Issue #22 - New year, same ol' busy season
Still sharing files via email and public WiFi? Plus a fun interview with the Dancing Accountant
Welcome to "Get Work Done," where we discuss the complexities of efficiently running accounting and bookkeeping firms. Brought to you by Financial Cents and delivered to your inbox every 2 weeks.
Small change, big difference
Happy New Year!
And welcome to the same ol’ busy season where the endless back-and-forth of file sharing between you, your team, and clients becomes just another part of the routine.
Here’s the thing—it’s easy to allow file sharing via any channel, especially after endlessly chasing clients for just one document. But let’s weigh the cons:
Increased Risk of Data Breaches
Emails make sensitive client information vulnerable to hackers, putting your firm at risk.Lack of Centralized Document Management
Without a single source of truth for client documents, staying organized and efficient becomes a challenge.Exposure to Cyber Threats
Your firm is more susceptible to ransomware and malware attacks without secure systems in place.Wasted Time on Administrative Tasks
More time is spent chasing clients for documents instead of focusing on completing valuable work.
So, what changes can you make to see a big difference? Find out here or click any of the links below:
Communities 🫶
Bookkeepers Business Incubator
Annual planning retreat with Justine Lackey. January 10, 2025.
Ready to take control of your business and accelerate your growth faster than you ever dreamed possible? Then grab one of the first spots to VELOCITY 2025. Velocity is Justine Lackey’s FREE annual planning virtual retreat for bookkeepers and accountants who are SO DONE with task overwhelm, to-do list drama, and missing their goals every year. If you are an action taker, join her on January 10th, 2025, for this half-day retreat and get ready for REALLY BIG THINGS to happen in your business.
Counter Community
Logan Graf’s Counter community for new and aspiring accounting firm owners has a lot of exciting things planned for January. Check them out below:
Book Club - The Four Conversations. This book will be helpful for firm owners because it offers strategies to enhance how to sell your services and position yourselves as trusted experts.
Masterminds: Small, curated groups of 4–6 members, matched based on the information you provide in the signup form.
Upcoming Events:
1/13 - An outside expert will be sharing how to delegate work.
1/21 - Ashley Francis will be leading a session on trusts.
1/27 - Session with a non-accountant firm owner who will share their perspectives on building an accounting firm that includes FP&A services.
H🔥t today
Will You Make Good on Your New Year’s Resolution?
Stefanie Fernandez approaches productivity with a spirit of experimentation. In 2020, she briefly explored bullet journaling and even began The Artist’s Way (though it remains unfinished). She observes YouTube creators modeling seemingly perfect lives with a mix of admiration and skepticism, questioning whether their strategies genuinely work.
Drawn to Sunday reset routines and productive day-in-my-life vlogs, Gonzalez has crafted her own methods for tackling goals. For tasks like synthesizing ideas from books, she breaks them into smaller, manageable pieces, utilizes time-blocking, and motivates herself with an unconventional set of rewards. She also employs techniques like the Pomodoro method to maintain focus.
Her approach highlights the value of trying different strategies, emphasizing that productivity is often about discovering what works best for each individual rather than adhering to a single, universal system.
Culled from Stefanie Fernández's article for HBR.
Life’s Better with a Little Groove: How Nancy McClelland Brings Her Fun Personality to Accounting
It’s a sunny afternoon in a Chicago park.
The sound of 1960s classics fills the air as children, giggling and wide-eyed, learn to master the art of go-go dancing. A woman in tall white boots and a retro miniskirt leads the way, exuding charisma and charm. But she’s not just any dancer. She’s back to the numbers and navigating tax codes when she steps off the stage.
That’s Nancy McClelland—The Dancing Accountant.
For her, dancing isn’t just a hobby; it’s an extension of who she is.
Financial Cents recently spoke with her about how she brings a sense of joy, creativity, and humanity to every endeavor, from her hyper-local focus on small businesses in Logan Square to her nationwide virtual firm and teaching platform.
When you let your light shine, you unconsciously give others permission to do the same,” Nancy says. “That’s the legacy I hope to leave: a world where people feel free to be themselves and make a positive impact in their own way.”
Read Nancy’s inspiring interview.
A humble ask 🥺 🙏
Help shape the 2025 State of Accounting Workflow and Automation
Join hundreds of accounting professionals by taking our 5-minute survey. Your insights on workflow trends and automation are invaluable.
As a thank-you, you’ll be entered to win one of two $250 Amazon gift cards! 🎉
Click to share your input and help uncover what’s working, what’s not, and how we can all work smarter.
Swipe this workflow template
Swipe this T1 Tax Return (Canada) checklist template by Alain Mainville and T2 - Corporate Tax Return (Canada) checklist template by Jolene Goodwin
Get more templates from firm owners like you in our community template library.
Meme
Relatable?
Noteworthy
Top 25 Accounting Conferences to Attend in 2025
Taking your accounting firm to the next level requires you to make certain investments in your and your team's professional development. One of the best ways to do this is by attending conferences.
Accounting conferences provide opportunities to learn from other industry experts, network with other professionals, discover new technologies, and stay up to date on the latest trends in the field —all of which will help you scale your firm.
Moreover, partaking in these events is a great way to earn free CPE credits to maintain your certification and practice license. In essence, you get to learn while fulfilling your professional requirements.
A win-win situation!
In 2025, some must-attend conferences should be on your calendar. So, in this article, we’ve compiled the top 25 accounting events you should consider attending in 2025.
Here’s our list of the top 25 accounting conferences you should consider in 2025
Essential Risk Management Mantras for Your Everyday Practice
As a CPA, you know that client situations can often be tricky and challenging. The Accountants Risk Control team at CNA, the underwriter of the AICPA Professional Liability Insurance Program, speaks with thousands of CPAs like you every year to provide advice and guidance. Over time, certain catchphrases have emerged as common solutions—these have become our risk management mantras.
January offers you a fresh start, a chance to reflect on the past and set your intentions for the year ahead. As you enter the new year, consider incorporating these risk management mantras into your daily routine to navigate challenges with confidence and clarity.
Culled from Sarah Beckett Ference’s article for the Journal of Accountancy.
Until Next Time,
