The One About Hellscapes
How to have more self-determination
TL;DR
Nope, I’m not talking about the hellscape that is the month of January for bookkeepers.
I won't go there. The pain is too fresh for our industry.
No, I am talking about the hellscape of this virtual social media world we operate in.
Let’s just quickly review the uncontrollable shenanigans of just the last few weeks…
TikTok went offline. But then came back on. Personally, I was relieved I don’t have a business presence there.
Zuckerberg is making people mad with his changes to permitted speech allowed on FB. And my facebook feed is so stupid anyway. I have to remember that the valuable purpose is the private groups for shared interests (Like the Bookkeeping Side Hustle Community!).
Lots of chatter about how the LinkedIn algorithm is changing and shows so many posts that are over 3 weeks old, so for accounting people it is all Bench, BOI, Bench, BOI 🤮. Why??? Even worse, I get shown my own old posts. And yet I give LinkedIn the privilege of access to my eyeballs and brain.
Then there is Reddit, which I don’t know enough about to understand any specific shenanigans. But last year I wanted to be excited about that platform so I could answer bookkeeping and FreshBooks questions. But for me, the platform was truly addicting but I knew that every time I look at that site it is like an IV of Mind Rot shot directly into my veins. For the first time in my life, I had to enable the URL site blocking settings on my phone to not let me go to Reddit. What a hellscape. I think it is the anonymous nature of it. Though I personally am always like “Haaaaayyy…I’m Kate, the redhead who makes FreshBooks tutorials on YouTube. Call me!” 😎
The list could go on.
And we just willingly participate in it all. We clutch our pearls when one platform offends whatever political and moral persuasions we have, and announce that we are moving to some other platform du jour on the internet, deceiving ourselves that said other place is any different than the rest of them or has society’s interests at heart.
So what is the solution?
Flee to a communal ranch in Montana? Let’s Go! Who’s with me? I roll 5 deep.
No. It is 2025. This stuff is a part of life. But we can take steps to have a little more self-determination.
I think there are two things to keep in mind to mitigate some of the hellishness.
Embodied relationships are always going to be better than disembodied relationships. The more we can develop real relationships with people, the less susceptible we’ll be to the whims of the internet. In the event of any internet platform meltdown, the more people you really know IRL, the less you will panic when a platform no longer works for your business (can you imagine what it feels like to completely rely on TikTok right now???).
Diversify the places you connect with people. This is basic risk management 101. For Heritage Business Services, I have built up a YT channel (free) of 2,000 subscribers and have 700 people on a mailing list (free up to 1,000 on MailerLite). I’m scared my FreshBooks YouTube channel will get taken down one day, so I’m deliberately asking everyone who finds me from YouTube to connect on LinkedIn. But even more importantly, last year my main business/life goal was to have 52 lunches with people. Even in my new town that made me get the name and phone numbers of a lot of people.
I think building more self-determination is a mindset that has to be motivated a little bit by fear. Always ask yourself “What would happen to my business if XYZ suddenly went away”. If you look at your connections across different platforms and local groups and notice that it is heavily skewed to one place, be afraid. And let that fear force you to come up with a plan to diversify how you connect with people (and even the same person in different places).
OnPay is our sponsor this week. And I’ve got this great idea related to building strong social connections. You listen into their partner program webinar that everyone is invited to. Bang the graphic to register. Then you work on building a strong relationship with your OnPay partner rep as you onboard clients to their payroll platform. Then you suggest to your rep “Hey, wouldn’t it be great to get all the OnPay Partners and users in my metroplex together for a super chill Happy Hour. No agenda. Maybe in early May, right after tax season? It will be good for the soul. I can help y’all plan it and scout out a location.”
Deals Deals Deals
💰 Akadian Accounting Education (formerly Fast & Easy QBO) has finally launched The Bookkeeping Accelerator*. This is the program known for all its Hands-On Practice. As is the process with big course launches, course creators always offer a big discount for early purchasers. This one is 58% off and has 30-Day money-back guarantee.
💰 25% discount to join the networking platform Alignable. Link to join (looks like a referral link for someone, but not for me). Make sure to watch our video about Alignable to know what it is all about before jumping in.
