Do you know that feeling you get when you meet someone who's excited about and who clearly loves what they're doing, someone who is completely engaged as a leader in running their accounting firm? That joy and enthusiasm is infectious! In this podcast discussion with Jessica Pillow of Pillow May Accountancy, you'll hopefully experience what I did when talking with Jessica – a sense that she loves what she's doing and loves how her firm works, delivering exactly what she wants from leading and running an accountancy business. Now don't get me wrong – Jessica shares some really powerful insights around KPIs, around core purpose and around how that core purpose works for her clients, her team and herself in a deep way. There's something of real value in this podcast discussion. But as much as anything, I hope you get what I got, which was a sense of joy and excitement in talking with someone who loves what they're doing, on a daily basis. Please scroll down this episode page for the contact information for Jessica and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast. |
The Solution:
I think too many people take stuff at face value, they'll just accept a number and whack it through a P11D, without going, hang on a minute… “why have you got a diesel car in the business that's costing you an absolute fortune? You know, you could have an electric car and the cost is much cheaper, or what if you took it out altogether?” That's only one example.
It's about asking questions. It's about being inquisitive because if you don't do that, you're not helping your client properly or understanding your client at all.
And I think accountants are quite shy and think the questions will be silly, but really we do need to just ask questions.
SHOW NOTES
Connect with Jessica
Connect with Paul
Resources relating to this podcast:
During the podcast, Paul and Jessica discuss the importance of the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for her business. Jessica shares her KPIs and the importance of feedback when it comes to making sure that these are achieved.
Feedback ensures that she retains clients and has an engaged team.
Any positive feedback is shared with the member of the team it relates to, and Jessica shares a story of a team member to whom it made a real difference.
If they receive negative feedback, they are 'on it', to use Jessica's words.
Jessica and the team react immediately because she believes that sorting the issue promptly and being proactive about it helps build the relationship with the client, ensuring client retention - one of her KPIs.
Paul shares a story from the Business Breakthrough report 'Healthy Heartfelt KPIs', about miners using canaries in mines to detect the quality of the oxygen. If the canary falls off its perch, the miners have to react immediately - just as Jessica and her team do when they get negative feedback.
What are your KPIs and how strongly linked are they to the performance of your team and to the feedback from your clients?
You don't want to wait until the canary has fallen off its perch.
To read more about the importance of measuring the right KPIs in your firm, click the button below.
Jessica talks about Michael Gerber's book, The E-Myth Revisited, and how it is her ‘business bible’. She shares how she refers to it when embarking on anything new, even citing it as the reason she built her own practice management software. At the time, she could not find one that suited her, until she started using FYI Docs.
If you want to discover more about the book, The E-Myth Revisited, and how it points out how common assumptions, expectations and even technical expertise can get in the way of running a successful business, click the button below.
Jessica also talks about the difference that FYI Docs have made to her business. Below is a link to a recent podcast with Ian Cooper, Head of Operations at FYI Docs. Ian shares this brilliant insight during his podcast: "The tech does the repetitive and mundane (but necessary) work, allowing you to focus on the clients, their businesses and how you and your team can help them realise their goals and dreams."
Something Jessica agrees with.
Here is a link to that podcast: https://humanisethenumbers.online/episode-77-ian-cooper-of-fyi-docs/
And here is the link to FYI Docs: https://fyi.app/uk/
Jessica also discusses the importance of profiling when it comes to recruiting the right people in her team, understanding their strengths and then matching their work to those strengths.
She uses a tool called Insights: https://www.insights.com/products/insights-discovery/
Jessica talks about the importance of B1GI to the work that she and her team do and how it helps to bring their core purpose - Accountants for a Better Life - to life.
Listen in to hear how important giving back is to Jessica and her team: https://www.pillowmay.co.uk/why-us/creating-an-impact/
Here is a link to the charity that Pillow May support from within B1G1, B1G1 & Free To Shine: https://www.freetoshine.org/
And here is a link to the B1G1 website:- https://b1g1.com/