November 23, 2025 • 39 mins
We trace Melissa’s move from overwhelmed solo CPA to booked-out fractional controller using a gateway offer, a short solo podcast, and thoughtful digital networking. Practical steps, real numbers, and a system any service founder can adapt without a big budget.
• launching a service business after corporate
• early marketing missteps and lessons learned
• the strategic spark and defining a gateway offer
• email list basics and simple CRM choices
• short solo podcasting with AI-assisted scripting
• street team tactics for early reviews and reach
• practical lead magnets that DIY audiences love
• parasocial trust and authentic brand voice
• niche communities and curated LinkedIn pods
• turning content into discovery calls and clients
• designing a service staircase for scale
• how to contact Melissa and work with her
Head down to the show notes page and I for the waitress to join the tiny marketing club where you get to work one on one with me with training, feedback, and pop up coaching that will help you scale your marketing as a B2B service business
My Booked Out Blueprint starts with a private 45-minute interview where I learn your business, your goals, and what’s actually holding you back. From that, I create a custom roadmap showing your best route to booked out—no fluff, just clarity. It’s $397, and if you move forward into Booked Out in Six, that $397 is fully credited. Book Yours Here.
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Over the next Ten Days, we will launch and sell our Gateway Offers with the goal of reaching booked-out status!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:37):
Service businesses.
Do more with black.
Learn new actionable organicmarketing strategies you can
implement today.
No fluff, just powerful growthtactics at work.
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Hit that subscribe button andstart growing your business with
tiny marketing.
SPEAKER_00 (00:56):
Melissa Armstrong, Ms.
CBA, Fractional Controller, andnope, I don't do Texas.
SPEAKER_01 (01:04):
Yay! So Melissa has been in the Tiny Marketing Club
since last January.
And she's gonna talk a littlebit about her time inside of the
club and then how it kind ofbounced her into this role as a
digital networker, teachingother people how to how to do
(01:27):
it.
Because you really are themaster.
You're so good at it.
SPEAKER_00 (01:30):
Oh my gosh.
Um, I I think it's wild thatit's about to be a year since
we've known each other.
I know.
I remember I got into TMC bybuying into your um Black
Friday.
Yes, which you extended untillike your birthday.
It was kind of like your wholecelebration.
(01:53):
Um yeah, it was a January start.
And so if I think about likeeverything that has happened in
this year, it's like a lot.
It seems like three years havegone by.
SPEAKER_01 (02:04):
Um, I know, I know.
That is such a good reminderbecause now I have to post that
like this week, so it alignswith our anniversary.
SPEAKER_00 (02:14):
Yeah.
Um, you know, and I I if I thinkabout Melissa at that time, I
was like, okay, I launched, Iregistered my business at the
end of July, but really, reallydove in full time at the end of
September.
Um, and honestly, that firstclient that I was working on, I
(02:35):
remember it was a projectclient, and they came to me
because the owner of the companyis married to my best friend.
Um one of the first ones to giveme the push to like go solo, you
know.
But it was a project engagement.
Yes.
(02:55):
And after that, I was like, whatam I like what am I gonna do?
Everybody says that business inour industry is 99%
referral-based, but how am Igonna make that happen?
Um, so I know I needed help.
Like, okay, people talk aboutmarketing and I have no idea.
(03:17):
Yeah, you're need accounting,pay me.
SPEAKER_01 (03:20):
Yeah, you're I mean, you're in like everybody is in
the same shoes as you becausewhen you're doing a service,
you're good at your thing, andthen you're like, oh shit, I
also need to learn how to sell,market, manage a business, and
that's not the stuff that youhad to do when you were just
(03:40):
doing accounting.
It's it's a learning curve.
SPEAKER_00 (03:45):
And so it's so wild because I was already on
entrepreneurs, and that's how wecan.
I remember I listened to you onthe girls make bank podcast.
Yeah.
Been interviewed by Jack White.
Um, and I was like, all right, Idon't I don't hate this girl's
voice, wouldn't mind talking toher.
(04:05):
And like the things that she issaying, they are speaking to me.
I she's talking to me.
I am that person.
SPEAKER_01 (04:13):
That's so funny.
