Running Your Firm When Life Is Loud

THE BESTIE BRIEF

For women bookkeeping firm owners who get it.

Issue No. 3 | July 22, 2026

Title: Do It Scared

Last Thursday we hosted the Half-Time Reset, & I am still buzzing over it. Over 100 of you signed up & showed up (live or replay), and if this issue feels a little extra excited, that's why.

The Half-Time Reset recap

Here's the thing about a room full of bookkeeping business owners: the energy is DIFFERENT. Y'all showed up ready to move the needle in the second half of the year, and you could feel it.

We had so many questions rolling in during the live session that I was answering them in real time, and then even MORE questions kept coming into my inbox afterward. All some version of the same thing: "How do I get more of THIS? More of this kind of support, more of this kind of momentum, more of this room?"

Bestie, that's the Bestie Club. That's exactly what it's built for.

If you missed the Half-Time Reset live or want to rewatch it, grab the replay here.

CEO mindset: audit your first half before you charge into the second

We just closed out the first half of the year, and before you go sprinting into the second half, I want you to actually stop & look back.

Not in a beat-yourself-up way. In a CEO way.

What worked in the first six months? What didn't? Where did you say yes when you should've said no? Where did you play small when you had the goods to go bigger?

Most bookkeepers skip this part. They just keep grinding forward, quarter after quarter, without ever auditing the first half before charging into the second. And then they wonder why year after year looks the same.

A CEO doesn't just work harder in the second half. She works DIFFERENT, because she actually looked at what the data (and her gut) were telling her.

That's exactly what we walked through together at the Half-Time Reset, & it's exactly what's waiting for you inside Bestie Club if you want that kind of audit & accountability built into your business all year, not just once.

Besties making moves

Y'all. The wins this week.

Brandi did her own YTD comparison & realized she's up 32% from last year. THIRTY TWO PERCENT, bestie. Go check your own numbers, because you might be more ahead than you think.

Six of you joined Bestie Club straight off the Half-Time Reset webinar, & you are already making moves in your businesses & soaking up the community. Six! In one week! That's what happens when women who get it decide to stop building alone.

Trisha finished her brand new website (with two full service branches, no less), gave her Facebook & LinkedIn a total refresh, and is gearing up to launch her marketing THIS week. Watch out for her.

Jessica had a great week at a food show she attended & exhibited at. Proof that showing up in rooms outside the bookkeeping world can pay off too.

So proud of every single one of you.

Behind the scenes this summer

Since I know some of you like to see the real, unfiltered version of my life & not just the polished coach version, here's what's actually going on around here.

We are knee deep in an exterior house remodel, which means there is currently a small amount of chaos happening at all times, not to mention tools scattered everywhere!

Our youngest just started driving school this week. How?? How is it that our last two kiddos are going into their sophomore & junior years already?!? I genuinely do not have an answer for you.

The puppies are still keeping us busy, but I will say, the paper towel purchases have gone down significantly these past few weeks. IYKYK.

I'm also gearing up for Mastermind Weekend with my mastermind ladies in Next Level Bestie, and our annual Bookkeeper's Boss Retreat. And of course, the boys start school the day before I fly out for it, because apparently my calendar hates me.

It's a lot. It's also exactly the kind of full, full life I want, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Running your firm when life is loud

School's out, the kids are home, the schedule is chaos, and somehow you're still supposed to be a CEO. Sound familiar? It's my whole summer right now between the remodel, driving school, running two firms and event prep, and I know I'm not the only one.

Here's what's actually keeping my firm running while my life is loud: my team. 100% team. And team only works if it's backed by good SOPs. Without those, "delegating" just means everything still lands back on your desk with extra steps.

I'm also working on something I've ALWAYS struggled with, which is boundaries. I have been the "yes" girl my entire life and it just flowed right on over into my career too. You need me to do that? 'YES of course I can,' without even thinking about it. I'm actively practicing slowing down & thinking before I answer, instead of just reacting with a yes.

The other thing I had to get honest with myself about: I used to feel like I had to look at everything that went out to clients. Every email, every financial, all of it, had to cross my desk first. That didn't make me a better leader, it made me a bottleneck, in both my bookkeeping firm AND my coaching business. I've hired great people. My job isn't to check their work at every turn, it's to actually empower them to do the job I hired them for. I can't do that if everything still has to go through my inbox first.

You deserve a summer too. Your business doesn't have to suffer for it.

📆 What’s coming up

A few things I want on your radar right now:  

🩷 Podcast · August · Relaunch

As promised, we're relaunching the Rescue My Bookkeeping Business podcast and I'm so excited!  Stay tuned for the newest episodes to go live next month.  You can check out our previous episodes here.

🩷 CEO Weekend · October · Key West, Florida

This weekend is focusing on MARKETING. Key West is going to be something special & spots are limited. Sign up here.

🩷 Next Level Year Weekend · December

For the bookkeeper who is DONE winging it & ready to walk into 2027 with an actual plan. Five clients or fifty, if you’re serious about growing your business next year & you want to do the work alongside women who get it, I want you in the room. More details coming soon.

Next issue: Packing my bags, trusting my team & why getting in the room matters more than ever!

I'm literally packing for Mastermind Weekend & annual Bookkeeper's Boss Retreat as this issue goes out, so I'll be talking about what it actually takes to trust your team enough to walk away, and why getting in a room with other CEOs still matters more than ever, even with everything else at our fingertips. Every single time my clients walk away from one of these, something shifts: a mindset breakthrough, a new client, a much needed reset - the list goes on & on. Hope to see you at the next one, bestie.

Before you go

One more thing before you go: head into the Facebook community & drop your name on the post about the FREE CEO Weekend giveaway. If you haven't seen it yet, go find it. You don't want to miss this one. We even pinned it to the Featured Section for you.  Applications end TOMORROW (7/23)!!!

Keep Thriving 🩷

Stephanie