[00:00:00] Welcome to the Business BFF, the podcast where fierce and fabulous business women come together for the kind of real talk and honest advice only your besties would give. I’m your host, Emma Bowdler, founder of The Women’s Accountant, and I’m here to help you navigate the wild world of business, finance, and life, whether you’re scaling up Starting fresh or just need a pep talk from someone who gets it, you’re in the right place.

[00:00:28] So grab your favorite bevy and get comfy. It’s time for a chat with your Business BFFs. Welcome to episode number one of the Business BFF podcast. I still cannot believe that we are actually doing this. It’s something that the team and I have been talking about for a really long time. And now for us just feels like the perfect time to hit record.

[00:00:56] So in today’s episode, I’m going to share with you [00:01:00] why we finally decided to get on the podcast train, what this show is all about and what you can expect from us in future episodes. Thanks guys. Let’s dive in.

[00:01:17] So why is now the right time for us to hit go on a podcast? Now, this is something that, as I mentioned in the intro that I’ve been thinking about for a really long time. And I think for me, it boils down to three, three reasons as to why is now the right time. So number one is that I believe that the typical business advice floating around out there doesn’t work for everyone.

[00:01:44] And more importantly, it does not work for us as women who were juggling a million roles. What I continue to hear is that same old cookie cutter advice, you know, that to be a successful business, all you need to do is [00:02:00] hustle harder or scale faster. And it always seems to be that do, do, do. That’s not the way it should be, you know, I’m a firm believer in that we all have the ability to create really beautiful, profitable, sustainable businesses when we are creating businesses that align with our values.

[00:02:23] Building a business isn’t about following someone else’s formula. It’s about figuring out what success looks like for you and creating a business that works on your terms. Now, I can’t tell you the number of clients that I’ve worked with that have come to me absolutely wiped out, trying to squeeze themselves into a business model that just abso friggin lutely was not designed for them to start with.

[00:02:50] So, you know, we do have the ability to change that. The second reason is that after 18 years being [00:03:00] in accounting, so I started in the industry in 2006. I think I started, yeah, I started my first accountancy practice in 2009, so a really freaking long time, is that women feel so much pressure to, you know, be everything to everyone and have everything under control.

[00:03:25] Now, you know, during my time, you know, as a business advisor, what I know to be true, and I know it’s true because I see the back end of these businesses, is that no one ever completely has everything under control. So don’t think you’re alone out there. You know, when things do go wrong, you are absolutely not the only one.

[00:03:51] And most business owners experience some kind of uncertainty at some point in time. Now, the third one. [00:04:00] It’s going to come across as a little bit ranty and I’m happy for it to be that way. You know, I’m an avid podcast listener and I listen to a lot of business podcasts. You know, I love to learn and I love to learn from other people, but what has come up for me over the last, you know, probably 12 months is that there are a lot of people out there giving tax and business advice that is absolutely wrong.

[00:04:31] And I’ve called a couple of them out. Actually, I’m not going to delve into that too much here. I’ll keep that for another episode, but you know, I think it’s really important when we’re consuming information to make sure we’re getting information from the correct sources. Because, you know, some of the things that I’m hearing out there are just wrong.

[00:04:51] And from a tax and compliance point of view, it has the ability to get people into a bit of trouble. So that’s [00:05:00] it. That’s our three top reasons for creating this podcast. And, you know, it’s our way of having really honest, no BS conversations. So the kind of conversations that you’d have with your girlfriends over the weekends and, and, you know, whenever you’re out and about, but, you know, it’s going to be about all the good, the bad, and the ugly of running a successful business.

[00:05:28] And it’s my genuine hope that you can take some of the lessons that I’ve learned along the way, and some things that I’ve learned from others, that you can take some of those insights. away and apply them to your own business so you can build a business by design and a business that works for you on your terms.

[00:05:51] Thanks for tuning in to The Business BFF. We hope you found this episode equal parts big hug and kick up the bum. [00:06:00] All the things a bestie is good for. Remember. You’ve got this, and we’ve got your back like only a BFF can. If you’ve loved what you’ve heard, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your fellow business besties.

[00:06:15] Don’t forget to follow us on social media at The Women’s Accountant for more tips, tricks, and behind the scenes fun. Until next time, keep being fierce and oh so fabulous.