When I start to coach a new client I always start by asking the same question: Why did you start your own bookkeeping business?

The unspoken part of the question is….other than to earn a living.

In other words: What drives you? What is your ‘why’ as Simon Sinek would ask? What is your purpose that you are fulfilling?

These aren’t easy questions. They aren’t the things we think about a lot. But they are at the core of what make a successful business.

The clearer you are – or can become – about ‘why’ you are helping small business owners to understand their numbers (and not just what you do and how you do it) and communicate this to your staff and clients the easier it is to focus on the type of clients you want to serve and the message you must put out in the marketplace.

It is like wiping the frost off a window; you can suddenly see clearly where you want to get to.

I call it finding your gap. It is the essential first step in any coaching programme, but is overlooked by many. Take a moment and write down the ten things you want out of running your own bookkeeping business (things like freedom, flexibility, job satisfaction, fun etc.). Now score each one. How are you doing?