As I write this blog, we’re not far from opening the doors to the program again. This makes it the perfect time to share insights that can help you decide whether joining is the right move for you.
In this read, I’ll dive into topics that will benefit you whether you join or not. Specifically, I’ll discuss the Bookkeeping Blueprint and the time and money you need to invest in building and scaling your practice. This is about creating a bookkeeping business that gives you the lifestyle you want.
Recently, during a mastermind session with members of my starter membership, a bookkeeper asked me some great questions. Before I answered, I asked if she planned to join my signature program. This wasn’t to pressure her but because my advice needed to differ depending on her plans.
In my book, I explain this distinction. My program is both done-for-you and done-with-you. If you’re joining, I know you’ll have access to assets, strategies, and support that allow you to implement effectively. For example, if we’re discussing how to find and onboard new clients, I know you’ll get tools like our Million Dollar Storybook brochure, done-for-you social media, and a website guaranteed to work for you. My guidance for a program member will reflect that.
On the other hand, if someone has no intention of joining, I provide advice that works without those resources. The point is, the direction I give depends on whether you’re tapping into the program’s support or not.
During this conversation, the bookkeeper shared why she wasn’t planning to join—at least not yet. First, it was about cost. She was struggling to find the money. Second, she had participated in a coaching program before that didn’t live up to her expectations, leaving her wary of investing again.
This hesitation, this “once bitten, twice shy” mentality, is something I see often. It’s natural to carry baggage from past experiences into new ones, even though it’s as relevant to business relationships as it is to personal ones.
I told her what I’ll tell you now: it will cost you significantly more time and money to go it alone than to join my program. Having been a bookkeeper in practice for 14 years and writing a book that shares my secrets, I’ve seen both sides of the equation. I also know the effort, time, and financial investment it takes to build everything from scratch versus leveraging what we provide in the program.
I often talk about the Small but Mighty Blueprint. It might surprise you to hear that the type of bookkeeping practice I’m passionate about helping you build doesn’t necessarily involve a large team. If your dream is to scale up with 20 staff members, we can explore that together by looking at your revenue, gross profit, net profit, and time wealth goals. But here’s what I’ve found: you can build a highly profitable practice with fewer than five staff, including yourself, and still enjoy a multi-six-figure income with ample time wealth. Time wealth is about having the freedom to do what you want when you want—a life designed on your terms.
However, building such a practice is very different from being self-employed. Being self-employed is closer to having a job. It doesn’t offer scalability or time wealth because it keeps you in a cycle of trading time for money.
Running a successful bookkeeping business is about solving problems—not just with your time but with a combination of expertise, skills, intellectual property, and resources. This is the shift in mindset you need as an entrepreneur running a bookkeeping practice. It’s about stepping out of the “time for money” model and seeing the broader value you bring to the table.
To achieve this, you need to embrace a business mindset. Michael Gerber explains this beautifully in his book The E-Myth. He points out that the skills needed to run a successful business are vastly different from those required to excel at the technical aspects of a job. Whether you’re a bookkeeper, a plumber, or an electrician, being great at your craft doesn’t automatically translate into business success.
This is why many businesses either close within the first five years or limp along, earning less than their owners could make in a well-paying job. Gerber emphasizes the importance of systems, and while I agree, many bookkeepers misinterpret this to mean standard operating procedures (SOPs) for doing the work. While SOPs are essential, they’re only part of the picture. What you really need is a complete ecosystem of systems and processes—front-end and back-end.
The front end includes brand marketing and sales strategies, while the back end covers business administration and delivery. Interestingly, the back-end processes are easier to nail down because they’re relatively linear and don’t change as often. By contrast, front-end systems need to adapt constantly to evolving technology, economics, and consumer behavior. This is where many bookkeepers struggle, but it’s also where the greatest opportunities lie.
So, what’s involved in building out all the systems, processes, strategies, and assets you need?
The time and money you need to invest will depend on whether you’re leveraging the right resources or trying to figure it all out yourself. If you’ve got the Bookkeeping Practice Blueprint—and I know most of you do unless you’re brand new here—you’ll see everything laid out. You should have it printed, maybe even laminated, and keep multiple copies handy. This Blueprint, developed by me, is essentially a business blueprint as well. It outlines everything you need to do and invest in to succeed.
If you attempt to build out what I’ve created on your own, you’ll need to recruit and manage a team to execute each part of the Blueprint. For example, starting with your foundation, you’ll need to nail your brand—the personality of your organization and how it connects with your market. This is critically important because your brand underpins assets like your signature brochure, social media, website, and more. You’ll also need a strategic product ladder that aligns with your goals and a killer conversion process to bring clients on board effectively.
If these concepts are new to you, I encourage you to grab my book or audiobook. It’s less than six hours long and packed with insights. If you do nothing, nothing will change. So, let me put on my tough coach hat for a moment: to build a thriving bookkeeping practice, you must invest in learning and implementing these elements.
Now, let’s talk numbers. To build out everything in the Blueprint, including your brand, website, product ladder, and conversion process, you’d need to invest at least $100,000 as of late 2024. That’s the reality of creating something world-class from scratch. Compare that to my program fee, which at the time of recording is $99 per week, with most members opting for the weekly payment option. This makes the program accessible while allowing you to achieve results that pay for the investment week by week.
When you join my program, you’re not just saving money—you’re avoiding the massive trial-and-error process of finding and vetting the right team. Behind the scenes, I’ve already recruited a global dream team with expertise in marketing, copywriting, website design, branding, social media, and more. These are 10 key skill sets that I’ve built into the program to support you. For example, if you need a new website or an upgrade, we’ll connect you with one of the best developers in the world, using intellectual property tailored to bookkeepers. This guarantees you a website that works as a sales machine while costing far less than building it on your own.
By joining the program, you gain access to a team of specialists, each dedicated to helping you build and grow your bookkeeping practice effectively. These experts include a marketing strategist, copywriters, branding and graphics professionals, social media experts, system and team specialists, and business development managers. This is all part of how we ensure you avoid the steep costs and endless guesswork of trying to do it alone. Instead, you’ll benefit from a cohesive, proven system.
Without this support, many bookkeepers find themselves muddling through, spending years figuring things out while keeping profits low. It’s not just about the money—it’s also about the time you’ll spend trying to learn, hire, and brief the right people. As someone who has been there, I know the mistakes you’ll likely encounter along the way. Trial-and-error isn’t just costly; it’s exhausting.
This brings me to the fears many bookkeepers face before joining the program. For some, it’s about money; for others, it’s about the fear of trusting another program after a bad experience. These concerns are valid, but let me share a story. One of my program members, let’s call her Jo, recently told me how hesitant she was to join because of a prior experience with a well-known bookkeeping coach. She’d spent $50,000 on their program and didn’t see any meaningful results. That experience left her disillusioned.
Despite her doubts, Jo decided to trust me and join the program. Seven months in, she’s over capacity and has achieved incredible results. Another member had a similar experience. She told me she’d been burned by another program and wasn’t sure she could trust mine. I told her, “Please don’t join if you can’t trust me—we need to start from a place of trust.” That honesty gave her the push she needed, and now she’s thriving. Yes, she’s busy, but that’s the kind of good pain that comes with success: being over capacity because everything is working, and you’re growing faster than expected.
Pain often precedes victory. Building a thriving practice, delighting clients, and scaling your business requires effort and commitment.
You have to earn the privilege of creating a life on your terms, and sometimes that means pushing through discomfort. The cost of staying in fear, doubt, and indecision is far greater than the cost of taking action. It’s the cost of inaction that keeps so many bookkeepers stuck, unable to grow or achieve their dreams.
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