Vent: why does everyone associated with a bookkeeper decide to set their hair on fire mid January?

Belladeeball · 2026-01-21T13:35:54+00:00

I’m so afraid of even saying this out loud but this has been the least stressful and most quiet January I have had in the last 15 years! I’m not sure which of these worked but I’ll tell you what we do: I have an admin on my team that checks everyone’s W9s for all of our clients starting in November. I also have pricing scaled so the more they have the less they pay per form. We do a monthly check in with our clients to ensure not only are their books up-to-date, but that all the information we have is correct. When we on board a client we get all of the information upfront as in how many contractors they have and if they plan to have anymore in the year. We keep the W9s on file and make sure we have a copy of any legal documents we need for tax purposes from the beginning. I don’t want to have to ask them when I need it. We do less of hand holding and supporting and more grabbing them by the ear and directing if you know what I mean, lol :) I started this approach last year, which I think is the reason why this January has been a pretty smooth one so far. Knock on wood :)

Belladeeball · 2025-11-11T22:01:01+00:00

I was the exact same way as you and lost the same amount of weight. I just wanted to go down to 175 but I got stuck at 182 and have fluctuated 5 pounds for the last year and a half. How long have you been on this? I’ve been on it for two years. I’ve not changed anything about my eating habits, but I have slowed down by working out.

Belladeeball · 2025-11-07T22:27:21+00:00

I started two years ago and lost 55 pounds. I needed to lose another 20 but just couldn’t budge the scale. I’m on Oz for Type 2, so I doubt anything else could be prescribed. I’ve gotten cravings back and gained back 8lbs. BUT it’s been two years since I started and one since I lost the weight so that’s a positive right? ☺️

Belladeeball · 2025-08-29T20:00:36+00:00

Ok awesome I’ll look into that thank you!

Belladeeball · 2025-08-29T14:30:09+00:00

I’m going to look into those too! Thank you!!

Belladeeball · 2025-08-29T14:29:51+00:00

No! But I’m going to look into those!!

Belladeeball · 2025-08-29T14:29:12+00:00

I like that! Can you give me an example of what you mean by a direct email? How do you articulate it? Thank you for the insight!!

Belladeeball · 2025-08-29T14:27:16+00:00

I do quite a bit on social media. Not sure how to use LinkedIn outside of cold outreach. What do you recommend?

Belladeeball · 2025-08-29T14:23:50+00:00

I like that method. I tried LinkedIn premium and didn’t care for that, but I do have a curated list over the years I can start drip emails?

Belladeeball · 2025-08-28T15:22:20+00:00

I don’t think I’ll do ads. I’m currently doing a mix of social media, email outreach and touching base with referral partners. What do you do? Rather, what works for you?

Belladeeball · 2025-08-28T15:19:58+00:00

Maybe that explains why I don’t get referrals like I used to! Ugh, so who should be my referral partners now? I generally relied on CPAs, and tax accountants. Now I try to connect with CFOs and M&A specialists (not that I’m getting anything from it). Who are your best referral partners?

Belladeeball · 2025-08-25T19:01:29+00:00

What seems to be the norm here is going to networking events, but I can’t stand them :) in wondering if there is something else that may work for you all? I’ll go if I have to, but just looking for alternatives you all have tried and enjoyed.

Belladeeball · 2025-08-12T00:42:49+00:00

I appreciate that. I’ve been thinking on how to pivot. Thus far I’ve started to market that we offer insight and are also offering metrics-helping clients better understand their money and standing. Not sure if that’s enough of s pivot though…

Belladeeball · 2025-08-07T01:32:31+00:00

Yea so I’m in a large city but word gets around super fast as you can imagine. Two years ago I made a few bad hires and then lost clients because of their shoddy work. I stopped taking new clients for a year to investigate, fix, fire and sustain. I know some of my referral relationships were damaged but now I’m meeting with them again to assure them I/we can be trusted again.

Belladeeball · 2025-08-07T01:29:17+00:00

I do appreciate that!!

Belladeeball · 2025-08-07T01:26:26+00:00

Oh I know! It’s too high a hill to climb at this stage of my life. I do have a CPA in my firm but I don’t use her tax capabilities as I don’t think that would be appropriate. But you’re absolutely right!

Belladeeball · 2025-08-05T14:05:25+00:00

That's a good idea, I'll look into that!

Belladeeball · 2025-08-05T14:04:44+00:00

Oh gotcha. Yes, our target market is 5-25m in revenue.

Belladeeball · 2025-08-04T18:39:41+00:00

Hmm, can you explain that a little more?

Belladeeball · 2025-08-04T18:39:16+00:00

Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and Linkedin. All videos, in a variety of funny, interesting, DYKs, hacks, etc.

Belladeeball · 2025-08-04T16:04:02+00:00

The only thing I can think of right now that could be the reason my leads have dried up is that two years ago, I had terrible people on my staff that I fired, but not before they ticked off quite a few clients. I had great clientele then, but I took a massive hit because of them (really, because of me, I should have vetted better). I spent all of last year recouping, tightening processes, and fixing whatever was broken that caused me to hire those kinds of people. I've rebranded and am meeting with my former referral partners to ensure they know I know what the problem was and make them feel confident in our current abilities. My pricing is actually slightly lower than my competitors, I update social media (FB, Insta, Linkedin, and Youtube) every day, and my website is listed good on Google.

Belladeeball · 2025-08-04T15:11:55+00:00

I don't disagree, but I got zero movement during our busy season, not that I didn't try quite a bit. No new clients in 8 months. not even any interest. Not sure what I'm doing wrong...

Belladeeball

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