Emma James of The Number Ninja is a successful business owner who has built her own bookkeeping practice from the ground up. Despite not initially enjoying networking events, she attended every one she could in order to find clients and grow her business. This persistence paid off, and within the first six months of starting her practice, she was able to refine her target client base, which allowed her to quickly move on clients who were not the right fit for her business.
One of Emma’s key challenges was finding a way to grow her business without having to bring on additional staff. She was keen to work alone and leveraged technology and automation to help streamline her processes and increase her efficiency, allowing her to handle more clients without having to increase her headcount.
However, due to changes in her personal circumstances, Emma decided to bring on a team member. By reviewing her cost base, Emma was able to maintain and increase her profitability. Her focus on technology and automation meant she was already systemised and these systems made it easy to bring a team member onboard whilst managing challenging circumstance.
The recent recession has been a challenge for many businesses, but Emma has been able to weather the storm thanks to her commitment to providing high-quality service to her clients. She has also been able to maintain her focus on her target client base, which has helped her to stay afloat during these difficult times.
Emma’s story is an inspiration for anyone looking to start their own business. Despite challenges and obstacles along the way, she has been able to build a successful and profitable bookkeeping practice, and is now working on her goal of removing herself from the bookkeeping work as much as possible. Her commitment to providing high-quality service and leveraging technology has been key to her success.
Time Stamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:00 Why Emma started her practice
3:40 How Emma found her first clients
7:30 How Emma refined her ideal client in her early days in business
10:00 How Emma has leveraged software to be a sole practitioner
15:30 How Emma changed her practice to bring other onboard
26:00 How Emma grew her practice despite not working in it
35:00 How systems helped Emma grow her practice