And you did end up having tohear my voice all the time.
SPEAKER_02 (04:18):
So it's good that you find it.
SPEAKER_00 (04:23):
Um so I remember listening to this, and I also
remember being frustratedbecause I had put out like some
flyers, like trying to promoteor sell, or honestly, shove down
people's throats.
Um, end of your cleanups.
And I shared them onentrepreneurs and whatnot, and I
(04:46):
didn't get a single like,comment, post, message.
No love, rude.
Yeah, like you're doing thiswrong, Melissa, and you need to
help because I this is it, like,you know, I'm not going back to
working for somebody else.
So how am I gonna make thishappen?
(05:07):
So there you were.
It's like, yeah, let's do it.
Um I remember I was interviewingsomebody else, and you were the
second interview I did, andhonestly, we just vibed.
SPEAKER_01 (05:22):
Yeah, we did vibe so much that we talk about personal
stuff half the time.
We continue to vibe.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I had the same experience, lovedyou, and you were such a quick
(05:43):
learner, was like the thing thatstood out to me.
So let's talk about like thebeginning.
So the first thing that we dowhen we work together is build
out a strategic spark.
So yeah, I interviewed you andyou got your strategic spark,
which basically outlines whatyour marketing and sales
strategy should be.
What were your thoughts fromthat experience?
(06:06):
Do you remember I said, Sarah,I'm overwhelmed.
SPEAKER_00 (06:09):
Yeah.
And I did what I always do whenthat happens.
I just closed it, I shut itdown.
Because I'm overwhelmed.
Yeah.
Um, but then I came backbecause, well, you know, like
you have to do and Melissa, andso you walked me through it, you
(06:30):
helped me like piece it togetherand like break it down, and
somehow we got there.
And I remember that I my biggesttakeaway from this was like my
gateway offer.
We talked about that.
Oh my god, and my active leadgenerator, that was like the
(06:53):
first print that we did lastyear, and uh I was like, Yeah,
but I feel like I need somethingelse.
So, a couple of things.
So, like my gateway offer, Ijust want you to know that I
have an email sitting in myinbox from yesterday that I need
to reply to from this in-personcontact here in Denver who
(07:18):
reached out and was like,Melissa, I want to talk to you
about what it would look likefor you to take a look at our
financials to see if like we'reready for your end in taxes.
And I was like, I have an offerfor this.
It's already built.
(07:40):
Yes.
I didn't know what I'm gonnaoffer her.
Awesome.
Thought about you.
Um, and then I remember at thatpoint, like I had like my my
little CRM that I put togetherover Christmas so that I could
send Christmas cards.
Less annoying CRM.
(08:02):
Is that the one you're stillusing?
It's still there.
Am I using it?
It exists, however.
Your girl needs help, but it'sstill there.
And yeah, but that was it.
So it's like, I'm not doinganything with this, Sarah.
What am what like, all right,let's get you on Flowdesk, let's
start your newsletter.
(08:24):
And I started it, and I feellike now that I think about all
of that, it's like it all workstogether, right?
Yeah.
Your in-person network and yourdigital network and your
marketing, like none of thesethings live in silos, they all
work together, and so I'm sograteful that I started that
(08:46):
newsletter, even if it's likebeen neglected for the past
month or so.
I haven't been getting them.
Yeah.
Um, but I'm gonna revive it,don't you worry.
Um, because here's the thinglike I will get random people
messaging me throughout theyear.
It's not always the same person,and it's not every um edition of
(09:10):
my newsletter, but like peoplefrom my in-person network and
from my digital network will getum an edition and like read it,
and something will resonate withthem, and they'll let me know.
So it's like, oh, this is how itall comes together.
SPEAKER_01 (09:25):
Yeah, that's how you uh as I creepily always put it,
like how you warm up thatrelationship, you bring them a
little bit closer becausethey'll reply to those emails
and then you start thatone-on-one conversation.
SPEAKER_00 (09:37):
Yeah, so yeah, so it's been great, and like I have
reconnected with people um notjust from my efforts now, but
from like what I call my two orthree past lives, like you know,
10, 20 years ago, um, that havebeen following my marketing
(09:58):
efforts that have been coachedby you.
