“I had no niche. I didn't know what I wanted to do. I knew the clients I really didn't like to work with. But they were also talking about, ‘You got to find your niche.’ And I'm like, ‘How do you find a niche?’”
-Leslee Hickerson

Leslee Hickerson shares her inspiring journey from a small Ontario town to becoming a successful bookkeeper and consultant specializing in law firms. She reflects on her challenges during the pandemic, her transformative decision to join the Pure Bookkeeping community, and the importance of finding clarity and direction through a niche focus in her business.

In this interview, you'll learn:

• The benefits of specializing in a niche for business success
• The value of certification in elevating your bookkeeping career
• Tips for conquering imposter syndrome & embracing growth opportunities

Connect with Leslee on LinkedIn.

Time Stamp:

00:53 - Leslee's Journey into Bookkeeping
05:58 - Navigating Challenges During COVID
11:56 - Finding Community & Support
17:59 - Narrowing Down to a Niche
24:00 - Transitioning to Advisory Services
29:52 - Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
36:05 - The Importance of Certification & Education

“You think that you're competing against other accountants, but for people who are just starting, you're competing against ‘free’. As far as they're concerned, ‘I've been doing my bookkeeping and I was doing fine and it didn't cost me anything, so why should I pay you?’”
-Keila Hill-Trawick

In this episode, Kyla Hill Treywick, founder and CEO of Little Fish Accounting, shares her journey into accounting and the lessons learned while building a thriving firm. She highlights the value of client relationships, effective team building, and maintaining a strong company culture to drive success.

In this episode, you’ll learn…

• How to overcome challenges in starting & scaling a business with a quality-first approach
• Building a strong team & company culture
• Embracing industry trends focused on collaboration & connection

To learn more about Keila, connect with her on LinkedIn.

Check out her company website here.

Time Stamp

01:37 - Keila’s career shift from corporate roles to launching an accounting firm
04:02 - Starting a business & refining services
07:44 - Overcoming challenges
12:20 - Evolving sales process
18:17 - Importance of diagnostics & addressing client needs up front
23:21 - Transitioning to relationship-focused services
26:28 - Prioritizing sustainable growth & intentional scaling
29:44 - Growing a remote team, managing turnover & fostering a strong company culture
34:27 - Embracing trends like collaboration, niching & human connection in accounting

“As a business owner, as an entrepreneur, I feel like there are 50 million things that I want and need to do all the time. So I find it very easy to get distracted. So I think about what are the top things that I need to put my attention towards, what are the biggest things that I want.  I've got this little sign on my wall up there, ‘Where your attention goes, the energy flows.’ And that has really helped keep me sort of focused. ”
-Stephanie Skryzowski

In this episode, Stephanie Skryzowski, founder and CEO of 100 Degrees Consulting, shares her inspirational journey from aspiring lawyer to leading a global consulting firm for nonprofits. Stephanie discusses how her passion for finance and impactful causes led her to create a thriving business, her innovative strategies for scaling her team, and the lessons she learned from challenges along the way.

In this episode, you’ll learn...

• Overcoming scope creep & setting boundaries for growth
• Scaling a remote team while maintaining a mission-driven focus
• Key lessons in building a niche business with robust systems
  

To learn more about Stephanie, click here.

Connect with her on LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Listen to the Prosperous Nonprofit Podcast here.

Time Stamp

01:03 - Stephanie’s nonprofit finance journey
02:01 - Career pivot from corporate law to nonprofit financial management
07:01 - Importance of accurate bookkeeping for nonprofit growth
10:31 - Landing first clients through targeted outreach
14:01 - Scaling challenges: scope creep, pricing & team growth
27:31 - Team structure changes & effective delegation
32:01 - Lessons from selling a business segment & niche focus
37:01 - Book recommendations, reflections & advice for business owners