“Set your rules, stick to your rules, and only take clients that play by the rules. We call it rules of engagement.“
-Dida Clifton

Dida Clifton, a former US Air Force veteran and founder of The Office Squad, shares her inspiring journey from military operations to running a successful bookkeeping business. She opens up about tackling challenges like pricing, hiring, and networking while revealing how her military background shaped her leadership style and company culture.

In this interview, you’ll discover:

• Proven pricing strategies to reflect your true value
• Smart hiring & training practices to build a strong, aligned team
• How outsourcing can help you scale without sacrificing quality

Tune in to learn actionable strategies to overcome challenges, build your dream team, and create a flexible, scalable business model for long-term success.

To find out more about Dida click here.

Time Stamps

00:40 - From Military to Business: Dida's Journey
02:45 - Building the Office Squad: Strategies & Growth
06:45 - Pricing Strategies: Lessons Learned
09:15 - Networking: The Key to Business Growth
12:51 - Peer Groups: Support & Growth
14:49 - Military Influence: Leadership & Culture
19:58 - Systems & Processes: The Military Way
22:15 - Hiring & Culture: Finding the Right Fit
24:39 - Outsourcing: A Different Approach
27:53 - The Future of Bookkeeping: A Hybrid Model

“What I now do is I change the word 'problem' to the word 'situation' and when I change that one word, it just flips something in my brain where I can now work on it and it turns it into something objective and something almost like, ‘okay, I can do something about this now’.”
-Bernadette McClelland

Sales coach and consultant, Bernadette McClelland shares her powerful journey from corporate sales to entrepreneurship, revealing the hard-earned lessons learned from overcoming bankruptcy and self-doubt.

During this interview, you'll also learn…

• Actionable insights on building resilience, reframing challenges & viewing disruption as an opportunity for growth
• Shift from selling to serving
• Ways to build a strong support network & commit to continuous improvement

Tune in to this inspiring episode to discover how to turn setbacks into stepping stones and transform your approach to business and life!

To find out more about Bernadette, click here.

Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Time Stamps

02:57 - Journey Through Corporate to Consultancy
05:56 - Lessons from Bankruptcy
09:11 - Reframing Problems as Situations
11:53 - The Power of Disruption
15:00 - Embracing Anti-Fragility
18:04 - The Evolution of Business Mindset
26:40 - Embracing the Present & Future Mindset
30:58 - The Importance of Mental Downtime
39:03 - Transforming Sales into Service

"The fear of speaking isn't a random thing, but rather it's pointing to experiences in our past that led us to believe it's not safe."
-Linda Ugelow

In this episode, we’re joined by Linda Ugelow, a speaking empowerment coach and author of Delight In The Limelight, who turned her own fear of public speaking into a mission to help others find their voice. Linda shares the key mindset shifts that build confidence, showing how confronting past experiences and silencing negative self-talk can unlock powerful communication skills.

In this interview, you'll learn how to...

• Conquer public speaking fears through self-reflection
• Replace negative self-talk for better communication
• Improve speaking with better posture, voice & delivery

Whether you want to feel more at ease in front of an audience or in daily conversations, her insights are invaluable for anyone looking to speak with greater confidence and clarity.

To find out more about Linda, click here.

Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Time Stamps

00:20 - The Importance of public speaking
03:13 - Linda's journey & the root causes of fear
08:55 - Clearing past experiences & healing the inner critic
16:32 - Enhancing communication skills: posture, voice & delivery
23:43 - The impact of effective communication on personal & business relationships
29:16 - Linda's book & podcast

"I just remember thinking even early in my life like I want to be able to help people figure out their path someday and create successful businesses."
-Lauren Shippy

In this episode, we dive into the entrepreneurial journey of Lauren Shippy, founder of StoryWork, as she reveals the secrets behind her success.

During this interview, you'll learn:

• The importance of a clear vision & purpose for business success
• How aligning time and priorities reduces distractions
• The role of habits and routines in reaching goals

Whether you're a seasoned business owner or just starting out, this conversation is packed with insights into the power of habits, routines, and strategic clarity!