Um, and they have responded andit's resonated with them.
So yeah, come a long way.
SPEAKER_01 (10:09):
You have, you have.
You went from no marketing andnow you're doing like all of the
things.
So let's just work through yourmarketing system now.
You're doing in-person events,they are generally getting on
your email list, yeah, and youremail is being fed primarily
(10:30):
through your podcast that youlaunched.
Yeah, so it's an ecosystem thatyou've built where one thing
feeds the next, feeds the next.
Can you tell me about yourpodcast?
SPEAKER_00 (10:41):
I remember saying I am never gonna have my own
podcast.
I'm not a podcaster, I'm anaccountant.
Um but then yeah, but then so itseemed to be like poof, like so
so big and like so overwhelmingand like so insurmountable.
Um, and it's because before TinyMarketing Club, nobody had laid
(11:06):
it out to me that like, oh, youreally can start low budget,
number one.
Number two, you don't have to beinterviewing anybody if you
don't want to.
Number three, you don't have tobe speaking for an hour or even
30 minutes.
You can do this in like six toeight minutes, yeah, and like
(11:26):
have great content.
And then I'm not ashamed to saypeople ask me all the time,
like, I lean into AI.
Like, yes, I I am the creativemaster behind it because I tell
my little chatty, like you callthem, chatty what I want to talk
about my chatty tea.
I tell her, hey, I want to talkabout this, and I created my own
(11:51):
GPT that she already knows howlong it needs to be, what like
things she needs to hit, or whatthe format is.
Um, it's just like all of it.
And so I just tell her I want totalk about this, and she helps
me put together the script, andit I read it for the most part,
(12:11):
but then I can also add in mypersonality, and it's honestly
one of the most fun things thatI do.
SPEAKER_01 (12:19):
Yeah, and it's going well.
You hit uh what is it?
Like the top, was it the top 30in accounting?
SPEAKER_00 (12:27):
Yeah, 20 top 23, I think.
SPEAKER_01 (12:30):
That's freaking awesome.
And you only launched it acouple months ago.
Yeah, the beginning of July.
SPEAKER_00 (12:38):
And it was I think I was at 12 episodes and I had
already surpassed 500 downloads.
SPEAKER_01 (12:47):
Yeah, she surpassed me, by the way, like way, way
faster.
I think, gosh, I showed you theanalytics, like how long it took
me to get there, and I think itwas I think it was like a year.
SPEAKER_00 (13:03):
But I think so, you know, a lot of people in my
industry don't know aboutmarketing or are hesitant or
will question if like theyreally want to do it, and like
there's a couple of things thatyou have to do in the beginning
of a project that you reallyshould invest in so that you can
get some sort of fast ROIbecause that is going to keep
(13:26):
you motivated, right?
Yeah, and so marketing, I thinkit's one of those when you're
launching your own businessbecause this is gonna help you
like shorten the time where youconvert and start bringing in
revenue.
I mean, which is important.
I needed to get paid personally,yeah.
Um, but also it sort of givesyou validation that your
(13:48):
business is that there's a needfor it, that people want it.
And with marketing, it's thesame, right?
Like with the podcast, youcoached me through it and like I
identified a group of peoplethat know that already knew me
and loved me, and I told themabout the podcast and I asked
them for their help.
(14:09):
I also offered to like givesomething in return.
Um, and they all jumped at theidea and said yes and helped me
really promote my podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (14:21):
Yeah, you have a ton of reviews already.
And so, like, my podcast suckedat the beginning.
I was going from scratch, Ididn't know what I was doing,
but that was five or six yearsago at this point.
So I put everything that I'velearned over those six years
into that sprint.
(14:42):
And what Melissa's referring toright now is what we call the
street team.
So she built a street team ofher already existing fans, and
they helped promote the podcast,get the reviews out there really
early, and get as many ears onher podcast as she could.
SPEAKER_00 (15:01):
Yeah, I have around 35 reviews on Apple Podcasts
only.
So like I made a digital one onSpotify, and then some people
have even commented or like Ihave a lot of views on my
(16:18):
YouTube also.
It's mind-blowing.