💰 As always, the Scaling New Heights conference Groundhog Day sale is Feb 2 and 3. They do this every year. Basically, if you ever want to go to SNH, always buy your ticket on Groundhog Day. I will be attending this conference. And I’m a hugger and a “let’s eat a meal together” gal, so please let me know if you plan on being there (not sure if that makes attending SNH more appealing or not! 🤣).
💰 Seth David’s mastermind program* is 25% off. I have personally hired Seth in the past to get me out of a bookkeeping knot and his QBO videos were some of my most watched tutorials in my early days when I was targeting QBO clients.
Please always send me any news of deals that you hear of that others might benefit from.
Be There or Be Square
Items with a “+” are hosted by me. All these events can be viewed and registered for in the DESCRIPTIONS of each event on the Bookkeeping Side Hustle Calendar.
📅 +February 4 - Live Q&A With Kate. Have questions about starting your own bookkeeping biz? Join Kate in the BSH FaceBook group where she will answer questions in writing. RSVP HERE!
📅 + February 6 - How To Grow Your Business With In-Person Bookkeeping. Erin Pohan will be sharing how she grew her business with networking - in real life!
📅 February 11 - Bookkeeping Buds Magic Hour. Open Hours to connect, ask questions, and get answers because we know the MAGIC happens when women support each other. February’s focus: Self Care. Register HERE.
📅 February 13 - The Perfect Match: Overview of OnPay’s Partner Program. Fall in love with your client payroll solution! In this Webinar, OnPay will show you how to enhance your payroll services in 2025. Whether you are already offering payroll services or looking to get started, learn more about how OnPay’s Partner Program can help you grow your practice and offer more of the services clients expect. Register now!
📅 February 17-21 - Power to Breakthrough Bootcamp. This FREE bootcamp is designed for bookkeepers & accountants who are ready to scale their business. Sign up HERE!
📅 February 19 - Free Keeper Q&A with Hughes and Strong.
📅 May 22 -WAVE one-day conference in Seattle, WA. Hosted by Erin Pohan. Get your ticket here. Y’all, the schedule looks really chill, which is not always an adjective that can be used for many industry conferences. Bless her!
Featured Posts
🌶️ What do you say when you substantially raise your price on an under-priced client and they give you pushback?
🌶️ Over 125 comments on the question from Justin M about whether bookkeeping can bring in $10,000 - $30,000 of monthly income like he sees in a lot of course advertisements.
🌶️ Richard B asks how many clients folks have, how complex they are, and how to know when you’ve hit your client limit? Real answers from real firm owners. Not all glamorous.
🌶️ I explained how I got my first client and then about 80% of the comments just went on to prove the point I was trying to make.
Help You Hustle
💪 Y'all say you want help getting clients, so I am trying to support you! Maybe the Alignable platform is for you. Our guest presenters were both offering coffee chats for anyone interested in a free pick-their-brain session to get you set up. Watch the replay and pick one of these ladies to lean on.
Coffee Chat about Alignable with Kimberly Noh
Coffee Chat with about Alignable with Rachael Foster
💪 We have 2 more “How Much Money I Made In My Business Last Year” examples (subscribers to this newsletter saw another one in the last edition).
Erica Goode shared hers on LinkedIn. She is growing her following of accountants there. I really liked her 3 different service lines related to her CFO services.
Logan Graf released his firm numbers again. 4th time he has done this. He does tax. But is trying to add more bookkeeping.
💪 The Power to Breakthrough Bootcamp is a FREE bootcamp for those of you who are ready to take their business to the next level. This bootcamp is for those who are ready to scale, systematize their firm, and become work-optional. It covers powerful mindset shifts, optimizing your offers for profitability, building world-class systems, creating an empowered team, and learning how to become a removable CEO. Sign up HERE!
Jobs
💼 Jobs were added to the Job Guide if you are from Ontario - be sure to check it out!- Check out the posts for more info on the jobs. Check it out HERE.
Don’t forget the standing opps on my Find A Freelance Job article. 1099 and W-2 opps.
My Family Circus (43F, 40M, 13M, 11F, 10M)
🎪 Winning vs Losing
Fairly early in our marriage, my husband repurposed an unused Navy-issued flight log book and grabbed a sharpie and printed “Win Log” on the cover.
