The Empowered Bookkeeper

"Empower" is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot, but what does it really mean, particularly in the context of your bookkeeping business journey?

What does it mean to be an empowered bookkeeper?

I have no doubt that you have already successfully navigated a bunch of trials, tribulations, and ups and downs of business.

But to be truly empowered means to go beyond weathering the storms to harness the power within and create a thriving and fulfilling bookkeeping business.

In this blog, I talk about 5 important things to help you to unlock your potential and become an empowered bookkeeping business owner

Embrace Your Expertise and Experience

Bookkeepers bring such a huge amount of expertise and experience to the table and empowerment starts with recognising and embracing your unique strengths.

Take a moment to think about all the knowledge and experience that you've gained over the years in your various professional - and personal (parenthood??) - roles, the skills you've learnt from them, and the value of that to your clients.

By acknowledging and celebrating these strengths you build a strong foundation for a confident and empowered business journey.

Cultivate a Growth Mindset

Having a growth mindset is having the belief that your abilities and knowledge can be developed and expanded. This mindset is critical to doing anything hard (like building a business).

The most successful people I know have learning as one of their top values. They are eternally curious and adopt an attitude of lifelong learning and continuous improvement.

In the accounting and bookkeeping industry this typically manifests as staying on top of innovative technology advances as well as industry trends and developments.

Our industry has seen enormous change in the past 20 years and there's always something new to learn. By cultivating a growth mindset, you unlock enormous potential for ongoing success.

Own Your Value and Your Worth

Not owing our value is often where we go astray as bookkeepers. I've been there myself. But it's so important that we recognize our worth and our value and confidently price our services. This is essential for sustainable business success.

Often, our value comes from hard-won on-the-job experience which is invaluable. You have a particular set of skills, knowledge and experience and you deserve to be fairly compensated for that.

Think about the impact that you have on your clients' businesses and the value you bring to their finances with up-to-date and accurate financial information.

What impact does having you as part of their business have on your clients? More time? Less stress? More confidence in the numbers so they can make better business decisions? More profit?

The list goes on and on. 

Build Resilience

Running a bookkeeping business can come with its fair share of challenges, let's be honest. Becoming an empowered bookkeeper lies in building resilience and developing strategies to overcome the inevitable obstacles along the way.

If you haven't already, I highly recommend reading The Resilience Project by Hugh Van Cuylenberg.  The gist of the book is that resilience is something we can develop, particularly through gratitude, empathy and mindfulness. 

Cultivate a problem-solving mindset, seek support and guidance when needed, and view setbacks as opportunities for growth and learning.

By developing resilience, you strengthen your ability to navigate challenges and emerge stronger on the other side.

Collaboration over Competition

The bookkeeping community is one of the most collaborative industries I've ever been a part of. Get rid of any notion of competition. You are far better to adopt a collaborative approach. 

Far from going it alone, being empowered is about fostering relationships and seeking support from fellow bookkeepers, mentors, and industry networks.

Surround yourself with a supportive community that understands the unique challenges of running a bookkeeping business and you'll discover a lifeline for when things get tough as they invariably do, insights and perspectives that you may not have considered, and plenty of growth and learning opportunities.

You Possess The Power

It's important that you not underestimate the power that you possess. Even if you don't feel that you do, we all have a well of untapped strength and inner power within us.

Now is the perfect time to unleash that power and step fully into your potential, to create a thriving and rewarding bookkeeping business that truly works for you.

PS: Interested in working with me as your bookkeeping business coach? Send me an email to start the conversation.