I never thought it would be likethis.
I never thought that I wouldenjoy it this much, but I like
it, and I like that like youknow, be you're always saying
like people want to hear yourvoice, people want to see you
because they want to get to knowyou, and then you're absolutely
right, they feel like they areyour besties.
(16:39):
Yeah.
I at the conference I was justat, some people were like, Oh, I
listened to your podcast.
That's awesome.
And I have to thank you for thereminder.
I have to do this.
SPEAKER_01 (16:48):
I'm like, Yeah, it's called a parasocial
relationship.
When you it's like, yeah, peoplewho creators have this
parasocial relationship withtheir listeners or viewers where
it feels like you guys know eachother because it's one-sided.
unknown (17:08):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (17:08):
And this is and this is me, right?
Like, you know, you know me.
Like, this is me, the way that Iam on my podcast with the eye
rolling and the SAS and thefriends, like all of that,
that's me.
And so that has been reallygood.
But it feels even though I'mreading a script, it feels to me
more natural um than like makinga random video online, or even I
(17:34):
know that with the activelygenerators, and I do you don't
love this, but um you were like,Oh, host a webinar or like a
masterclass or whatnot.
Those are not great for mebecause I feel very disconnected
from the audience becauseusually what I'm presenting is
covering people's faces, and soit makes me feel like I'm
(17:55):
talking to myself, yeah.
Um and it just makes it justmakes me uncomfortable.
I don't feel like I come acrossas natural or relaxed, and so
the podcast has given me a wayto like take all of those boxes
in a fee in a way that feelsnatural to me.
SPEAKER_01 (18:12):
Yeah, yeah.
So we're we're gonna experimentinside of the club and find
maybe you do hate this thing,and that's okay.
We'll cut it.
The idea is to build a systemthat you like, that you enjoy,
otherwise you're not gonna doit.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (18:30):
And then I will get I'll throw a freebie in my
podcast and like say, hey, ifyou like want this checklist or
whatever, and people will go andthen I have a new person added
to my podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (18:43):
Yeah, I was just gonna ask that.
How have you turned your podcastinto a lead generator?
That's the perfect way to do it.
SPEAKER_00 (18:50):
I so I I will have like, oh, do you like what if
you need to clean up like creditcard charges or vendors?
Here is the like a checklist foryou to do like a self-review, or
if you don't know how to fillout um a W9, like here is the
guy to do it for you.
And so just things that areuseful for people and add value
(19:13):
and they can use on their ownbecause the whole premise of the
podcast is to help people thatare DIYing their book thing.
Um, so they'll grab it, butsomething interesting has
happened too.
Bookkeepers are following me,and they are signing up.
Um, this I know that they'resigning up, like listening to my
podcast, because I will getsomebody from an email that says
(19:37):
bookkeeping, I don't know, LLCor whatever, right?
Um, and so it's because theydownloaded a freebie that I put
out there.
Nice.
So whether it's to judge, to useit themselves, to give it to
clients, I don't know, but yeah,it's validation that you know
what you're doing.
(19:57):
Yeah, yeah.
And a lot of the comments that Iget are from fellow accountants
also.
Um, we had something I made anepisode about the bank feeds in
QBO, which have driven everybodyinsane with the updates that
have come out this year.
And uh I was just talking abouthow, like, oh, my Adobe
(20:20):
subscription, QBO was coding itto meals and entertainment.
And I said something like, Oh, Idon't know about you, but I've
never eaten a PDF.
And uh yeah, one of the CBAs onmy network is she does work way
more elevated than bookkeeping.
Um, she was like, I was laughingthe entire time uh through this
(20:45):
episode.
SPEAKER_01 (20:46):
Oh my gosh, hold on.
Does that mean like soQuickBooks thinks that it's
Qdoba, the restaurant?
Is that what's happening?
SPEAKER_00 (20:54):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I don't know what's going on,and so now with AI, there's a
lot of things that getautomatically added, and it's
hard to find them until likeyou're reviewing the financials,
and so yeah, who knows what it'sthinking, but we all hate it.
SPEAKER_01 (21:15):
Accounting jokes, yes.
Oh my god.
