Having a voice is about so much more than talking, or even communicating. Finding your voice is about walking the difficult but rewarding path from being invisible, silenced and ashamed, to being heard, understood, and seen. 

When Amy started her bookkeeping business in 2015, she found clients difficult and at times abusive, which left her feeling isolated, stressed and questioning her own abilities. After connecting with other bookkeepers, Amy realised that many bookkeepers had the same struggles, experiences and often felt isolated in their business. Whether trying to communicate with a difficult client or set boundaries many felt undervalued and overwhelmed.

When Amy started The Bookkeepers Voice Podcast, she wanted a way for colleagues in the Bookkeeping industry to feel less isolated, more connected and know they were not alone. Through sharing real experiences of what it’s like running a small bookkeeping practice, and teaching of topics of interest, Amy makes you think, laugh and know you’re not alone.

In this episode, Amy tells her story of how she lost her Voice: literally. On 8 December 2022, she was heading to South Gippsland with her two sons and husband Will, to visit her dad for the weekend. But less than 30 mins into the trip, Amy felt unwell and became unable to speak normally (Aphasia). Will called an Ambulance and Amy was taken to hospital to be assessed for a stroke. Instead, she was Diagnosed with functional neurological disorder, a condition where there is a disruption between the brain and a function of the body. 
ironically, the disruption occurred between the one function that forms the basis in the foundation for the work Amy most loves to do - speaking, encouraging, telling stories, teaching and training, and giving Bookkeepers running businesses, a voice.

Amy recorded this episode about a week after she came home from hospital, and although she had made a great deal of progress in recovering her voice, but the voice you will hear this episode isnot the one you are used to hearing. Since this episode was recorded, Amy’s voice improved but she has since had five further relapses of Aphasia.

Amy is currently taking some time off work to recover, and to decide on a future direction that will take into consideration, her reduced work capacity. At this stage, the future of the Bookkeepers voice podcast, and The Savvy Bookkeeper is unknown. But we will post an update as soon as possible.

Amy would like to express her gratitude to podcast listeners, and savvy members. You have given Amy a sense of purpose and joy in business. We ask that you would lift Amy and her young family up in prayer, and for healing and protection over Amy’s voice, and for Savvy, a business Amy worked so hard to build. That it would not be wasted or destroyed.

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When you're starting out in business or looking for a job, you may be wondering how to 'get your foot in the door' if you don't have hands on experience. Is gaining a qualification 'just a piece of paper' or will completing a formal qualification increase your chances of finding clients or a job?

Tune into the Bookkeepers' Voice Podcast as Amy Hooke, Bookkeeping business owner and mentor, explains the benefits of study but also how to know when it could be a waste of time.

Key takeaway: Zoom out and have a look at your big picture goals.

Useful links:

• This episode follows on from a previous episode: How To Get Bookkeeping Clients When You Have No Experience
• YouTube video for this episode

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Today on The Bookkeepers' Voice Amy and Maia discuss a very common question bookkeepers struggle with: should I put my prices on my website?

Of course, the short answer is... It depends! But the more detailed answer that this podcast explores includes figuring out why you want to make your prices visible, whether it benefits your client niche or not, and how comfortable you are talking prices during initial consults.

Key takeaway: "Consider your 'why' and the impact on your business before deciding one way or the other"

Useful links:

• Get your pricing sorted with our Pricing for Profit program
• YouTube video for this episode

Related episode - Season 3 Episode 1: Charging for Bookkeeping Health Checks

• Link to podcast episode
• Link to YouTube

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This week on the Bookkeepers' Voice Amy and Maia are answering some FAQs around our Pricing For Profit Program. What is it? What are the benefits? And what is not?

Listen in to find out how the program works and whether it's the right fit for you. We talk about setting financial goals and knowing exactly what you need to get there, making sure your pricing is right for your business, and smoothly transitioning your clients from fixed pricing to packages or to new packages.

Key takeaway: Create a financial picture of your business to lead you towards your goals.

Useful links:

• Pricing for Profit information page and sign up form
• YouTube video for this episode

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In this first episode back after a break Amy and Maia discuss Bookkeeping Health Checks and, more specifically, whether or not you should charge for them.

They get into the nitty gritty of how to bring it up with potential clients that they need to pay for a health check, and talk through the process they use when doing initial consults.

Key takeaway: A health check is a useful document for any business owner to have, whether they end up engaging your services or not.

Useful links:

• Check out our Health Check Masterclass if you want to learn more about offering this service
• YouTube video for this episode

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Hi, I'm Amy Hooke, the founder of The Savvy Bookkeeper, and Business Mentor who helps smart bookkeepers become “business savvy bookkeepers”.

In this podcast series, I'll be telling my ‘bookkeeping business story', and sharing my bookkeeping business vision, beginning with how I originally got started, what went wrong, how I fixed it, and how I transitioned away from being ‘on the tools' to having a profitable online business that runs without me.

During this episode, I'll be telling my story about some of the 'band-aid' solutions I tried using to fix the problems I thought I had.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi, I'm Amy Hooke, the founder of The Savvy Bookkeeper, and Business Mentor who helps smart bookkeepers become “business savvy bookkeepers”.

In this podcast series, I'll be telling my ‘bookkeeping business story', and sharing my bookkeeping business vision, beginning with how I originally got started, what went wrong, how I fixed it, and how I transitioned away from being ‘on the tools' to having a profitable online business that runs without me.

During this episode I'll be telling my story about why I decided to start working for myself, and how I got my first client.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi, I'm Amy Hooke, the founder of The Savvy Bookkeeper, and Business Mentor who helps smart bookkeepers become "business savvy bookkeepers".

In this podcast series I'll be telling my 'bookkeeping business story', beginning with how I originally got started, what went wrong, how I fixed it and how I transitioned from 'hands on bookkeeping' to a business that runs without me.

In the beginning, I tried to "grow" my business by trying to fit into other people's dreams and goals. In this series I'll share what sparked my transition away from using other people's ideas of success as a measure my own, and towards building a business which is aligned with my own goals, vision and life purpose.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Amy and Maia talk about why traditional business plans are not relevant to bookkeepers today. We show how a client-centric business plan helps you understand your client's problems better. By following this process, you can attract better clients, better staff and have more profit in your business to reward yourself.

Listen in to learn the following tips on how to Plan for Growing or Starting your Bookkeeping Business:

• What's included in the Savvy business plan
• What's included in Bookkeeping Business Foundations eCourse
• Why our business plan is so different from a traditional business plan
• How doing business in the right order can save you time, stress and help you earn more

Useful links:

Learn more about Savvy's 6 Step Business Plan and related programs:

thesavvybookkeeper.com/businessplan

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In this insightful episode of The Bookkeepers' Voice, as we take you into the world of lead generation for bookkeeping businesses.   

Listen in as we discuss how 'digital research driven’ lead generation processes have recently made it more difficult to create genuine loyalty when it comes to landing new bookkeeping clients. 

We'll also be talking all things 'Fickle Leads' which are potential clients who are typically hard to connect with. We'll be discussing everything from how to gain their loyalty and sharing our tips for capturing them successfully. 

Key Takeaway: "Learn how to recognise a bookkeeping fickle lead and automate your follow up process."

Useful Links:

• The Savvy Bookkeeper - DIY Websites
• The Savvy Membership

 

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