023 and beyond, I HIGHLY recommend joining the waitlist for my Bookkeeper’s Business Incubator program! This is a rare opportunity to join a co-hort of founders-in-training who are ready to fast-track their way to becoming seven-figure business owners.

Cheers to you 🥂,

Justine

P.S. No for real, I don’t often open the doors to join the Incubator. Join the waitlist now so you’re the first to know when seats are available.