Would you consider yourself an influencer in your accounting community? I didn’t. I never thought of myself as an "influencer," but I have practical experience building an accounting firm. It wasn’t until my coach encouraged me to submit a proposal to teach a session at the “Boldly Go” Scaling New Heights conference that I realized I had something to offer other accountants.
Initially, I felt imposter syndrome. Should I accept the challenge? I’m used to teaching entrepreneurs and business owners, but not my peers. What could I offer that would be compelling enough to draw you to my session over the other sessions being taught? I wasn’t confident that I could come up with an idea. I knew I could teach because I’ve been teaching as long as I’ve been in business, but teaching my peers was a different story.
One of my goals is to become a public speaker; I was confident in that ability. However, being judged by my peers was daunting. Still, I took the challenge. I decided to prepare a proposal, but what would I teach my peers? My coach encouraged me to think about my experiences and the lessons I learned from running an accounting firm. These were things I could teach my peers.
I brainstormed and settled on two topics, thinking that if I submitted two, maybe one would be selected. I had to narrow down what would be of value. I’m sure I had experiences I could share with members of the accounting community, helping them bridge gaps in technology, mindset, and technical skills that they have mastered.
I thought about what I could offer and the transformation I achieved, focusing on the pain points shared with my peers. I submitted proposals for Boldly Step Away: Courageous Delegation Strategies for Scaling Your Business and Boldly Connect: Networking Strategies for the Courageous Accountant Even If You’re an Introvert. These two topics transcend the entrepreneurial community and specifically apply to accountants and bookkeepers. Both topics would resonate with accountants and bookkeepers.
When developing the proposal for these topics, I encountered a requirement I hadn’t experienced before: creating objectives that met NASBA CPE requirements. This meant the presentation couldn't be full of fluff; it had to be substantive, with clear objectives for the audience. My goal was to show that you don’t have to stay stuck in these areas.
Well, I submitted two topics, and one was chosen: Boldly Step Away: Courageous Delegation Strategies for Scaling Your Business. When I received the “yes,” I was shocked and then scared. Now, I had to deliver—but I didn’t know how, as I had never been taught this topic before.
However, I had my practical experience to lean on. Over the next few months, I focused on figuring out which lessons would be most impactful for the audience. I thought carefully about the people who would be in the seats. What do they need to know to go from awareness to action?
I’ll go into more detail about the presentation's content in another article, but here, I want to share the process of developing the session. I knew I could confidently speak to Courageous Delegation because I had spent the last four years learning how to do this in my business.
I decided I wanted a business that could run without me, which meant learning how to delegate properly to team members who would own the outcomes. I’ve been able to recruit and find team members who could do just that. People often say I have unicorns, but I don’t. I have regular people who believe in our mission and want to serve our community. I’ve nurtured and empowered them to become unicorns, and you can do the same.
In the days before the conference, I was very anxious. As part of my talk, I would reveal some very personal information that I’d only shared with my family and closest friends. Even up to the night before my session, I was wavering on how to share it. At this point, I had only practiced alone. However, a very good colleague agreed to listen to my presentation, and her feedback gave me the confidence to own it and deliver it. And that’s exactly what I did.
During the session at Scaling New Heights 2024, I felt confident, especially once I got started. When I present, I like to have an engaged audience. The first question I asked was how many of my audience members were solo firms and how many had teams. About 25% of the room were solo, and 75% had team members. The room was filled with ideal participants. I could tell how well the session was going because there was great engagement.
My thoughts immediately after the session were: NO ONE LEFT! Accountants are notorious for walking out of sessions, but you stayed. The session was amazing, and I am so grateful to the peers who supported me before the session started. THANK YOU!
The room was packed; nearly every chair was filled. I don’t take this lightly because there were some amazing sessions at the same time as mine, and you chose to attend mine.
I am deeply grateful for this experience and those of you who attended the session. Throughout the remaining days of the conference, many people approached me to express their gratitude for sharing my story and the lessons I had learned.
As I stood before my peers, sharing my journey and insights, I realized that stepping into the unknown had not only expanded my vision but also deepened my connection with the accounting community.
This experience taught me that we all have unique stories and valuable lessons to share, no matter how ordinary we feel.
So, if you're ever on the fence about public speaking, sharing your knowledge through public speaking, or stepping into a new role, remember this: your story could be the inspiration someone else needs. Embrace the challenge, and boldly go where you've never gone before. Thank you for being part of this journey with me. Let's continue to support and uplift each other as we grow together.