To find out more about Lauren, click here.

Connect with with her on LinkedIn.

Time Stamps

00:43 - Lauren discusses her background & career journey
03:14 - Finding clarity & strategy in business
08:22 - The importance of leadership & adaptability
10:23 - Eliminating distractions & staying focused
18:32 - The power of habits & routines
24:38 - Valuable resources for business owners

• The value of AI in levelling the playing field
• How to leverage technology in your business
• The importance of embracing technology as it shifts

“Everybody has to find their own way to reduce their stress…what works for me may not work for you.”
-Tiffany Cagwin

We all experience stress, it is a fact of modern life. But our bodies cannot adapt to our changing world at the same place as the demands we place upon them. There comes a time when we all have to stop and ask ourselves if everything we are grinding for is truly worth the cost to our health and well-being.

There is nothing wrong with working hard to provide the kind of life for ourselves and our families that we have always dreamed of. But there needs to be balance, making it to the goal, but realizing we are in pieces is often the final nail in our sense of physical and mental well-being.

Tiffany Cagwin, executive leader and transformation coach, is this episode’s featured guest. She has spent her career applying her skills, knowledge and life experiences to help others find better long-term health.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of making small changes for a big difference
• How stress is impacting our health
• The importance of listening to your health, not everyone else’s

Whether you are already doing your best to work through health challenges, or just starting to notice things are getting harder, this episode will help you!

To find out more about Tiffany, click here.

Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Time Stamps

01:33 - Tiffany discusses her career journey
08:33 - Coming to terms with life’s challenges
10:42 - Managing our stresses
18:23 - Getting back on track
26:51 - No one size fits all
34:50 - Learning more about Tiffany

This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Dext!

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Imagine having more time to focus on what truly matters, like helping your clients, growing your firm, or taking a well-deserved break. With Dext, you can trust that data is accurately extracted, categorized, and submitted every time.

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• The importance of getting connected
• How to build on existing relationships
• The value of thinking outside the box

To find out more about Tanya, click here.

Connect with her on LinkedIn.

“What I realized only years later, in doing collaborations is that I had to stop assuming I knew what someone thought I was worth, or what they were getting is worth.”
-Tanya Fox

There exists a damaging belief in business that if we aren’t the ones handling every aspect of our work, that we aren’t successful. As much as we might like to believe we can do everything alone, trying to live this way is a surefire way to burn out.

Working with others is scary, handling employees is hard enough, but working with service partners and collaborators is even more fear-inducing. How do we know who is right for our business, who gets where we are coming from and what if they don’t care or apply as much effort as you think they should to our businesses?

Working with others can be a nightmare, but it can also be an incredibly beneficial and rewarding experience. One where all parties can see the kind of positive results that could never have been achieved if they hadn't worked together.

Tanya Fox, bookkeeper, business coach and author of How to Collaborate, is the featured guest in the first of a two-part series. In part one, Tanya discusses her early days in business, how powerful collaboration can be, and why we each need to find our own path to collaborative success.

If you want to work with others but are jaded by bad past experiences, or maybe you don’t feel like what you have to offer is worth the effort of others, then this is the episode that will help you let go of always deciding you aren’t good enough.

During this interview, you'll learn...

• The value of knowing it’s okay to change your mind
• How collaboration can change your business
• The importance of failing forward

To find out more about Tanya, click here.

Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Check out her website at this link.

Time Stamps

01:44 - Tanya discusses her career journey
07:08 - Learning to collaborate
13:46 - Finding your ideal partners
17:19 - Charting your own course
24:07 - Going back to basics

This episode is brought to you by our great friends at Hub Analytics!

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Hub Analytics is a financial platform that streamlines bookkeeping operations, so you can focus on what really matters—delivering high-quality results for your clients. With Hub's easy-to-use tools, you’ll save time, reduce errors, and gain deeper insights into your clients' financials!

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