Chaos is a practice killer. When processes are vague, your team improvises—and that usually ends in unhappy clients and stressed owners. That’s the hard truth shared in the Successful Bookkeeper Podcast interview, with David Cristello of Jetpack Workflow.
1. Capture Your Knowledge Before It's Lost
Your experience lives in your head—until someone leaves or gets sick. Without documentation, understanding and execution crumble.
Quick Win:
Open a Google Doc and detail every bookkeeping task—bank recs, month-end reports, client communication. Just one process is enough to start building momentum.
2. Great Processes = Great Product
Your service quality is only as strong as your systems. Inconsistent task delivery leads to errors, delays, and poor client satisfaction.
Quick Win:
Pick a core offering (e.g. reconciliation), map out each step, define roles, and set internal deadlines. Then train your team to follow it exactly.
3. Involve Your Team from Day One
When staff contribute to building systems, buy-in and ownership grow. If systems feel top-down, compliance and results lag.
Quick Win:
Host a workflow session: walk through a recent project, ask “How did you do this?”, then document collectively. Iterate together.
4. Automate Using the Right Tools
Streamlining is easier with tools like Jetpack Workflow—but only if your workflows are defined first. Start by mapping, then automate repeating steps like reminders, checklists, and file organization.
Quick Win:
Use task software to trigger prompts—e.g., When bank files arrive, the task auto-creates reconciliation and alerts a staff member.
Final Takeaway
- Download your brain into living SOPs.
- Link quality to structure—quality falls when systems fail.
- Co-create with your team—they’re your best insight source.
- Let tools support—not replace—your process.
Start small. Document one high-value workflow, run it with your team, refine it, then automate what you can. Over time, your practice becomes calmer, more efficient, and scalable—one documented process at a time.
For more great content, check out The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast!
