The Mindset Blocks You Probably Face as CEO of Your Bookkeeping Business and How To Overcome Them
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It’s TOTALLY common to experience some self-doubt and mindset blocks when you’re running your own bookkeeping or accounting firm.
Especially when you’re starting to scale and grow - with success comes some discomfort!
You’ll often hear me say that you can’t run a 7-figure business on 4-figure systems. And that’s because it’s 100% true (I know from experience).
Creating systems, mapping processes, and building your team WILL take some work upfront! But I’m telling you, it’s sooo worth it in the end.
In this blog, we’re covering how to address the common mindset blocks that bookkeeping business owners face when they’ve hit a new level of business. I want you to know that if you’ve ever fallen into these traps, you’re NOT ALONE!
I still struggle with mindset blocks too, even after years of experience and building multiple successful businesses! It’s going to happen, but now you’ll be armed with the strategy to break through and move forward toward success.
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Common Mindset Blocks That Keep You From Success
Obviously, this isn’t a complete list, but I’d be willing to bet you’ve had at least one of these come up as the CEO of your own business. It’s important to take note of your mindset blocks so you can take ACTION and shift them!
So have you ever thought to yourself...
“I’ve hit the ceiling, there’s no more room for growth.”
First of all, congrats for getting to a point where you’ve grown your bookkeeping business enough that you’ve “hit the ceiling”! That’s such an important milestone and it’s worth celebrating!
But the real reason this block is coming up for you is that you may not be aware of the tools you can implement to push past that ceiling.
We recommend a handful of efficiency tools that’ll help you get organized and prepared to reach new heights. (Hint: These are the exact tools we use to stay organized)!
Things like:
Decision trees
Process Maps
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Owner’s Manuals
Don’t give up on your potential without building these tools for your firm! You can read more about them in this blog post.
“I’m overwhelmed - guess I’m not cut out for this CEO thing.”
Stop convincing yourself that you’re not meant to run your own business or earn more money!
Because if you took a step back and looked at your journey to this point, would you still say that you can’t handle growth?
I’ve learned to overcome this by keeping track of wins, big or small, on sticky notes that remind me what I’ve accomplished! It might seem a little cheesy, but it’s sooo easy to overlook our accomplishments when we’re stuck in our heads.
And it doesn’t matter if you’ve been running your firm for 10 years or for 2. When you’ve been working hard and building your business, it can be emotionally draining - which makes it harder to notice what you’ve accomplished!
Start taking note of your wins, and refer back to them whenever you need a reminder of how AMAZING you truly are!
“It’s easier if I just do the work myself.”
This is something I REALLY had to work through when it came time to hiring my first team member. I knew there was no way I could scale without outsourcing some of my tasks, but convincing myself that no one else could do what I do was self-sabotage.
I used to be SO proud that I could do everything myself without a team to support me. But that only left me burnt out and maxed out of my potential.
Eventually, I learned that other people can play a huge role in my company - not just me.
When you empower your team members with information and resources, they can totally execute the tasks you thought you’d never be able to outsource!
“What if I delegate tasks and my team member doesn’t meet expectations?”
Yes, it’s scary to fully trust someone else to complete tasks in your firm, especially client-facing tasks!
In a way, you’re stepping into the unknown and taking a leap of faith in another human. If it seems impossible to find team members out there who’ll care for your firm as much as you do, I get it.
The truth is, there’s tons of people out there who really want to help you bring your vision to life!
But if you’re finding it hard to trust, make sure you’re living up to your end of the bargain, too. Like I mentioned above, you have to prepare your team with all the information they’ll need to actually meet those expectations!
Don’t just throw them into the fire and expect perfection. Sure, they might know how to do the bookkeeping or accounting work, but they don’t know the nuances of how YOU run your bookkeeping or accounting firm.
Give them the information, and everyone is sure to have a better experience and better results.
“My systems have to be perfect before I can hire anyone.”
Yes, I highly recommend you set up some systems and processes before you hire a team member, but no one said they had to be perfect!
In fact, I’ve found that hiring a team member before perfecting a process is actually super helpful! When your team member gets involved with improving your systems, they might be able to identify missing pieces or details you overlooked.
When you’re so used to doing certain tasks every day, it’s easy to include information that seems obvious. Creating systems and processes ARE important before you hire, but expect to make some changes along the way!
“It’s unfair to ask my team to work more than me.”
It’s totally natural to believe that as the founder of your firm, you’re the only one who cares about it. But that’s simply not true!
Because once you start attracting those unicorn team members and trusting them to take charge of their role, you’ll realize that they actually WANT to support your vision and do the work.
By validating your team members and empowering them to make decisions and offer ideas, you’re building a loyal team.
You’re creating jobs, and part of that means asking people to work certain hours and complete certain tasks. It’s not unfair to ask someone to do their job!
The Pattern of Mindset Blocks
Typically, your negative self-talk and mindset blocks will fall into certain categories. It’s important to recognize when this happens, so you know how to overcome these barriers and move forward!
Your brain might play tricks on you by telling you some of the lies we’ve outlined above. When you notice it, figure out why this is coming up for you.
Are these limiting beliefs coming up because:
You have too many decisions on your plate?
You’re feeling some information overload?
Your team and business is disorganized?
Something doesn’t feel aligned with your goals?
You’re putting something off (aka procrastinating)?
Shifting Your Mindset to Break Through These Blocks
When you find yourself in a mindset trap, I want you to take a step back and work through it.
Write down the limiting belief your telling yourself
Write out why this might be coming up
Write 2-3 positive outcomes for this mindset block, instead of staying stuck in the loop of negativity
Do this every time you’re second-guessing yourself and I PROMISE it’ll help!
If you need tangible action steps to help you create all the tools and systems I recommend you implement into your bookkeeping firm, we’re not going to leave you hanging!
Overcoming these (and plenty of other) mindset blocks in my own journey as a business owner inspired us to create Breakthrough for Bookkeepers & Accountants.
This high-touch group coaching program is our response to all the firm owners who started getting organized in Asana, but realized they needed help reaching the next level.
In this program, we include group coaching calls, video trainings, and workbooks to help you silence your inner critic and move the needle toward reaching your goals through practical implementation of systems, processes and tech!
We’ll be your trusted experts, ready to guide you through the rewarding journey of business ownership.
Are you ready to stop self-sabotaging your success and have a breakthrough of your own?
