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Episode 53

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Published on:

28th Mar 2023

Navigating The Challenges Of Outsourcing

In this episode, Damien and Penny discuss their recent travels and their experiences with outsourcing and hiring employees. They share their stories of exploring different cultures, meeting new people, and experiencing new things. They emphasize the importance of proper organization and onboarding processes when it comes to hiring employees or outsourcing work.

They discuss how clear communication, space for brainstorming ideas, and proper documentation of processes can avoid situations where clients send work that is not aligned with what was promised. They cover topics such as the importance of onboarding and training when hiring new employees and outsourcing work.


Tune in as Damien and Penny to learn more about outsourcing and hiring employees!


[00:01 - 01:07] Opening Segment

  • The conversation is about outsourcing and hiring employees, emphasizing the importance of proper organization and preparation before bringing on new team members
  • Their recent hiring experiences and the importance of onboarding programs for new employees


[01:08 - 14:57] Navigating The Challenges Of Outsourcing

  • Outsourcing operations have high expectations and little room for error
  • Some firms are not prepared for outsourcing despite claiming to be
  • Communication breakdowns can occur when different people are involved in the process
  • Process and procedures are crucial for successful outsourcing
  • Communication and understanding are key to resolving issues in outsourcing


[14:58 - 23:47] The Importance Of Onboarding And Workflow Management

  • A story where an employee was unprepared to do a task, leading to an apology and a promise to fix
  • Recording of training sessions for audit trail and better preparation
  • Importance of individual user accounts for security and control
  • Learning opportunities from mistakes and open communication between parties
  • Hiring employees or outsourcing work requires setting them up for success


[23:48 - 34:00] Closing Segment

  • Damien and Penny to listeners that workflow and task management tools are becoming increasingly important for smaller firms to successful


Tweetable Quotes

“Don't beat yourself up when things fall through the cracks… And use it as a learning opportunity.” - Penny Breslin


“Being prepared before this person walks through the door. And what those first minutes, hours, and days are going to be and hint, hint, it's not billable.” – Damien Greathead


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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.