Linda Artesani helps Stephanie break down her goal of acquiring ten new bookkeeping clients into concrete steps. Stephanie has two clients so far and is testing Trello, Google Calendar, and a Facebook-focused social strategy to reach more prospects.
Chapters
So, hey, Stephanie, week 4, hard to believe. So you're in the mentorship group with me. My name is Linda Artesani. You're Stephanie. So we're going through— this week it's all about making a plan. So we've gone through introductions, your skill level, setting goals, and then we achieved the goal last week. And now this week is about making a plan to achieve the goal in the few weeks we have left. So we're more than halfway there. So now that you, you are working towards a specific goal you want to achieve and you've identified it, now you need to document your process, your progress towards that goal. And then also, as you complete the milestones, which is— there's a big science in the brain about hitting a milestone. There's also a big science with checking off a task. So the listing actually does work, then we can figure out the rest of it, which is scheduling a check-in with a mentor. I'm going to hand it off to you. You can refresh everybody on your goal and then tell me what you think you might want to do for tasks.
I was also just reading an article that you posted, I believe, in the group about breaking your goal into micro-goals. I like that word. That's another thing. My biggest goal is I want to get 10 new clients this year. I'm new This is the first month I've owned this business, even though I've worked in it for a couple of years. So I wasn't sure if 10— it's a small number, but it seems— I'm thinking now it's doable because I already have 2. And actually, I didn't even tell you, Linda, I have a meeting tomorrow night with another artist friend, so who I think is going to be a client. So I could already be 3 into my 10 already.
Cool.
So, I mean, but so the other things I've been working on, the way to break that down is yesterday I joined Alignable. I don't know if you know what that is. It's like Facebook for local businesses.
Okay.
So I joined that. I had joined it once before for something else, but I joined, set up a profile. I connected with everybody that I already know that's in there, the local businesses that I know. I wrote recommendations for almost all of them, and then I posted on the My Business Facebook page that I joined, and that sort of caused another person to join, and we connected, and that kind of thing. I subscribed to a newsletter for my group for my local area. So I think that'll keep me in tune with new businesses and stuff like that. I was also a little intimidated by the bookkeepers that are already in the group and how professional they are, but I won't let that deter me. So I'm looking at that as a new networking, you know, area for me. So the other thing I'm working on is Upwork. I had set up my profile some time ago. I haven't really done anything with it. So I revisited that. I raised my price. I expanded my search or whatever from short-term projects, which is what I was interested in before, now to include short and long-term projects. So what I really need to do is just apply it, you know, get in there and get some action going kind of thing. The other thing I have, just been sort of still working on my social media. I'm pretty good with that already. I've decided, I've ruled out Instagram, which was a big quandary for me for a while because I was looking at other bookkeeping accounts and their posts are getting like 6 or 7 likes. I mean, not very significant. So I decided to take that out of my brain and then focus on, you know, the other things that I know that are working.
Mm-hmm.
The last thing that I really focused on yesterday was to find some sort of workflow Organizational tool. I searched out Trello, which I'm gonna revisit again now after talking to you, Linda. So I'm kind of gonna— I've been using QBO Work, those scheduling blocks. I kind of like that, but I think I can use it better. It was too big and cumbersome because of the way I was using it, so I think I can fine-tune that because I'm fair, you know, I'm afraid I'm gonna forget a task or something. So That I live in my Google Calendar already, so I'm gonna use that. Any.do is a program I'm gonna also look at that integrates with the calendar and stuff like that. So those are kind of the tools and the things that I've been working on this week. And then I also thought up more goals for myself, so.
I have to say, I don't think you need me.
I know, I know.
The only thing I think about with Instagram with your business is where do your clients live? If they're in Instagram, you might wanna be hanging out in it. That was my only thought with that. Like, I don't think mine are, but I think yours might be.
I know. Here's my big quandary though on that, because I have an Instagram page. It runs hot and cold being active. I follow a lot of artists, a lot of artists follow me. My feed looks really pretty 'cause it's all of my art sort of. And so I'm not sure. how to integrate accounting into that. I think I just need to do it and stop overthinking it.
I think you need to keep the personal— this is what I learned from marketing class at actually QuickBooks Connect, because I was like, oh, I got to do Instagram too. But the generational thing is Facebook is for people our age. And then it kind of drops down to the next generation's really into Instagram. And, you know, and it goes from there. And I think for the Instagram piece of it, I remember saying, how do I put pictures of my business? Well, they don't wanna see stacks of, well, in my case it wouldn't be paper, but they don't wanna see workflows or anything like that. But they said that, show your, post that you do yoga and show the personal side. So maybe for you, art is part of it, but you need to let them know that it's not just art, you're actually doing this accounting work. You are an artist and you're doing the accounting work. So somehow you have to convey that. And I'd have to look at your page, but—
Yeah.
I don't know if I'd be able to even give you that advice other than maybe I can look at it and say, for me, this is what I see. And then Trello, I just started using again. Thank you, Sarah. I was using it, I tried it a little bit before and I didn't get into it. And then my friend Sarah actually showed me how she uses it and it's genius. So I'm gonna try to go back to it because it's real simple. And I like it because I can change the colors and the pictures. And I know that sounds like a dumb thing, but when you're in it all day long, you want something that looks really nice, right? I think you've got a great plan in charge. You're gonna put like a A little Trello board together with to-dos to kind of build goals. I think it'll be good because you want to stick to like get through each one. I think it's actually—
And when you have to think hard enough to be able to write coherent sentences, sort of, it makes it a little more real. And it, you know, I think it's a good—
And writing it down, and with Trello, you can just slide them up and down. So, and there's also a mindset of like, if you look at the list and say, oh, look at this, like you have 20 things on the list, and then There's a little bit of psychological value to kind of moving things around, maybe putting like easily attained goals at the top so you can kind of check them off, because the brain actually does respond. I think it's serotonin or something like that. I don't know. But there is a, there's a compound in the brain that actually gives you that sense of, you know, you're satisfied you did something.
Yeah.
And I felt that way when I went through my 17 hats. I had been procrastinating for over 6 months on that, and I was like, I'm gonna get it done. I can't tell you how many times I started it and didn't finish it. So we're all in the same boat. We get busy.
Yeah.
So thank you again.
Very good.
You only have a few weeks left, but I think you're on the right path. I'm telling you, I don't even think you need my help at this point, but I'm glad you're still here helping and coming out and letting people see what the mentorship group is about here.
And, um, yeah, I, I still need you.
7 weeks, I'm not going anywhere. So good.
I think it's a great program. I hope other people are participating in their mentorship programs too.
Yeah, I think it's great. Well, thank you very much. We wouldn't have met if it wasn't for this, like, in this capacity. Maybe someday we get to meet in person, which would be great.
