"The mission was always to build a million dollar bookkeeping firm. Our goal was to grow a large bookkeeping firm with clients and staff across Canada. That's what we wanted to do. And that's kind of what we are now."
–Teresa Slack

In part one of this special four-part series, Teresa Slack, co-founder of Financly Bookkeeping Solutions, shares the honest story of launching a virtual bookkeeping firm in 2014 with big goals, low pricing, and no clear path to profit. She shares how her business grew fast and looked successful on paper, but behind the scenes the pressure was intense as underpricing, early hiring, and years without owner pay slowly drained the firm and took a personal toll.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why rapid client growth exposed serious pricing & margin issues
• What really happens when you hire staff before fixing your business model
• How fear, stress & lack mindset show up when owners stop paying themselves

To learn more about Teresa, click here & email her at teresa.slack@teresaslack.ca.

Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Pure Bookkeeping.

Subscribe to the Value Pricing Academy YouTube channel.

Join VIP list for free training from Mark Wickersham here.

Get your free copy of How to Price Bookkeeping eBook (the tool Teresa used to turn her business around).

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Time Stamps

01:14 – Launching a virtual bookkeeping firm in 2014
03:15 – Using cloud tools & early adoption of QuickBooks Online
03:35 – Running free financial literacy seminars to attract clients
04:01 – Growing from five clients to dozens across bookkeeping, tax & consulting
04:21 – Feeling overwhelmed & deciding to hire staff
05:09 – Charging hourly rates that left no room for profit
06:06 – Paying staff & overhead while taking no income
07:03 – Driving hours to Toronto to build a client base
08:25 – Why the numbers looked good but the business wasn't healthy
08:44 – The original vision to build a million-dollar firm
09:50 – Not getting paid & questioning personal success
10:34 – Realizing they needed help but feeling unable to afford it
11:16 – Fear, lack mindset & pulling from savings to make payroll
12:39 – The emotional strain of running a business with a sibling
13:18 – Creating "business hat" conversations to manage conflict
14:20 – Keeping communication open during stressful seasons
14:43 – What's coming next in part two

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