The Ambitious Bookkeeper with Serena Shoup, CPA

The Ambitious Bookkeeper with Serena Shoup, CPA We help bookkeepers grow their businesses.
🎙️The Ambitious Bookkeeper Podcast

I help experienced and aspiring accountants start and grow their own virtual bookkeeping businesses so they can create their ideal life. Over the past few years of running my own virtual accounting firm, I've noticed there is an abundance of small businesses that need help from qualified bookkeepers and accountants so I started mentoring others who had the desire to help these businesses.

10/03/2026

If your business feels stuck, it's usually one of two things.

1. A client problem. You don't have enough of them. And real talk, it's usually because you're not promoting. Get out of your head and into action.

2. A capacity problem. You're operating way over capacity. No time to train a team member. No time to improve a process. Or you just don't want to spend the money on it.

That second one is sneaky. It feels like hustle, but it keeps you perpetually stuck and can drive you straight into the ground.

Training takes time. Better processes take time. Good help costs money. All of it buys your time back. ⏳

Hear more in Ep 252 🎙️
Connect with Katie
https://instagram.com/orderlyaccountingbykatie
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10/01/2026

They're not gonna fire you for not having the answer. 🙅‍♀️

So many bookkeepers avoid advisory because they're scared of getting on a call and getting stumped.

But here's what actually happens.

My guest Katie Ferro was on a call with a client and her two advisors. They asked if the formulas would carry over when exporting a Xero report pack to Excel.

Katie had never done it. So she said, "I don't know. Let me see." And she did it right there on the call.

Nobody cared. Nobody left.

We think we need the answers.

What we actually need is to ask more questions.

Your current clients already trust you. They already know you see everything in their business. That's a huge head start.

Stop standing on the treadmill watching everyone else on the gym floor.

Hear more in Ep 252 🎙️
Connect with Katie
https://instagram.com/orderlyaccountingbykatie
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Things my business allows me the space to do (even when I’m super busy): - be creative & learn a new skill (quilting!)...
09/30/2026

Things my business allows me the space to do (even when I’m super busy):
- be creative & learn a new skill (quilting!)
- drive thru the mountains
- hike & meetup with other bookkeepers
- play piano with my daughter
- play tennis with my kids
- build things in my yard

Going through my photos is a good reminder that even when life felt overwhelming and too busy, I still made time for myself.
Everything is what you make it. 🩵

09/28/2026

While AI tools get smarter, they won't replace the human touch that connects us with clients.

It's not about replacing, but enhancing.

Hear more in Ep 251 🎙️
Connect with Katie
https://instagram.com/orderlyaccountingbykatie
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09/26/2026

Ever wonder why clients switch bookkeepers even when the books are tidy? 🤔

It's often because they feel a gap between numbers and action.

One question can make all the difference: "Do you send monthly reports?"

Do you offer this to your clients? Let us know! 👇

Hear more in Ep 251 🎙️
Connect with Katie
https://instagram.com/orderlyaccountingbykatie
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09/24/2026

I've taken over clients from AMAZING bookkeepers.

Their books were clean. Reconciled. Categorized correctly.

So why did the client leave?

Because they weren't getting reports.

Here's what clients actually want, my friend:
📊 Reports at the same time every month
📝 An explanation of what happened
📩 Someone who emails them back when they have a question

That's it. That's the bar. And it's not always being met.

There is low-hanging fruit, y'all.

Do you send monthly reports? What's in yours? 👇

Hear more in Ep 251 🎙️
Connect with Katie
https://instagram.com/orderlyaccountingbykatie
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09/21/2026

The tool Xero users have been begging for is finally here. And a former bookkeeper built it. 🙌

Hear me out, because this is a big deal.

If you've ever looked longingly at RightTool and thought "why is there nothing like this for Xero?", meet X2Uno. It's a Chrome extension that sits right on top of Xero and makes it dramatically more efficient.

People kept telling him they couldn't leave QuickBooks because Xero didn't have a RightTool equivalent, and he was over tying folks down. So he made one.

I've been using it while I take over some bookkeeping myself, and toggling between a client's many bank accounts went from a headache to easy.

Right now it's free (that won't last forever). Search X2Uno on the Chrome Web Store or grab the link in the show notes.

Xero friends, are you trying this? 👇

Hear more in Ep 250 🎙️
Connect with Mark
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markcorum/
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09/19/2026

Xero reporting: one click.

QuickBooks reporting: export to Excel, add my own formula columns, cry a little. 😮‍💨

In Xero I build a report ONCE at the firm level and run it across every single client. Done.

My one remaining QuickBooks client? Every month I export to Excel and add formula columns by hand, because I want gross profit margin running horizontal, not stuck in a vertical column QuickBooks forces on me. That's an hour of work versus a button.

Hear more in Ep 250 🎙️
Connect with Mark
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markcorum/
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