Why Subscribe to Tech Talks? A Conversation with BABs Alumni Lis Lee

babs for bookkeepers tech Jul 29, 2024

Today, I am thrilled to welcome Lis Lee to join me for a discussion about all things Tech Talks!

Lis is a former corporate accountant, former BABs student, and owner of her own bookkeeping business…but she still attends Tech Talks.

No matter how far along (or how early on!) you are in your bookkeeping business journey, questions will still come up…and without coworkers or a boss to turn to, it’s helpful to have a place you can go to ask your questions!

Meet Lis!

Katie: Before we talk about your bookkeeping business, Lis, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?

Lis: So, I grew up in a small family business. My dad’s dad started the business, my dad worked in the business, then he ended up taking it over. A

Watching him, I knew I didn’t want that. I wanted to go work for somebody else. I didn't want the stress of owning my own business.

So when I went to go to college, I just wanted to find something that would challenge me and would give me good prospects for after school. I ended up in accounting, and I actually really enjoyed it. I went on to work for the Big Four right away after that in auditing…but I got burned out there pretty quickly, because it was during max billable hours time, just after the recession of 2009.

After I left there, I went to work for various places, but I eventually left to be with my family more. That was when I started to toy with the idea of starting my own thing. One thing led to another, and I ended up discovering bookkeeping and starting my bookkeeping business!

The Challenges of Starting a Bookkeeping Business

Katie: What would you say were some of your bigger challenges when you were starting out in your bookkeeping business?

Lis: Honestly? I had difficulty with a lot of silly things, like spending so much time on like my website. I feel like I wasted a lot of time on things that didn't really matter, and had I found you and the things you offer sooner, I probably could have used my time more wisely.

There are some things you just have to learn when you start your own bookkeeping business, but I really believe that if people could find you earlier, they would be served so well.

I struggled so much with systematizing things, setting up things on the backend, and all these things that you basically give people a template for. It would have been so much faster if I had something like Tech Talks in the beginning.

Tech Talks

Katie: So, you’ve been in BABs, and you also attend Tech Talks. Can you talk a bit about how Tech Talks have helped you?

Lis: So, I actually discovered you first through your Babies and Bookkeeping workshop.

I was literally in the bed with the baby trying to get her to sleep while I was listening to it, and I related to it so much. And at the time, I didn't have a lot of other people around me that I could look to; not that it's not a comparison game, but I didn’t have anyone I could learn from who was in my situation. I had no examples to look to.

So I really resonated with your story, and I came into your realm through that. And I think Tech Talks in particular really fit in for me because when you have something that you need to solve, or you need to collaborate with somebody else in your industry, you can’t do that when you’re running your own business.

I didn't have anyone around me in the same situation. I didn’t have a firm anymore, so I couldn’t just go down the hallway and ask a coworker what they thought about something. And as much as I burned out on the corporate life, I did miss that aspect of it.

So when I saw that you were offering Tech Talks, I was like, “This is what I've been wanting.” And I needed it even more as a mom, because now when I have a question about something, I don't have the time to figure it out all by myself. I need to be able to check in with someone else and get an answer quickly.

Tech Talks has saved me hours. They have saved me stress. They came at the perfect time in my life and business; I was in the exact stage where I needed to have those tools. And they’ve been an invaluable resource, especially for saving me from having to second-guess myself at every turn.

What are Tech Talks?

Katie: In case readers are not familiar, I have BABs, which is my course on how to do bookkeeping. I have LIBBY, which is my program on how to turn your bookkeeping skills into a business. But even with that well-rounded education, there are always going to be weird things that come up.

In order to address these things, Tech Talks were born. They’re ninety-minute calls we have once a month. When you subscribe, you get access to a searchable database of over two hundred topics we’ve already covered, but we also cover new questions every month.

You can drop your questions throughout the month. If you can't come to the calls live, we record them in sections, and you can view a separate video for each topic that we covered by accessing the course library.

So by purchasing Tech Talks, you get access to all of the archived things, plus the ability to drop your questions and come live. You get tons of benefit, even if you can't come live…but if you can come live, it's even better.

Thank You, Lis!

Katie: Any final parting words you would like to share?

Lis: I have so many words for you, Katie, but I cannot fit them all in here. But I just want to say thank you, again. I'm so thankful for you and for these programs.

I feel like I'm here today because of your input. There are so many times I probably would have given up without you showing me the path forward through this new stage of life that I'm in.

You are changing people's lives for real, and I'm one of them. So thank you very much.

Katie: I love that feedback. It means a lot—I couldn't see your faces when I was creating it, but I knew who I was creating it for, and I’m so happy it’s doing what I hoped it would do.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Whether you’re simply bookkeeper-curious or have been running your business for some time, there are always questions that come up…and Tech Talks are the answer! Sign up here: https://www.katieferro.com/tech-talks

Want a peek behind the curtain into LIBBY, my program all about what it really takes to have a simple and scalable (and successful) bookkeeping business? Get access to my free, on-demand four-part series, 6 Secrets to a Simple, Scalable Bookkeeping Business: 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).

Need to boost your bookkeeping basics? Join BABs now: https://www.katieferro.com/become