Quality Assurance with David Perry

David went to school to be a math teacher but ended up in engineering and getting a math degree. Due to the recession, he got laid off and found himself wondering what to do without a job. He started working at a church and did some of their admin work, which was David’s first real exposure to bookkeeping. One bookkeeping gig turned into another.

[4:45] David realized that bookkeeping was a skill that he could start a business with and since he always wanted to start his own business he thought it might make a good fit. For David, one of his core motivations is building something new.

[6:50] David currently works with 16 monthly clients which he has acquired over the past 15 months since December of 2017. After his first gig with the church, David started searching for ways to create a bookkeeping business and that’s how he found Bookkeeper Business Launch.

[9:40] David established his business and then started building relationships. Those conversations have naturally led to more opportunities with new clients.

[11:10] The only advertising money that David has spent so far has been on his website. Having the site is probably the most important thing he has done for marketing since he’s started.

[12:40] There was a distinct point where David had to make a decision to either go find a job or go all in with his business. After discussing it with his wife they made the decision to jump in. They made a calculated risk and it has paid off for David and his family.

[15:30] The biggest game changer of running his own business has been his ability to spend time with his family and adjust his schedule. Flexibility and freedom are huge.

[17:20] There is tremendous opportunity as a bookkeeper and if you want to succeed, you have to be able to do a good job. Focus on whatever the next thing is that you need to do, don’t get overwhelmed by all the different things you could do.

[19:50] David is now serving small retail operations and currently doesn’t feel the need to hire someone, but if his business keeps growing he’s going to need to bring someone else on and that’s a big challenge for him.

[22:30] David and his wife decided to pick the income level they are going to live at. In terms of vision for what he wants for his business, David wants to be able to work 20 to 25 hours a week while maintaining his income level. You have to really visualize what a day looks like for you in the future in order to build your business in a way that allows you to accomplish your vision. Bring your compelling vision to life.

[28:00] You don’t want to hire somebody, you want the result of what hiring someone will bring. For David, that means taking tasks off his plate that he’s not excited to do. A lot of the everyday routine tasks are the ones that David doesn’t enjoy. Before you can hire someone, you need to have processes in place that they can fit into and processes are one of David’s current weaknesses.

[33:20] Screen capture software is a great way to create videos that convey your processes. For David, he can record the tasks that he normally does for his clients while narrating what he’s doing. Once the videos are created, he can get them transcribed and create a checklist for each task. Cover the major things that need to be done and then you’ve got yourself a process that can be easily implemented. Store it wherever you and your team can access it online.

[40:35] Start with the processes that turn the dial in your business and the ones that you really don’t like doing. Processes are your freedom lever.

[42:30] Transitioning from doing the work to review the work of someone else is a tricky thing, but it can be done. Once you figure it out, you can approach the work from the role of an advisor as well. Be aware that in the midst of the transition it feels like chaos, but it does pass.

[45:50] For each client, write down everything you do for that client over the course of a week. Assess the list for the things that fall under your unique ability, those are the tasks that you’re good at and energize you. Then look for the ones that you are competent at, those are the ones you should start creating processes for and outsourcing to someone else.

[49:30] You’re not looking for an employee in the beginning, you’re looking for a virtual assistant that can handle the task. Start small with the tasks that you really don’t want to do. You can hire them for only 2 hours a month if you need to do so that means you can avoid the pressure of having to keep an employee busy.

[51:50] What are the $10/hour tasks? $50/hour? $1000/hour? Start with the lowest value work at offload that so you can focus on the work that really adds value to your business and your client’s business.

[55:30] An example task that David can hand off to a virtual assistant is managing email. For Ben, his assistant filters through his email every day and saves him 20 to 30 minutes a day. You have to be intentional about outsourcing, keep it simple or it will tend towards chaos. It starts with the task audit, but it’s guided by your vision for your business.

[59:30] David’s action items include doing a task audit, documenting his processes, and then finding someone he can give some of those tasks to. The big item on the list is the one that most people like to skip, creating the vision for his business is the first step.