The Missing Piece Part III: How Become a Bookkeeper Will Help You Defeat Imposter Syndrome
May 01, 2023
Welcome to the third and final piece of my mini-series, The Missing Piece! In this series, I’m going over what happens when you’re missing pieces of bookkeeping knowledge and experience, and how my program Become a Bookkeeper (BABs) helps fill in those gaps!
If you haven’t gone over the first two, I highly suggest going back and reading through those before this one.
The first missing piece we covered was the foundational knowledge and understanding of accounting, bookkeeping, and tax. Piece two is when you can’t actually see what it looks like when the work is being done. And today, we're going to talk about what happens when you don't have confidence that you can do the actual work that you've set out to do.
The Truth Behind Imposter Syndrome
When you haven’t had a chance to work on someone’s books yet, and you aren’t confident that you’ll know what to do, you can quickly fall prey to imposter syndrome.
We hear the words “imposter syndrome” a lot, and while I think that a lot of people do suffer from true imposter syndrome—meaning, the feeling that you don't know enough or you aren't qualified enough in spite of evidence to the contrary—but there is a difference between experiencing that feeling and it actually being true.
That’s the gut punch that some people don't give; sometimes, imposter syndrome isn’t a lie your anxiety is telling you. Sometimes you actually aren’t ready.
So what’s the best way to bust through imposter syndrome, whether it’s accurate or not? If you ask me, the best way to get rid of that doubt is to know all the way to your core that you are not an imposter, that you have what it takes to do the work. Here’s how Become a Bookkeeper help you get to that point…
The Apply Section
The third thing that you walk through in Become a Bookkeeper is a practicum. I call this section “Apply;” in the first phase, “Learn,” you learned everything you needed to know about bookkeeping, accounting, and tax; in the second phase, “Shadow,” you saw that work done by someone else; and now it’s your turn to test your knowledge!
Originally, I envisioned the course being completed after those first two sections. But once I wrapped it up, I realized that even though you have this amazing workbook to go along with what you're learning, at the end of completing the Shadow Section, I had to recognize how much I just walked you through. When you're doing something that you know how to do, it's simple in your head. But when you go to teach it, it’s important to realize that it’s a lot for others to absorb.
Therefore, at the end of the Shadow Section, I knew something was missing: the ability to apply what you’d just learned and finally test your knowledge.
How many of you have ever shadowed somebody in real life for a job?
The first thought that comes to mind is when you start in corporate. There’s an overwhelming amount of information that you're given, and when you’re listening it all makes sense, but then you sit down at your desk and all of the sudden you're like, “Wait, what do I do again?”
Now, after a little bit of practice and asking questions, it becomes second nature to you too. But you have to go through that in-between phase where you’ve seen how it's done, but you haven't done it yourself yet.
The amazing thing about Become a Bookkeeper is that I knew that the best way to learn is to do, but I understand that it can feel hard to find your first client and then experiment on them. It can even feel hard to get real data to play with, because you're asking somebody to let you into their bank accounts, which is a vulnerable place to be.
Plus, the closer you are to people, it can get even more vulnerable. If you’re doing bookkeeping for family members, you might feel like it's a big ask to get into their bank account and see how much money they're making, spending, and keeping. It can feel very personal.
That's a great way to learn, but a lot of people don't have that opportunity, which is where Become a Bookkeeper comes in.
Inside of Become a Bookkeeper, I give you very realistic mock data to work with. It’s actually real data—redacted and edited, of course, but it's real data. I created mock statements, because obviously when I was changing things, it changed the statements, but it all looks so real. You're getting CSV files, you're getting bank statements, and you are getting the ability to go into Xero.
Once you get into Xero, you get to go in, take that stuff, import it in, actually play within the platform, and create your reports. I walk you through what would have happened when you were introducing yourself to the client. I explain the things that you would have asked and answered, and you go through that practice of setting them up. You don't connect bank feeds, but you know how that's done in that piece.
You’re going to import history, and then you're going to actually go through a real-life example with source documents, then you are going to come up with your reports.
When you're done inside of the system, you submit your reports in a quiz format. You’ll answer quiz questions, and it automatically will send you my reports and you'll be able to look at your reports versus my reports to see where you got things right and where you might still need to work on a couple things.
Of course, if you end up stuck, you can go back into the materials that are in Become a Bookkeeper to track down those answers. You can also ask questions about the practicum if you need to, and I’ll answer you, but a lot of people are able to go through what's already available in Become a Bookkeeper and figure out the part they’re stuck on themselves.
Once they get through, they're able to compare their information to my information, and then an answer key unlocks. So if you did get something different, you'll be able to watch what I did versus what you just did and see where you went wrong. After that, you can delete the whole file and start over, or you can just say, “All right, I know what I did wrong. I got this one thing wrong, I missed this one piece, but now it makes sense.” And then you’re done!
What “Apply” Does For You
The Apply Section of Become a Bookkeeper gives your confidence an extreme boost, which means now when you're talking to potential clients, you're going to be excited to have conversations. You're not going to be as afraid of all of the questions they might ask. You won’t be afraid putting yourself out there.
Without the Become a Bookkeeper Practicum letting you know that you can do the work, you end up afraid of having those conversations. You end up afraid of putting yourself out there, because you're afraid you're going to be exposed as somebody that doesn't know what they're doing. Instead of taking on clients, you’ll refer them out instead of pulling up your big-girl pants and saying, “Yes, I can do this, and if I do have questions, I will find the answers.”
It’s so powerful to see what changes when we know that we can do the work.
After Become a Bookkeeper
After going through Become a Bookkeeper, you understand the foundational elements of accounting, bookkeeping, and tax. You’ve seen an experienced bookkeeper do the actual work, and you’ve gotten to do it yourself.
The best way to learn something is to do it. The best way to be prepared for trying your hand at doing it is to see it done first. And before you see it done, you need to see and understand the whole picture of what is being done. With Become a Bookkeeper, you get all of it in one!
The Apply Section of Become a Bookkeeper is one of the things that my students say is missing from other programs. They say it was the missing link to their confidence and the thing that really allowed them to expand and start seeking out clients, and I’m so glad I added it on.
This concludes my three-part series, The Missing Piece! If you’re interested in Become a Bookkeeper, good news—you can scroll right on down and find the link to sign up right now. Let’s get you ready to do the work!
EPISODE RESOURCES:
If you're looking for more tips for bookkeeping, insight on how to become a bookkeeper, and how to say hello to a more confident business model, enroll in Become A Bookkeeper (BABs).
To learn about the programs and get a peek behind the curtain, head to www.katieferro.com/6-secrets.
Learn how to take your bookkeeping skills and turn them into a business that allows you to replace (or surpass) your corporate salary, be present for your life, and profoundly impact your clients without selling your life in the process by joining Life by the Books (LIBBY).
If you have enjoyed this post, head on over to Instagram, share your IG stories, and tag me: @orderlyaccountingbykatie
CONNECT WITH KATIE:
Website: https://www.katieferro.com/
