“Slow and steady wins the race” is one of the oldest adages in the book. 📚
But let’s get real here… as a new business owner, slow and steady doesn’t pay the bills. When you’re working long days to get new clients and grow your business, it feels a heck of a lot more like “fast and furious” is the way to go.
So what I’m about to say might not make sense at first, but bear with me.
In order to speed things up, you must first slow down.
That’s right, I have the AUDACITY to tell a hardworking bookkeeper like you to pump the brakes and PAUSE.
Why??
Because the advice I’m sharing now will keep you from spinning your wheels, pulling out your hair, and feeling all sorts of out of control as you grow your biz.
Get your house in order before it grows
One of the most impactful things you can do as a small business owner is pause 🦗🦗🦗
… and implement good systems that’ll set your business up for success. Not to mention having good systems means lower stress because things run smoothly!
There is truly no better time to do this than when you’re still new. Your client list is manageable, and you either have a small team or are looking to build one.
Think of your business as a snowball rolling down the mountain. ⛰️
The earlier you try to catch the snowball, the easier it’ll be. Wait until it gets bigger and bigger, faster and faster, and there’s no stopping it now, baby.
Same goes for your bookkeeping business! While it’s tempting to devote all your time to growing your client list and making more $$$ right now, this is also your chance to establish systems that’ll help you scale effectively later down the line.
Put off implementing systems until the “snowball” gets bigger, and you’ll have too many new team members, client questions, deadlines, phone calls, emails, work-emergencies-that-aren’t-really-emergencies to be able to pause and change course. (Okay take a quick breather, that list stressed me out just thinking about it!)
So while this is the hardest time in your bookkeeping business to slow down, it’s also the best time to do it.
Psst: If you don’t have the manpower at the moment to start documenting and establishing systems, this is a great task to delegate to a virtual assistant.
Why is it so important to establish strong systems?
Because they lead to:
👉 Strong team members
👉 Strong business
👉 Strong financials
👉 And maybe most valuable of all, happy clients.
Basically, you can’t scale your business (without losing your mind) if you don’t document your systems. While it may be possible to keep everything in your head or on a Post-it note for a few clients, what happens when your client list grows to 10, 15, 20+ businesses? And they allll have different needs, different due dates, different accounting workflows, etc.
Not to mention, when you’re ready to onboard new contractors or team members, they need to be able to access information quickly and easily—without bugging you 24/7.
Here’s how I learned about the importance of systems:
Every time we’d add somebody new to the team, we didn’t have a training program or a plan. I wanted them to know information without me having to tell them everything. It’s like I wanted them to be telepathic mind readers or something. Of course, this made for a bad experience for them and me.
I was so busy with client work that I was more focused on taking on new business than growing the backbone of the business itself, the systems. In hindsight, I may have had my priorities a little out of whack, and it actually took longer for me to scale because of it.
🔮 If I could do it again, I would take on less client work and focus more on the business itself.
How to implement systems into your bookkeeping business
Thankfully there are SO many ways of doing it nowadays. Use a fancy schmancy app like Notion or Trainual, or keep it simple with Google docs and create supplemental videos.
In Good Cents, we have the “The Knowledge Bank.” It includes vital info on every app or platform we use, and all the tips and tricks each employee should know. Everyone on our team is responsible for helping to keep The Knowledge Bank updated, and we even test new team members on it. Yup, our systems are so important to us that we made a quiz.
“But Justine, how exactly can I get my systems in good shape?” you ask.
I developed The Easy Bookkeeping System — a powerful learning tool that helps new bookkeepers run their businesses more efficiently. This system is the exact one we use to keep all of our clients’ documents completely and perfectly organized. Whether you have 2 clients or 20, it’s an absolute lifesaver for staying organized and scaling fast without losing your mind.
Check it out, and let me know what you think!
Talk soon,
Justine
P.S. Not sure you need it? The Easy Bookkeeping System is designed to help bookkeepers at any stage of their business get organized, whether they’re experiencing rapid growth or just starting out.
