The Original BOB Squad: One Year Later
Feb 01, 2021
In this episode of Profits + Prosecco Podcast, I have the original five who started with me when we launched Booked Out Bookkeepers aka BOB! These five ladies trusted me and joined me for the amazing ride and here they are a year later sharing some tips and stories from the past year while in Booked Out Bookkeepers.
But before we dive right in, welcome to the Profits + Prosecco Podcast! I’m your host, Katie Ferro, CPA, reformed rule follower, creator of Booked Out Bookkeeper, mom to 3 little ones, and Kajabi enthusiast.
This podcast is for entrepreneurs who desire to change their life through their profitable business, and for bookkeepers and accountants who want to escape the 9-5 and start a simple scalable bookkeeping business like I did.
Bookkeeping increases profits and profits change lives. So pop some bubbles and let me show you how!
In this episode, the BOB squad is going to share the top tips we have assembled in the past year. And for even more juicy details, listen to ALL of episode 9 of the Profits + Prosecco Podcast on your fave streaming platform.
Investing in BOB and how they worked through it.
There is something very different about investing versus trying to do things on your own. When I was in the decision process of making big investments, I wasn't sure if I needed to do it because I thought I could do everything on my own. There are times where you have to admit that some things are not working and you have to force yourself to make the payback. When talking with Sheila, her biggest reason for investment was time but she had a lot of fear. It took a lot of thinking for her to actually put her money into BOB because she didn't know if it was right for her. The only way to know was for her to go in and just do it. She says she knew that if she didn't go through with the investment, she would 100% regret it. Moving onto Karen, she knew it was something she could put the money into and went straight for it. She already had a trusting feeling towards the investment and knew that it was going to help her somehow, someway. Karen knew that by investing in BOB, she was also investing in all the other women and their development.
For Dana, she was already involved in the coaching world but was waiting to hear what the price point was before taking that final step into BOB. She saw that it was worth it and it was perfect timing for her to join so she jumped right into the investment. Unlike others, Fernanda wasn’t scared of her investment. She watched me for a good six months, which helped her develop trust towards me. She had faith in herself and put a lot of trust in me to help her figure it out. Lastly, Arielle described that she came into this investment without an accountant background but once she signed her first client she knew that she was able to do it. The investment changed her mindset and truly helped her grow.
How the support of BOB helped them through challenges this year.
Fernanda’s main challenge in the past year was struggling to do a good job at her full-time job but also doing a good job in her bookkeeping business. She would be working her full-time job and wishing she could be posting and talking to people. That challenge taught her to let go of stuff and made her realize that she can't do everything all at once. For Sheila, she also had a difficult year managing everything but with BOB she knew that someone was there to give her the focus and accountability. It helped her do step A and B before jumping to step X and Y. Sometimes realizing you need to step back and pace yourself is so important. Things will start to click once you don't feel desperate to connect with other people. Sheila knew her time was limited and she struggled with that. Having the support of a program and other individuals in your industry is what’s going to get your leads to come in.
How social media is an external pressure in this program.
This program is definitely not a social media program. Everything starts to get bigger than you can imagine when you start delivering to your clients. Even when you just show up a little bit, people do see it more than you think. Just because they're not commenting, liking, or telling you doesn't mean that they're not seeing you. Karen made a good point and said that it's your referral network that is your entire life. Referrals don't just come straight from social media. For her, they have come from tax work and even just the community she lives in. You can get those referrals from anywhere and social media is not a big part of being a bookkeeper. You can play around a lot more, take bigger risks, and feel better in the process when you've built your bookkeeping business. Dana explains that she gets to deal with all the back end tech stuff so she doesn't even have to show up on social media. It’s important for her to cut back on time and set boundaries and realize that she doesn't just have to do something because the money is there.
You don't find the support of BOB anywhere else.
Bookkeeping is 100% in demand and that's never going to change. It’s going to stay in demand as long as there is business happening. If you're in the online space that’s a great place to be because online businesses are booming and you're just going to become stronger. Since people are shifting online, they're going to see you there, you're going to be able to ask questions, and you're going to be able to be a better "go-to" person who understands the industry. Once you get the ball rolling and you figure out the system of attracting clients, things will start happening a lot faster than you can handle. It'll go from you having to put out a lot of effort to filter out the responses you're getting because you won't be able to sign 15 clients in one month unless you start hiring very strategically.
What it takes to get booked out.
Everyone needs a support group going forward. You get to watch everybody and see what they're doing. This gives you something to always take with you. For Arielle, I was the first coach she actually talked to and she thought it was a bunch of BS. She now says it was the best money she's ever spent and has no problem recommending the people in this group because she believes in all of them. You get this amazing sense of support from the BOB program. Dana says that the most helpful thing from this group was the community aspect. Every single one of these women has a different story of how they got into bookkeeping. Regardless of where they started in bookkeeping, they all ended up in one place and built such a beautiful community where everyone supports and understands one another. This group overall helps you feel more confident because you feel so supported and understood.
When I started this program, I created it without any marketing strategy, but I was able to show up, serve, and deliver. I couldn't have done it without the support of these five women. They invested in me and did the work they had to. What I like to let everyone joining the program know is that you’re not just doing this for you and your clients, but you're also doing it for all the people that are in your position.
The Original BOB Squad: One Year Later: The Bottomline
I am so humbled and honored that The BOB Squad was able to come and share their journey behind bookkeeping. The support of BOB goes way beyond just bookkeeping and I hope this episode encourages you all to start your bookkeeping process and use all these points to book out and serve your clients.
Don’t forget to tune into episode 9 of the Profits + Prosecco Podcast. Thank you so much for listening to Profits + Prosecco Podcast. I hope this episode has helped you see what this program is capable of. If you enjoyed the episode, please take a second to rate and review. Each review helps us reach and inspire more entrepreneurs and bookkeepers just like you.
Don’t forget to take a screenshot, share it in your Instagram stories, and tag me at @orderlyaccountingbykatie. Cheers to your inevitable success and I’ll see you in the next episode!
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