“People do that with their bookkeeping business, they start, they want to get some clients and they want to make some money, but they actually really have no idea what the journey looks like and where they are trying to get to. It’s a very different experience if you don’t know where you’re trying to get to.”
-Peter Cook

There is a common misconception among business owners, that we are never truly successful unless we can claim to have done everything ourselves. While there are advantages to stepping out of others’ shadows, it’s also far more likely we'll get burned.

There is nothing wrong with taking stock of what other business owners are doing and seeing how we might apply their approach to our own bookkeeping business. Walking the same path as someone else doesn’t mean trying to walk precisely in their footprints. It’s just a chance for us to enjoy a slightly easier path made possible by those who walked it before us.

Peter Cook, co-author of The E-Myth Bookkeeper and co-founder of Pure Bookkeeping, is this episode’s featured guest. This fourth episode on The E-Myth Bookkeeper series explores the bookkeeper’s journey, the challenges of transitioning your business, and why sticking to the plan can make all the difference.

If you are struggling to let go of old ideas about success, aren’t sure how to move your business to the next phase of prosperity, or just want to get a better idea of what to expect on your journey, then this is the episode to show you it's okay to follow the trail.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of sticking to the plan
• How to navigate transitioning your business
• The importance of understanding the phases of your business

To find out more about Peter, click here.

Connect with him on LinkedIn.

Get your copy of The E-Myth Bookkeeper.

Catch-up on the full E-Myth Bookkeeper with Peter Cook series with past episodes below!

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Time Stamps

02:01 - The bookkeeping business journey
07:41 - Helping bookkeepers grow their businesses
10:30 - The four stages of a bookkeeping business
16:26 - The challenges of transitioning your business
24:21 - Creating your freedom

“You have to be willing to think a little bit differently about your business. If you follow what everyone else is doing, you’re going to get the same results everybody got.”
-Racheal Cook

Building a business is hard. There are so many barriers to success that the last thing we need is to get in our own way, either by supremely undervaluing our skills, or dramatically overestimating the market for them. We all want to follow our passions, but we need to temper that desire with the real-world potential of earning from it.

We start our own businesses to gain the flexibility and freedom often not afforded to us elsewhere. But we must be careful not to let our pricing trap us into a situation where we may be our boss but have no time or energy for anything else.

Racheal Cook, owner of the CEO Collective and host of the Promote Yourself To CEO podcast, is this episode’s featured guest. She has spent her career helping women create sustainable success on their own terms. She speaks to the power of breaking free of entrepreneurial poverty, how to price your value, and why investing in relationships matters.

If you are struggling, unsure why everyone else seems so successful, but you are working more and more hours and only being rewarded with less time and energy, then this is the episode to help level up your thinking into a more proactive and strategic mindset.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of investing in relationships
• How to break free of entrepreneurial poverty
• The importance of pricing for the value of your skills

To find out more about Racheal, click here.

Connect with her on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Listen to Racheal's Promote Yourself To CEO podcast.

Time Stamps

01:37 - Racheal discusses her career journey
04:05 - Eliminating entrepreneurial poverty
08:12 - Finding the value in your offering
11:05 - Pricing for your business
13:01 - Underpriced & overworked
17:50 - Lifetime client value
27:35 - Committing to building relationships
32:10 - Promote yourself to CEO

This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Sage!

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“The importance of your own personal achievement needs to be equal to the importance of everyone else’s achievement. We are all just harmoniously and fortunately moving towards the same thing: survival.”
-Mike Michalowicz

Are we working with the business or for the business? A great way to find out is to pay attention to the way you speak about the business. Are the successes and failures ‘ours’ or are they ‘theirs’? From this simple recognition, we can build a really clear picture of who is sharing the vision and who doesn’t feel like they belong.

From there, the hard work begins. In order to maintain our success, we have to make sure those who work with and for us are benefiting too. No one is an island unto themselves; we all need help and support to achieve our dreams. And when we reach our peak of success, we must look back and help those who have supported us on our journey to achieve their own idea of success.

Mike Michalowicz, author and keynote speaker, is this episode’s featured guest. He has spent his career helping people eradicate entrepreneurial poverty, fixing and removing barriers to true success. Mike speaks powerfully about the need to understand your people, how to get inspired, and why remembering your past successes matters.

If you are struggling to share your vision, aren’t sure how to recognize the contributions of others, or inspire them to action, then this is the episode to get you thinking less about your dream and more about ‘our’ dreams.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of inspiring others to achieve their dreams
• How to effectively communicate a shared vision
• The importance of taking stock of your success

To find out more about Mike, click here.

Connect with him on LinkedIn.

Buy his new book, All In: How Great Leaders Build Unstoppable Teams by visiting this link.

Time Stamps

01:47 - Becoming a great leader
09:27 - Appreciating collective goals
16:04 - Communicating a shared vision
21:04 - How great leaders inspire their teams
24:38 - Creating psychological ownership

This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Forwardly!

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Visit thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com/forwardly for more information!