We're taking Q4 off from recording new episodes! So, let's unpack what planning + taking this (or any) break actually looks like: Where would one of us, Anna as a CEO and Jill as a COO, even start with planning our out-of-office time? TIP: What do you know that no one else knows? What does it look like to trust our team while one (or the both) of u…

How can you create a culture where people do their work, do it well, and do it on time? In this episode, we dive into setting high expectations! High expectations go beyond just telling people what to do; they create a culture of accountability, excellence, and purpose. As a firm owner, you set the tone for your team; what you permit, you promote. …

"Either we're both thrilled to work together or we shouldn't." We believe that sales is designed to establish long-term partnerships rather than just making the sale. It's about partnership over promises. Let’s be real - overpromising only leads to trouble down the line. It’s crucial to be clear about what you can deliver and, just as importantly, …

The goal of sales is not simply to get to the "yes." The goal of sales is to get to the right "yes." Finding and keeping the right fit clients is a game-changer for any company. It means that you get to streamline your processes, because you're only working within your specialty, your clients are well-served, and your team gets to work in their swe…

Listen to the last 15 minutes of this episode to hear about an exciting project we've been working on! Learn more HERE The tools that helped you build your company at the beginning aren't the skills you'll continue needing as you grow and scale. There is a learning curve when you move away from startup mode into a more sophisticated form of leaders…

It's not enough to aim at having a satisfied customer; what you should be aiming at is a customer who is so overwhelmed by the service they've received that they have to tell everyone about it. Our conversation continues around this idea, which comes from Ken Blanchard's book Raving Fans. Prioritizing creating a great client experience is a long ga…

It's not enough to aim at having a satisfied customer; what you should be aiming at is a customer who is so overwhelmed by the service they've received that they have to tell everyone about it. For us, that's been a key element to our growth through referrals from both client & referral partners. This idea comes from Ken Blanchard's book Raving Fan…

Anna and Jill continue their conversation around networking, referrals and doing business in a way that builds trust. Giving and receiving referrals is a huge part of a service-based business. But knowing how to do this isn't necessarily intuitive. Building a referral network is all about relationships, so how you establish interest, build rapport …

We genuinely believe that the way you show up in one thing is typically how you show up in most things. This is also what people assume when you run a referral-based business. When it comes to business, your professional reputation matters. This is even more relevant when you're networking with other business owners and leaders. Where you network a…

Anna and Jill continue their discussion on Patrick Lencioni's The Ideal Team Player. Humility can look different than we think. Being confident AND knowing there is more to learn is our definition of true humility. It's easy to spot a superiority complex, but harder to see the other end of that spectrum. Being self-deprecating looks like humility, …

What does it look like to be an Ideal Team Player? We all bring different strengths and skills to an organization, but how can you build a team that works in alignment AND complements each other? Patrick Lencioni at The Table Group built a tool that helps you evaluate where you fall on the Venn diagram of Humble + Hungry + Smart. We define "humilit…

It's so easy to silo information or for you or your team to intentionally or unintentionally gatekeep information about systems, tools, or even clients. So how do you democratize information, so you've got access to the things your team knows, even and especially when they're on vacation or no longer work with your company? Sharing information acro…

Most companies know it's good to do training and development. But how can you actually build a culture around continuous growth, where your team is empowered to upskill? You have to understand and believe in the actual benefits before you decide to integrate training & development into your organization. It won't appear to affect your bottom line i…

It's so easy to assume that we must solve the problems that come up in business. Whether it's because you are a technician turned business owner and actually are the most expert person on your team or because you've trained your team to come to you with problems, at a certain point, you being the sole problem-solver becomes unsustainable. It's much…

Effective client relationships always start with effective communication. From the way we approach sales to how we're going to work together ongoing all the way to ending services, working with clients should feel collaborative. And for it to be a true partnership, we need to be on the same team! That starts in the sales process - we should be look…

Whether it's saying "yes" to more than we should or shifting our priorities to make something "work," it's so easy to act in a way that makes other people like us. But when we don't have a clear North Star, we prioritize making the person in front of us happy, and usually end up letting others and ourselves down. Michael Scott from The Office is th…

When we get to the point where we're overworked, becoming too essential or handling too many problems, it's really appealing to throw a person at the work or at the problem. But how often does that actually work? So, if delegation through abdication doesn't work, it can feel like the alternative is that you must do everything yourself in order for …

January, and busy season in general, can make us feel like we just need to survive. We know it will always be more, but what if it was possible to set ourselves up well for a full, but truly sustainable busy season? When busy season feels like it's happening to us, we like to focus on what we can actually do to make it work. From pacing the work to…

We're looking back on this year and looking ahead to next year. Listen in as Jill and Anna talk about this year, what they've learned and what they're looking forward to in the year to come! Podcast Sponsors + Advertisers: Accrew Follow the Going to Be Good Podcast on Social Media: twitter.com/goinggoodpod/ linkedin.com/company/goinggoodpodcast/ fa…

The goal of time off is to rest, find balance, and "sharpen the saw," so we return to our work refreshed. How can you encourage employees to take time, model taking time off yourself, and build a culture around time off well, so there is no felt change in services, regardless of who's on the beach sipping mai tais! We start by identifying what is t…

Do you answer the same question over and over again? Where does your team go for answers? And how can you make that functional when you're in the midst of busy season? Answering questions in a way that encourages people to continue asking questions is hard work! It takes time, effort and energy to practice patience at work, especially when you're t…

