Have you ever felt like you were drowning in the working world, with a desire to have a more balanced life, but with no way out? Do you dream of having a business that works FOR you, and not the other way around?
In today’s conversation, you’ll hear from my guest Erica Goode, and we chat all about her business, what she does as a certified public accountant, and her experience in my upLIFT Mentormind.
You might think CPAs focus only on taxes, but Erica shares how she focuses on both bookkeeping and CFO work in her clients’ businesses. Erica talks about how her work with her clients is not a once-a-year relationship, but how she meets with them on a monthly basis to talk through their business, what’s happening in the past from their profitability standpoint, and more importantly, what’s going to happen in the future so that they can make confident business decisions based on what she helps them to project cash flow to look like in the future.
Erica goes on to share her heart behind starting her business, and her ultimate desire to have a healthy work-life balance as she focuses on raising her 2 kids.
Key Points Discussed:
- About Erica’s business and what she does on a day-to-day basis
- Erica’s background and how she decided to leave her corporate job in order to start her business
- How Erica realized she missed her work and figured out how to make her business work for her family life balance
- The way Erica landed her very first client
- How faith plays a role in Erica’s business since she does not solely work with Christian businesses
- The difference between being a Christian business and being a Christian business owner
- How to navigate your faith with clients who are not Christians
- Erica’s process of how she works with her clients to help them be able to pay themselves consistently, pay their IRS consistently, and plan for the future
- The importance of consistency from the start of your business when it comes to paying yourself and donating money
- Erica’s favorite part of her business
- How Erica made a point to have her business fit her life, and not the other way around
- Why Erica decided to invest in upLIFT
- The ways that Erica has benefited from being in upLIFT
- The genuine love, care, and encouragement that Erica felt when she attended the upLIFT Retreat
- Practical things that Erica has seen happen in her business as a result of being part of upLIFT
- The importance of having a proprietary process for your business
- How upLIFT might be a good fit for someone not necessarily looking to hit that ‘unicorn’ 6-figure income goal
Quotes to Note:
“That point of burnout was a wake-up call of what I wanted, and really what I thought God wanted for me and where he was directing me was not to stay in the situation I was in.” – Erica Goode
“As fast as the kids grow, that is how fast my business will grow.” – Erica Goode
“When we can pause and ask ourselves ‘Am I happy?’ ‘Am I providing what needs to be provided for my family?’ then the race has been won today.” – Erica Goode
“We start small and consistent, and we grow from there and nothing is silly and nothing is small.” – Erica Goode
“I just love the balance that my business provides me.”- Erica Goode
“In upLIFT, there’s always somebody who knows the answer, there’s somebody with the expertise that I don’t have, and it’s just this beautiful melting pot of wisdom and encouragement.” – Erica Goode
Connect with Erica:
Coaches, Consultants + Money Podcast
Connect with Esther:
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Erica and Esther, thank you so much for this episode – it was exactly what I needed to hear TODAY! Similar to your story, Erica, I left my academic career to have more time at home with my babies. Fast forward a few years, and my firstborn is weeks away from starting Kindergarten; my “accidental” business is now in a season of major growth, and I find myself feeling ALL the feels today. This flood of emotions had me stressed out and down, but within the first 10 minutes of hearing this episode about the different seasons we go through as Mom’s w/businesses and how it is not a race, it helped me refocus on what is important, and that in time the rest will come. God has given me this unbelievable opportunity to be with my kids and grow a business from scratch, and thanks to this episode, that is all back in perspective.
Thank You!
Jessica Evans
Mom & Entrepreneur of Digital Learning Academy