The Better Bookkeeper Show

About The Better Bookkeeper Show

Starting a bookkeeping business can sometimes be… a little scary. You might be new to working for yourself, or you might have been winging it for a while? Maybe you've got a little side hustle bookkeeping business going on... but now you're ready to get down to business. Either way, you don’t have to go through it alone! I’m Lynn Talbott, and I scaled and sold a seven-figure bookkeeping business, I’ve been where you are now. I know the problems you’re facing and I want to share what I had to learn the hard way to help you on your journey. In each episode, I share tips for growing your bookkeeping business in a thoughtful and sustainable way, dealing with client issues that may arise, and managing a team of bookkeepers...if you choose to. I fully believe that anyone has what it takes to make a living from bookkeeping, whether that means being a solo-entrepreneur or building a 7-figure firm like me. So follow along, and let’s get your bookkeeping business where you want it to be! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Lynn Talbott

Category

business · business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

26 Feb 2025

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

42 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 Oct 2026

   Scope Creep in Bookkeeping: How to Protect Your Profit

   Scope creep can quietly turn a profitable bookkeeping client into an unprofitable one. In this episode of The Better Bookkeeper Show, Lynn shares how scope creep cost her bookkeeping firm thousands of dollars and how she finally got it under control. It often starts with good intentions. You want to be helpful. A client calls with an extra question, adds another bank account, hires more employees, changes payroll, or needs additional support. You tell yourself the extra hour will balance out next month. But as the client's business grows, the bookkeeping workload grows with it and if your pricing stays the same, your profit can disappear. Lynn walks through how she reviewed every client's revenue, time, labor cost, and effective hourly rate to identify which accounts were actually profitable and which ones were being hurt by scope creep. You'll learn how to: • Recognize scope creep in your bookkeeping business • Identify underpriced and unprofitable bookkeeping clients • Use time tracking and job costing to understand client profitability • Benchmark clients against your most profitable accounts • Raise bookkeeping rates when the client's business becomes more complex • Communicate price increases without blaming the client • Define exactly what's included in a monthly bookkeeping package • Use contracts to create clear client boundaries • Adjust pricing when clients add employees, accounts, payroll, merchant services, or other work • Protect your profit without sacrificing strong client relationships Lynn also shares what happened when she finally raised prices across dozens of client accounts. She expected some clients to leave but during that first round, not one did. If you've been absorbing extra work because you don't want to “rock the boat,” this episode will help you put numbers behind the problem, communicate more confidently, and build a healthier bookkeeping business. Stop letting scope creep steal your profit. Define the work, price it correctly, and build a bookkeeping business that supports both your clients and you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   16 Sept 2026

   How Much Is Your Bookkeeping Firm Worth?