Making our busy season easier is a top priority at Accrew! It comes every single year, and yet, we are constantly surprised by the intensity of busy season! There will always be more to do - more questions, more back and forth with clients and CPAs, etc. How can we prepare not just ourselves, but our team and our clients, for busy season? And can w…

A zero-sum game is the idea that one person's gain is equivalent to another's loss. But is that how it is? Or how it has to be? One of our core values is "Be excited to learn and generous with your knowledge," so sharing what we know is built into the way we work. But can you engage with people typically perceived as "competitors" - other bookkeepe…

Clients tend to work with people they like first, then think they can trust, and lastly, people they think are competent. For a client, they tend to start with "Do I like them?" That then progresses to "Do I think I can trust them?" and then, last, "Do I think they're competent?" So why do we focus so much on sounding smart rather than being an app…

Emotions aren't actions. But they are really good "dashboard lights" that can show us a lot about what's happening under the surface. Experiencing negative and positive feelings at work is inevitable, but it's how we respond that really matters. Engaging emotions with curiosity, focusing on responding rather than reacting, and showing up as the peo…

What do you do when the company you lead starts to feel like a job you might actually hate? The bad news is that no one can answer that for you. The good news is that it just requires that you start! As a business owner, all options are options. The question is "What do you want your company, and your life, to look like?" Shifting focus from the op…

It's easy to conflate the work you're "good at" with the work you should be doing. And it's so hard to prioritize the work that you may actually enjoy, because it doesn't feel like "real work." As leaders, we spend so much of our time doing things that feel productive, but is it the most important and essential work that you can do? And can the wor…

When your company gets to a certain size, you start to feel like you can't grow without hiring or promoting more managers. But great managers are hard to find! And finding one who is also an expert in their field is even harder; it's like trying to find a unicorn. So we've decided to solve this problem in a completely different way. Your true value…

It's too easy to get into the weeds of running a business and never really pop your head up to see the bigger picture. We're firm believers that taking a step back and looking at things from a different "elevation" can take you and your firm to the next level! ...no pun intended. Taking time to be in the same space, connect personally, look ahead t…

Mistakes are inevitable. How you handle them is what really matters. When you catch an error, do you already know how you're going to handle it? Do you have a system for owning mistakes or will you lean on your default to guide your response? Over-apologizing, justifying, or shifting blame is easy, but not that effective. But how do you avoid these…

Success in sales is when a good-fit client says "Yes" to you and your company. Sustainable success is getting your clients to continue saying "Yes," over and over again, but, how do you do that? There are three things clients are looking for before they say "Yes" to you: 1.) Do they like you? 2.) Do they think they can trust you? 3.) Do they think …

In the Accounting Industry, we place a high priority on technical excellence and we pride ourselves on our level of competence. But when it comes to the pesky task of talking to other humans... we don't always approach it with the same level of effort. If you've had clients respond with a confused "what?" when you've asked them for something or giv…

Product Leadership vs. Operational Excellence vs. Customer Intimacy -- What is most important to you and your firm? Focusing on all of these elements of your business means you're focused on none. So, it's essential to identify your primary focus, so you can find the right clients, team members and balance within your firm. We've decided the our cl…

You don't set out to build an unhealthy, dysfunctional team - it kind of just happens, especially if you're not aware of and combatting the common pitfalls of managing people. It's hard enough to vet someone for the technical knowledge and skills, let alone that they've got the integrity, work ethic, and values to align with your company's mission …

Going from solopreneur to managing a team is an enormous undertaking and it most certainly requires some serious mindset shifts. Expanding your firm's reach by deciding to hire a team is the easy part. Actually bringing in humble, hungry and smart team members who make your company better is the key to not just growing your company, but sustainably…

It sometimes feels like accounting professionals must be resigned to one of two fates: we're either the hero who swoops in and saves the day or the villain who didn't make it happen. Listen in as Anna and Jill talk about how they see the clients' role, the accountants' role, and how Accrew navigates the grey area in between. Links to resources ment…

Extra in busy season is inevitable. Miserable is a choice. During busy season, if clients aren't responsive or don't send everything over to you early, it feels like you only have two options: you can either be the hero who swoops in and saves the day for your client OR you are the villain if you didn't finish everything, even though you didn't hav…

Do you think creating a mission and values for your business is a useless box to check? We did too... until we actually did it. Listen as Anna and Jill discuss why we created Accrew's Mission & Values, the process we went through to make them, and how we use them every day with our team and clients. Links mentioned in this episode Link to Another B…

Anna and Jill go deeper in their continued discussion of their roles of Visionary and the Integrator. They also discuss how they vet ideas and come to team based decisions at their firm. Links mentioned in this episode Link to Rocket Fuel Book Follow the Going to Be Good Podcast on Social Media twitter.com/goinggoodpod/ linkedin.com/company/goinggo…

Anna and Jill discuss the book Rocket Fuel's two main roles, the Visionary and the Integrator, how they each fit in those roles, and how these roles have helped them grow their firm. Links mentioned in this episode Link to Rocket Fuel Book Follow the Going to Be Good Podcast on Social Media twitter.com/goinggoodpod/ linkedin.com/company/goinggoodpo…

In this premier episode of the It's Going To Be Good podcast, Anna Ready and Jill Chun tell their entrepreneurial journeys, how they crossed paths, and why they decided to work together. They also discuss how Arrested Development influenced the name of the podcast. Follow the Going to Be Good Podcast on Social Media twitter.com/goinggoodpod/ linked…