Planting Seeds, Growing Clients

You didn’t start your bookkeeping practice to feel overwhelmed, overworked, and underpaid. But that’s the reality for too many bookkeepers trying to juggle it all—clients, deadlines, admin, marketing, and more—without a clear path forward.

In Episode 94 of The Strategic Bookkeeper Podcast, Jeannie Savage shares her most personal and powerful insights yet—sparked by one simple email from a fellow bookkeeper named Diane. That email opened the door to a no-fluff, strategic deep dive into what it really takes to build a bookkeeping practice that brings you income, time, purpose, and joy.

Whether you're two years in or two decades, this blog post walks you through:

• The reality of your first two years in practice

• Why pricing isn’t the problem

• How to move from local clients to national growth

• The three audience-building strategies you must master

• Action steps you can take today

Reflecting on the First Two Years: What Most Bookkeepers Miss

Starting out as a bookkeeper can feel both exhilarating and exhausting. Diane, like many others, built her client base locally through personal connections. That might sound familiar. You land a few clients. You’re charging hourly. You’re doing all the work. Revenue is growing—but profit? Not so much.

Jeannie shares how her own early years were shaped by postnatal depression, financial pressure, and the overwhelm of figuring it all out. “I was billing out hourly, and I thought I was doing great. But the truth was, profit wasn't following revenue. I was working harder, not smarter,” she says.

👉 Takeaway: The early hustle is not sustainable. You need strategy—specifically, a strategy for audience building, marketing, and pricing that aligns with the life and practice you want.

Why You Need to Build an Audience (Not Just Get Clients)

Jeannie breaks it down: “Audience building means finding people you can nurture to become clients.”

Forget spray-and-pray marketing. The five proven audience-building strategies are:

1. Existing network (database)

2. Structured business networking (e.g. BNI)

3. Partnership marketing (Evergreen Advocacy Partnerships or EAPs)

4. Paid ads

5. Summits

But here’s the catch: You only need three. And if you’re just starting out? Focus on the first one—your existing network.

👉 SEO Tip: Searching for how to get bookkeeping clients? Your existing contacts are your goldmine. Jeannie and her tribe prove that this strategy alone can build a six-figure practice—if done right.

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Diane’s Journey: A Case Study in Local Growth

Diane’s story is powerful because it mirrors so many bookkeepers'. Two years in, 90% of her clients are local. They came through word-of-mouth and community connections. She’s doing good work—but she’s ready for more.

Here’s what Jeannie recommends for Diane—and for you—if you’re in the same boat:

1. Don’t Stay Local. Go National.

The bookkeeping world is no longer limited by geography. Thanks to tech, you can—and should—serve clients across the country.

“It doesn’t matter if your client is in the Blue Mountains or Melbourne CBD. Location is irrelevant. Value is everything.”

2. Ditch the Price Mindset. Focus on Outcomes.

Diane asked if being in a regional area means she should lower her prices. Jeannie’s answer? A clear, firm no.

Clients don’t care about your location. They care about outcomes. And if you price too low, you’re not helping them—or yourself.

💡 Hot SEO term: How much should bookkeepers charge? Jeannie’s formula is simple: in Australia, for example, if you're not charging at least $100/hour in value, your business is not viable.

3. Turn Clients into Raving Fans

A happy client who sings your praises is better than any ad. But that won’t happen unless you deliver results-based service—and collect the proof.

Start with Google Business (formerly Google My Business). Get reviews. Lots of them.

“Write the review for your client. Ask if they’re happy, then make it easy. This is non-negotiable.”

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The Power of Strategic Systems

The next stage is about building credibility and systems that scale. That includes:

✅ A World-Class Website

Jeannie recommends Bizink for a reason—they build high-performance websites specifically for bookkeepers. And if you’re in Jeannie’s program, you get her proven templates built in.

✅ Results-Based Marketing

Potential clients will Google you. If they find nothing, they move on. If they find glowing reviews, compelling service offerings, and a clear product ladder? You win their trust—and their business.

✅ Productised Services

If you’re still billing hourly, you’re capping your growth. Productised services allow you to price based on value, not time, and scale without burnout.

👉 SEO Tip: Look for phrases like bookkeeping productisation, bookkeeper pricing model, or how to stop hourly billing as a bookkeeper. This content answers them all.

What Makes a Practice Thrive?

Jeannie calls it the “Small But Mighty” blueprint.

You don’t need 100 clients. You don’t need 10 staff. You need:

• The right clients

• At the right price

• With the right systems

• And the right mindset

When Diane implements Google Reviews, gets her Bizink site, and begins serving clients nationally, she’ll move from being local and limited to small, mighty, and thriving.

“Diane’s already planted the seeds. Now she needs to grow her forest.”

Ready to Go Next-Level?

Here are three free resources Jeannie recommends to take your next step:

1. The Bookkeeping Practice Blueprint – Understand the five pillars for audience building and long-term growth.

2. 7 Steps to a Thriving Practice – Discover the exact roadmap Jeannie used to build a time-rich, six-figure lifestyle business.

3. The Small But Mighty Blueprint – Learn how to grow big impact from a small footprint.

   
   

📩 Head to thestrategicbookkeeper.global to grab these and join the Strategic Bookkeeper Transformation Program.

Final Thoughts: What Diane Got Right (And You Can Too)

Diane did something many bookkeepers don’t: she asked for help. She reached out. She opened herself to coaching and feedback.

And in doing so, she received tailored, strategic advice that could change the entire trajectory of her practice.

“So many women don’t ask for help. Or if they do, they don’t accept it when it’s offered. Diane did both.”

If you’re reading this, ask yourself:

• Are you still stuck in local-only thinking?

• Are you undercharging out of fear?

• Are you relying on word-of-mouth instead of strategic marketing?

• Are you putting off building a proper website, reviews, or system?

Then now is the time to stop playing small.

Your Action Plan (Pin This!)

Here’s what you can do today to shift gears:

✅ Audit your audience-building efforts. Are you using your existing network, networking groups, and partnerships?

✅ Claim your Google Business listing and start collecting reviews—write them for your clients to approve.

✅ Get a professional website built for bookkeepers (hint: use Bizink).

✅ Stop thinking locally. Start positioning yourself as a premium provider in a national (or global) market.

✅ Join the Strategic Bookkeeper community for the support, systems, and strategy that changes everything.