I always wanted to have my own business and teach but did not know how to do both. My mom made me take accounting in high school and I was hooked. It was not until much later in life, that I started working on that goal.
When my husband referred a friend to me for assistance on business taxes and they paid for my services, I realized I had my first client. Several years later, my current job relocated and fired me. I received unemployment and started building my own business. I had fifty clients and did not know how to gain more. But it occurred to me I had all I needed to go out on my own and it was now or never. When I informed my clients, I was now on my own, my client base went from 50 to 80 within 60 days. I had to ask, "why refer now?" Everyone said the same thing – "You were working, had a family, and doing your business in the evening so I thought you were too busy to take on new clients."
"You were working, had a family, and doing your business in the evening so I thought you were too busy to take on new clients."
The biggest challenge I had with starting my own business was that I kept exchanging my knowledge, thoughts, and visions for the opinions of those in my life that had no goals or dreams. Willingly, I accepted their viewpoints without question and ignored my own including my knowledge and training. I assumed everyone knew more than me and they must be right. I did not see it until I attended a Practice Management seminar. The first statement the speaker said was stop letting your clients run your business! Stop letting them tell you what hours to work and how to prepare a return. You are the boss, not your client. That was a game changer for me.
Stop letting them tell you what hours to work and how to prepare a return. You are the boss, not your client. That was a game changer for me.
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