Surprisingly, one particularly effective way to maximise your success in the year ahead, is to close the current year in a powerful and strategic way. In this episode, business coach Tracey Leak shares some practical tips and tricks that are in fact very useful all year round!

For Yvonne and Andrew Syme, the key appeal when starting their bookkeeping business a dozen or so years ago, was simply to be of help to their customers. This clear objective has informed how they balance life and work and has yielded an extremely satisfying small business. And you’ll be surprised at how they spend their spare time.

Lysa White likes nothing more than a new client whose accounts are in a shambolic state. Getting things organised is what makes her tick and builds her value. Having been employed by a franchisee for a number of years, Lysa was happy (if a little surprised) to take the business over. Seven years on, she has built a tight, little team and is starting to think about her own exit.

When Trudy Mendis started her business a little over a year ago, she initially struggled with the discipline of working solo and didn’t take naturally to networking. Happily, by embracing the First Class community and learning from others, the tables have turned.

Today, she’s enjoying the transition from employment and is keen to demonstrate a work/life balance to her children.

Katrina Spratley has run her bookkeeping business for 20 years on the Gold Coast and has developed a way of working that really suits her lifestyle. She has some great tips to ensure you charge what you’re worth and how to avoid getting too 'drawn in' if client demands are overwhelming.

This is the model that Carl Zwartkruis adopts in his business. Effectively working as a Chief Financial Officer, Carl spends most days working at his clients' offices and has done so for coming up to a decade. It's how he prefers to work and illustrates the flexibility of the First Class Accounts franchise and how it aligns with your expertise and workstyle. 

In her twentieth year with First Class Accounts, Renae Pitargue has some important lessons to share. As a self-confessed perfectionist, she had a problem ‘letting go’ as she grew and expanded. How she overcame this and successfully maintains a growing business to this day reveals a host of good tips and strategies.

Serge Crismale never thought he’d be in his business this long, but strange things happen when you start enjoying yourself. Now in the early stages of designing his exit strategy, Serge is considering his options and reviewing the ways he works. One key consideration is the role of real life get-togethers, both with staff and clients.

From attending her first overseas conference while still undergoing training, to attracting a client before she was truly ready, Jana Aldhaibi has committed to making her business work. We catch her less than a year into her practice and her proactive style continues.

When Jeffrey Phillips left University he walked straight into an accounting career and quickly realised that sitting at a desk all day crunching numbers wasn't for him.  With an idea of how he wanted to balance life and work, he bravely started his own franchise business. Twelve years on, he's successfully designed his ideal venture, one where small, agile and mobile are essential ingredients. And it's working rather nicely.