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Episode 73

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Published on:

8th Mar 2024

Balancing the Books and Life: Transforming Your Accounting Practice for Joy and Profit with Amanda Gascoigne

Have you ever wondered how to transform the endless busy season into a well-balanced, profitable practice?

This episode features an enlightening conversation with Amanda Gascoigne, who shares her insights on creating a more balanced and profitable accounting practice. The discussion covers the importance of selecting ideal clients, the benefits of fixed fee pricing while tracking time for internal purposes, and the strategic use of technology to enhance efficiency. Amanda emphasizes the significance of aligning practice operations with personal goals and values to ensure both professional satisfaction and personal well-being.


[00:00 - 10:45] A Balanced Practice and the Role of Technology and Pricing

  • Amanda discusses the necessity of choosing clients that align with your values and contribute to a joyful practice.
  • Damien Greathead and Penny Breslin talk about the ongoing challenges of managing a busy season and the importance of strategic client selection.
  • The conversation touches on the importance of pricing services correctly to reflect the value provided and to cover the costs of technological advancements.


[10:46 - 20:55] Achieving Work-Life Balance and the Power of Intentional Client Selection

  • They share insights on how to structure your practice to support personal goals, including a four-day workweek and setting boundaries for client communications.
  • Amanda elaborates on the importance of intentionally selecting clients to work with, which not only enhances profitability but also job satisfaction.
  • Strategies for evaluating and adjusting the client base to align with firm values and goals are discussed.


   [20:56 - 31:45] Navigating Challenges and Embracing Technology for Efficiency

  • Amanda discusses the common pitfalls in practice management, such as underpricing and overworking, and how to overcome them.
  • She emphasizes the need for a mindset shift towards more strategic thinking about practice management and client service.
  • Adopting the right technology can streamline operations, improve service delivery, and enhance client relationships.


[31:46 - 44:15] Cultivating a Healthy Work Culture

  • The conversation shifts to the importance of creating a work culture that supports employee well-being and fosters a sense of community.
  • Amanda shares tips on implementing policies that promote work-life balance, such as flexible working hours and remote work options.
  • She shares her vision for the future of accounting practices, focusing on personalized service, technological integration, and sustainable growth.



Direct Quotes:


"You don't need to work for everyone. And you need to work out who are those people that bring you joy, who are those people that aren't going to make you feel like you're always busy." - Amanda Gascoigne


"I always really wanted to go into public accounting...and I think that's the business we're in. We're in the business of building client relationships." - Amanda Gascoigne


"But some people make that real conscious choice...and I think we need to celebrate that, that not everyone wants a million-dollar practice, some people want more flexibility." - Amanda Gascoigne



Connect with Amanda!

Website: https://www.amandagascoigne.com/home 


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Thank you for listening. Please like and share this episode with a friend!

Websites: https://moneypennyllc.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damiengreathead/

Twitter: @Damien_GH

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/penny-breslin-0228b81/

Twitter: @pennyb57


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About the Podcast

Strategy and the Virtual Controller
Helping accounts and bookkeepers build the firm they want, their way
Your hosts Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead have more than 30 years of combined experience in the accounting industry. This podcast is to share their experiences of working in, and consulting to accounting and bookkeeping firms of all sizes, helping them grow.

Nothing discussed will be rocket science, instead they'll be discussing 'how' firms have successfully, and not so successfully, pursued growth. Penny and Damien will be sharing their insights on how firms can be successful by focusing on their people (clients included), their technology, and their processes and systems.

Ultimately how successful an accounting business will be depends largely on how the owners manage change, which alongside taxes appears to be the only constant.

We do want to acknowledge David Maister's great read Strategy and the Fat Smoker: Doing what's obvious but not easy as the inspiration for our title. Buy it on Amazon - https://amzn.to/3dhcUFC

Subscribe today for an upbeat and practical conversation about what's working and what's not in accounting businesses around the world.

About your hosts

Penny Breslin

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Penny Breslin is the founder of MoneyPenny, a consulting firm specializing in helping accounting firms and other businesses embrace the power of technology to simplify their operations and increase their profit margins.

Drawing on her years of experience and her knowledge of what it takes to run a successful business, Penny oversees the development of back office processes for her client firms. From the initial evaluation of the firm’s workflow, to technology selection, and assisting in the on-boarding of the firm’s clients, Penny works with her clients to maximize the benefits of a paperless and cloud-based firm.

Damien Greathead

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Damien has been working in the accounting industry for more than 15 years. In addition to getting his hands dirty preparing tax returns and doing bookkeeping, but the bulk of his experience comes from consulting to both accounting firms and the technology companies that serve the industry.

He set up 2020 Group USA which was a membership group for small and medium sized accounting firms and then went on to set up Receipt Bank (now Dext) in North America.

He regularly speaks to industry bodies on technology, marketing and change management.