Conversations: Boss It and Turn Dreams Into Reality

Accounting entrepreneurs often find themselves slogging through the daily grind. Focusing on completing client work accurately on time and producing client deliverables can eliminate the ability to see beyond that work… sometimes even eliminating the ability to take a brief look out the window!

Are you ready to eliminate that daily grind? Read on to learn how you can create and turn dreams into reality from accounting thought leader Carl Reader.

Carl is a powerhouse. His experience as a serial entrepreneur, chairman of a business advisory firm, and author of Boss It: Control Your Time, Your Income, and Your Life has led him to be featured regularly in the press and on stage, where he uses those platforms to continue helping business owners like you start or grow their businesses, in straightforward, down-to-earth language.

When asked about the most important lesson that led to his success, Carl responded, “The biggest lesson I've learned along the way is that I'm in control of a whole lot more than I believe I am.” He quickly went on to add, “Now that sounds like motivational fluff. And it's the kind of thing you'd hear on stage.”

But as the conversation continued, it quickly became apparent that no fluff was involved. You, indeed, are in control.

Doors may open, but you choose to go through the door.

As an accountant, Carl developed a specialization in martial arts schools. He found out that martial arts school owners are very focused on their personal development and their own path in life, whether from a spiritual perspective or a traditional self-development perspective. That unique and professional development exposure led Carl to listen to and learn from speakers like Ziglar, Brian Tracy, and Tony Robbins.  

“If I look at my entire path, up to where I am today,” Carl says, “most of it has been done with intention. And whilst opportunities have perhaps opened up along the way, I've had to make the conscious decision to go through those doors.” 

We are in control

We are in control more than we would ever imagine. These days, the news is full of stories about the cost of living or political uncertainties, and we are impacted by our businesses, customers, or family members. It becomes easy to think that these things are happening to you. It becomes easy to believe that life happens to you.  

According to Carl, when you start thinking that way, you risk falling into the idea that you are the victim. It is important to remember that you don’t have to let life happen to you.  

You make your own life. You control where you go in life and how you act on the journey. 

That journey leads many accountants and bookkeepers to build a business that generates enough income, often more than they'd ever imagined that they could. But they find themselves slaves to that income. They work all hours serving their clients but simply have no time to focus on building processes, developing a team, or developing marketing messages.

Think differently, wear a different hat, and view yourself and your business impartially 

A powerful first step is to question the assumptions that you have made about your business. Detach yourself from your business and examine it from the outside. Put yourselves intellectually in the shoes of a respected business leader to define the current state of your business. Then decide what you want your business to be. Finally, create a strategy to get there. 

Implementation requires sacrifice

Business owners who want to turn their dreams into reality attend conferences, read books, and find mentors, hoping for the secret sauce. They may learn strategies to get from here to there, but there is still a gap between learning and implementation.  

“There’s a bit of pain that you need to go through,” Carl says. “The first step is to weigh up which sacrifices you are willing to make.” 

Do you sacrifice income by taking on help (hiring or outsourcing) to take part of the workload? Do you bring on a contractor for technical work? On the other hand, do you sacrifice your own time? Do you work your typical hours with client deliverables and then add an extra two hours in the evening to work on your business?  

Short-term sacrifice is needed to build in the long term. The most important thing, Carl adds, “Whatever route you choose, do it with intention.”  

Work intentionally for six months, so you never have to be in that position again.  

Once you decide how to create the bandwidth to work on your business, create an intentional plan for the next six months. And put everything you've got into it, so you have six months of pain to provide the foundation for your dream.  

The most significant risk, Carl says, “is going into it only half-heartedly, dipping into learning, being motivated, and then not doing anything with it.” Half-hearted effort wastes time and money and, more importantly, creates frustration because you don’t get results.

Here is how to “boss it” and turn your dreams into reality  

• Detach yourself.  

• Examine your practice objectively.  

• Decide intentionally.  

• Allow for short-term pain. 

• Work wholeheartedly.  

Carl Reader has been a speaker at the annual Scaling New Heights conference for many years and always delivers insight and actionable takeaways to attendees. Learn more about Carl and Scaling New Heights; we hope to see you in St. Louis in June 2023!