   What is your bookkeeping firm actually worth? Most bookkeepers don't know and many don't think about business valuation until they're ready to sell. But understanding what makes your bookkeeping business valuable isn't only about preparing for an exit. The same things that can make your firm more attractive to a buyer can also make it more profitable, predictable, scalable, and easier to run today. In this episode of The Better Bookkeeper Show, Lynn Talbott draws from her experience building, scaling, and selling her own bookkeeping firm to explain how bookkeepers can start thinking differently about the businesses they're building. Instead of simply focusing on getting more clients and increasing top-line revenue, Lynn challenges bookkeepers to think of their firms as assets they're building over time. She begins with two simple ways to ballpark the value of a bookkeeping or accounting firm: 1× annual revenue or 3× net profit Then, Lynn walks through 8 key value drivers that can strengthen a bookkeeping firm: • Clean, credible financials • Predictable revenue • Strong cash flow and accounts receivable • No single point of failure • A defined niche • Strong client retention • Room to grow • A firm that can operate without its owner Lynn also shares lessons from selling her own bookkeeping firm, including how recurring monthly clients, referral relationships, profitability, employees, onboarding processes, and standard operating procedures influenced the business she ultimately sold. You'll also learn why predictable recurring revenue can be so important, how strong client retention can demonstrate the health of your firm, and why having every process live inside the owner's head can make a business harder to transfer. In this episode, you'll learn: • How to estimate the value of a bookkeeping firm • Two simple bookkeeping business valuation calculations • The 8 value drivers Lynn recommends tracking • Why recurring monthly revenue matters • How profitability affects business value • Why client retention should be measured • How referral relationships can strengthen your firm • Why buyers value businesses that aren't dependent on the owner • How SOPs and documented processes make a firm more transferable • Why scalability and available capacity matter • Lessons Lynn learned from selling her own bookkeeping firm • How to start building a sellable bookkeeping business before you're ready to sell Whether you're planning to sell your bookkeeping firm in three years, ten years, transfer it to a family member, merge with another firm, or never sell at all, understanding what drives its value can help you build a stronger business today. Your bookkeeping firm isn't just a job. It's an asset you're building. And the decisions you make today can create more profitability, flexibility, and freedom tomorrow. Learn more about The Sellable Bookkeeping Firm, Lynn's 180-day resource designed to help bookkeeping business owners work through these value drivers step by step. And if you'd like support from other bookkeepers working to build stronger businesses, join Lynn inside the Bookkeepers Training Circle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   2 Sept 2026

   How to Manage Multiple Bookkeeping Clients From Home

   What does a typical day really look like for a work-from-home bookkeeper? In Part 2 of our Day in the Life of a Bookkeeper conversation, Lynn Talbott continues her interview with Ashley Lamar Morris of Purrrfect Bookkeeping to explore the routines, systems, and workflows behind running a solo bookkeeping business from home. Ashley walks us through her daily and monthly bookkeeping workflow, explaining how she manages approximately 20 clients while keeping her workload organized and manageable. From checking emails and reviewing her own books first thing in the morning to requesting client statements, reconciling accounts, managing uncategorized transactions, following up on missing information, delivering reports, and scheduling client meetings, Ashley breaks down how her bookkeeping workflow changes throughout the month. She also shares the simple color-coded Google Sheets system she uses to manage her bookkeeping clients and quickly identify which accounts need attention, which are waiting on client information, and which are completely closed for the month. Lynn and Ashley also tackle an important question for independent bookkeepers: When should you bill clients for emails and additional questions? They discuss the difference between answering a quick question and spending 10–15 minutes researching transactions, reviewing financial reports, and preparing a detailed response and how to make sure you're compensated for your time without making clients feel nickel-and-dimed. In this episode, you'll learn: • What a typical day looks like for a work-from-home bookkeeper • How to organize a monthly bookkeeping workflow • How to manage multiple bookkeeping clients • Email and task management strategies for solo bookkeepers • How to prepare for month-end bookkeeping • How to manage client statements and missing information • A simple Google Sheets system for bookkeeping client management • When bookkeepers should charge for emails and additional work • Hourly billing vs. monthly bookkeeping pricing • How to use downtime for bookkeeping training and professional development • Productivity strategies for working from home • Why multitasking can hurt your focus • How to build a bookkeeping business that fits your lifestyle Whether you're a new bookkeeper, virtual bookkeeper, solo bookkeeper, or already running a bookkeeping business from home, this episode offers practical strategies you can use to improve your workflow, manage your clients more efficiently, and create a business that works for you. Thank you to our guest Ashley. You can reach out to Ashley at purrrfectbookkeeping.com If you're looking for a community of bookkeepers who understand what it's like to build and run a business, join us inside the Bookkeepers Training Circle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Who has been a guest on The Better Bookkeeper Show

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Laura Strobel
• Ashley LaMar-Morris
• JOE DENNER
• Ronna-Renee Jackson
• Stacey Nolan

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

7,198

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

5 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 50 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

57

Social presence

0

YouTube

74

Engagement

32

Contact The Better Bookkeeper Show

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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