If you had asked me in August how I would describe this year thus far, I would have said stressful. The number of bookkeeping files that I worked on almost doubled this year and I got to the point where I couldn’t handle it on my own (or more accurately, didn’t want to spend 10-12 hours a day working just so I could keep up).
However, I am happy to report that if you were to ask me today how I would describe 2022, I would say it was a fantastic year and on many different levels. Read on to see some celebrations, challenges, and goals for 2023!
Celebrations From This Year
Personal
- We got a dog! – If you read my 2021 year in review post, you might recall that the thing I was most excited for about 2022 was getting a dog. If you follow either of my social media accounts, you have probably seen (or been inundated) with photos and videos of my dog, Lacey. We added her to our family on 1/22/22 and it has been a joy to watch her grow and learn during her first year of life.
- Stayed healthy – Despite getting COVID at the very beginning of 2022, I think that was the only time I got sick this year. My mental health also improved so much with the addition of a low dose anti-anxiety medication and my only regret is that I didn’t go on it sooner.
- Travelled – Jake and I started our 2022 travels with a wellness retreat to AZ in the spring (courtesy of Jake's company) and it was equal parts relaxing and amazing. I also went on a couple of girls trips - one to Quebec and the other to the suburbs of Chicago for a wedding - and both were so fun!
- 5 Years of Marriage – Jake and I reached 5 years of marriage in October and are going to Riviera Maya, Mexico in January to celebrate. I can hardly wait!
Work
- New clients – While I actually only signed 9 new clients, two of those clients each had three entities that they needed help with so it kind of felt like my business grew by 13!
- New Billing Rate – While most of my clients are billed a monthly fee, I still use hourly for some. Now that I’ve been in business for 3 years, I thought it was time to increase my hourly rate and while it’s not by a ton, I know it’s beneficial to get in the habit of doing so every couple of years (or yearly if you’re braver than I am!)
- Content with Content – Actually I’m very happy with my social media content, but I couldn’t pass up on an opportunity for good word play. While my goal was to publish more blog posts then I actually did this year, I think my Instagram/Facebook posts make up for it and I have fun creating them with my social media manager.
- The M. Root Bookkeeping Team Grew! – That’s right, I hired another individual to work with me part-time to help me manage my workload and it has been life-changing in the best way possible. Taylor has been quick to learn and made improvements that will save time and energy going forward. Having her on my team has freed me up so I am not as stressed and have more time to work on my business and do things I love outside of my business.
Challenges from This Year
Personal
- Getting a puppy – I don’t think either Jake or I knew what we were getting into when we brought Lacey home at 8 weeks old. From crate training to potty training and all the training in between, it was not the easiest thing we’ve ever done, but it was totally worth it and we're a stronger couple because of it! We also had many of our friends and family help us train her and watch her as needed and it was wonderful to feel so supported and cared for.
Work
- Communication – It was hard to keep up with consistent communication as my business grew this year. Especially during the summer, I struggled to respond to client emails in a timely fashion because I had so much else on my plate. I really did not like being in that position as it’s my goal to respond to clients within 24 to 48 hours and I felt like I wasn’t providing quality service. Once I realized what was happening, I worked to change it and when I brought Taylor on, it really improved.
- Doing extra work – As a people-pleaser, it’s hard for me to say “no” to my clients and will be a goal of mine to work on in the new year. This mostly relates to scope creep, which is when a client asks you to do things that are not listed in the contract for you to work on. I recently learned that accountants lose over $76,000 each year on out-of-scope work and I don’t want to be a part of that statistic!
- Imposter Syndrome - I’m a part of a bookkeeping group that meets every Friday to celebrate wins and discuss any challenges we may be facing. Even though I get so much out of those calls, sometimes I come out of them feeling like I don’t really know what I’m doing or I’m not doing things the “right” way. But what I’ve learned is that I can’t compare myself or where my business is at in its journey to someone else who has been in business for 10+ years. I have since tried to reframe it as things to work on in 2023, which you can read about below!
Goals for Next Year
Personal Goals
- Read more - I set a goal to read 10 books in 2022 and I did just that! I’m hoping to do 12 this year in some combination of fun reads and business reads. Suggestions are welcome!
- Take action - This year, there were a couple of things that I continually I wanted to do like order my favorite kombucha in bulk or have mulch delivered to my house for my garden beds and I didn't do them! Next year, if it’s within reason, I just want to take action and do the things that continue to remain on my random "want-to-do" list.
- Learn jazz piano - While I don’t think I’m going to be the next Vince Guaraldi, I do want to expand my piano knowledge and get better at improvisation and playing music by ear. I’m very much a by-the-book (aka sheet music) piano player, so this will really take me out of my comfort zone, but in a good way!
Work Goals
- No new clients?? - As of right now, I am super happy with the size of my business and don’t want to take on any new clients. However, knowing myself, I’m sure that will change when I start itching for something new and challenging. I guess a more accurate way to word this goal is to be more selective with the clients I choose to bring on.
- Continuing education - I want to do more training and stay up-to-date with all of the latest and greatest features QBO has to offer. I’m also a part of a value pricing academy and want to attend more of those weekly sessions.
- Improve processes - This will probably be a goal of mine every year as I know processes can continually be improved. The goal this year will be to write down what I currently do (for example - how to onboard a client), and then work to make it better as the year goes on.
- Set Boundaries - As I said above, the people pleasing side of me loves to say yes to almost any and every client request. However, if something is not listed in my client contract, then I want to be firm in saying either “no” to doing it or asking to be paid for the additional service.
As you can see, a lot of great things happened this year and I feel so fortunate to be able to say that. If you continue to follow my journey and support me, I am grateful for you too! I wouldn’t be able to do this without the encouragement I get from so many people so thank you, thank you, thank you!