And for over 10 years, it contains a record of every game any member of our family has played and who won the game.
It predates even before all our children were even born, but part of his motivation was making sure that our tiny babies would learn that, in general, winning is superior to losing.
He wanted to buck the “everyone gets a trophy” culture that has developed. Because that isn't real life and youths who think so are in for a rude awakening.
Well, this little book has become such a treasure and talking point.
It is like a little journal of our life and interests and friendships. We take it with us when we travel. Friends get excited to get their names written in it. The only criteria for recording an entry in the Win Log is that one of the 5 of us in our immediate family have to be engaged in some sort of competition (physical or mental). We do not have to be the winner.
The columns are Date, Winner, Game, and Players.
If our house catches fire, my husband says he is grabbing the Win Log. Not our wedding album or box of love letters, just to be clear. I know that it is my job to grab those other irreplaceable treasures.
Kate Builds In Public
🎢 I really, really have trouble pushing clean ups all the way out the door. They really linger. Can anyone else relate to this? It is the last 10% that I am not very skilled at. You know, the hard and odd stuff. Though I can do them, I am beginning to think they might not be the highest leverage tasks for me. I have contractors I’ve used in the past who give vibes of being much more suited for that kind of work. But I do not have good systems for onboarding and passing off the work.
🎢 I’ve intentionally made my January not that much harder than other months
This might be a bit on the nose since the January just ended yesterday and that was a really tough month for a lot of bookkeeping and CAS firms. So if you find yourself getting mad at me, just imagine how you would feel if you were reading this in, say, September. My purpose is to inspire you to build the career that you want.
Here is a list of the NOT- work things I did in Jan:
Jan 1-7: Still on Christmas break.
Jan 9-10: Two snow days after going to school ONE day. (I made a conscious effort to have a good time with my beloveds, but golly how I wish the snow had come at least a little bit later than only being back at school for one day!)
Jan 17 - My whole crew traveled for a sweet family day to bury my 100 year old grandfather who died a few weeks ago. What a life! I played the music and had my youngest two sing with me, so we spent a good bit of time that week practicing.
Jan 19 - Federal holiday. Visited friends at the Fort Worth Stock Show (don't worry, we discussed MLK and civil rights on the Thursday before at church where we did a reading of “Letters from a Birmingham Jail”)
Jan 22-23: Child #3 home sick. Pretty legit sick, too. Childcare was not stressful, and I recognize that as an extreme luxury, especially because we do not have an extended family support system here at this duty station. I did work while he laid on the floor beside me, but made myself step away from my computer and be maternal and we did lots of read-aloud time.
Jan 24: Was room mom for the 5th grade science party. And y'all, I dressed up as Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus and I feel like I was born for that!
Attended not one but both book discussions our school headmaster had about the book The Anxious Generation (highly, highly recommend) because I wanted to lay eyes on the parents in both sessions and then to lay eyes on me and put off “you are my people” vibes.
Both of the Bible studies I attend have resumed for the spring semester. That is Wednesday and Thursday morning.
I have walked 10,000 steps everyday of 2025. That is SO HARD! For real. Once I started to pay attention, it is shocking to realize how hard it is for knowledge workers like us to move our bodies if we aren't intentional about it. I have to go for 2 walks per day to hit the goal. Yeesh.
From The Vault
⚡ A lot of folks are going to start to make the plunge into entrepreneurship this year. Before you invest in a course, please watch this video about my take on how marketers get you to buy their stuff and operate with a “buyer beware” attitude.
Letters To The Editor
✉️ Thanks Megan T. for this straight and to the point feedback!
inspirational, and aspirational, every. single. time
Classifieds (Clickable)
Keep hustling!
Kate
-Chief Hustler-
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I am down right rabid about transparency and full disclosure. If a link has a * beside it, it means it is either an affiliate link where I might receive compensation if you make a purchase, at no additional charge to you. Or it could be a tracking link that another business provided me to see how many readers click on that link.
This is the best bookkeeping newsletter that I actually want to read!
Just came here to say you should try a walking pad under your desk. It makes it easy to get the 10k steps in while getting your work done!
The win log is such a unique way to track your history, cool idea!
Maybe I missed this update but did you meet your goal of 52 lunches?