I was watching Parks and Reclast night, which is my one of
my seasonal affective disordershows to make me laugh when it's
dark out.
And uh Ben was doing hisaccounting jokes.
Oh, I've never watched thisshow.
Oh my gosh.
(21:36):
Well, you're missing out.
unknown (21:39):
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (21:40):
Um, I'm hooked on South Park this year.
It's pretty good this year.
SPEAKER_00 (21:44):
Pretty good.
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (21:46):
Yeah, my husband pulled it up and we were just
like crying.
Yeah, hilarious.
Um, okay, I want to talk aboutyour digital networking now.
Yeah.
So you are killing it so hard atdigital networking that people
are inviting you to teach themhow to do it.
So tell me all about that.
(22:09):
Do you have a process?
SPEAKER_00 (22:12):
I had a process.
In the very beginning, I had aprocess.
And it's like I tell everybodywhen you're starting out, like,
you know, my workload in thebeginning, it's very different
than it is right now.
And like at the beginning, I wasvery heavily focused on like
(22:33):
marketing and promoting myselfand all of that.
And um, I'm still doing that,but now I'm like, it's crunch
time for me year end to getready um for the beginning of
the year.
So it's different.
But in the beginning, when Ididn't have much to do, um I
started honestly posting, and Idid something that a lot of your
(22:59):
peeps don't like.
What?
But I but I I am grateful that Istarted doing it.
Um, I bought into thesepre-packaged Canva templates.
Oh, I like that too.
There are companies out therethat will do it for accountants,
for tax people, for bookkeepers,but also for all sorts of
(23:21):
industries, right?
And a dear friend of mine thatput together my um website for
me, she also helped put togetherbranding guidelines.
And so I had the names of thefonts and of the colors that
were used on my website, and shetaught me how to like apply
(23:43):
those into what a template.
And so back in the day when Ihad no idea how to like how to
like market myself or where,like, what content to create or
put out there, these templatessaved like the grounding tool
(24:03):
for me to just like here.
This is here's something that isvisually appealing, and uh you
can put it out there and notfeel embarrassed by it.
And yeah, um, so that's how itstarted.
And with that, I joined theentrepreneur community, and uh
(24:27):
that was that was a launchpad,but I don't know that everybody
needs to like if you're a guy,you can't join entrepreneurs,
but you can still grow yourdigital network, is what I'm
saying.
Yeah, find some.
SPEAKER_01 (24:38):
Yeah, the the takeaway of that is you joined a
niche community, it was a nicheonline community.
SPEAKER_00 (24:45):
Yes, it was a niche online community, which is
important regardless of theindustry that you're in, to
associate with other people thatare going through similar things
that you are, and so I had thatwith my accounting community for
accounting practice-relatedquestions and commiserating, but
(25:07):
as a founder, like some of thesepeople had or the majority of
these people have more years ofexperience than I had been doing
it longer.
I needed people that were earlystage like me and wanted to like
gain visibility online and allof that, and so I I know this is
(25:29):
a big no-no.
I'm kidding.
I joined a LinkedIn pod.
SPEAKER_01 (25:34):
Yeah, no, I don't I don't mind them if they're with
the right people, right?
SPEAKER_00 (25:40):
And I and I know that LinkedIn front uh frowns
upon them, but for me it was agame changer because here is the
thing about social media that Iwhat I use it for.
Like if you go networking inperson, which is still very
(26:00):
important, we're not saying thatit is not, but if you go into a
networking event in person, youcan meet a lot of people.
I am I am terrible with likefaces and names.
I need to see a person multipletimes um and hear their name and
be reminded of what they do tolike make it stick.
And I am sure that I am not I'mnot alone in that, right?
(26:22):
No, I'm the same way.
By joining this pod, we were theOGs.
I'm in two from Entrepreneurs,but the OGs, we joined this pod
and we were posting every day,and now I am seeing their names,
what their specialty is, becauseI am uh consuming their content
(26:46):
daily, so now their face isassociated with a job title and
to their expertise.
Like I will never forget LaurenBerkusen is an attorney who
helps with trademarks and IV.
Right, and and that is how shebecame my trademark attorney.
Um the same with like Nicole, avirtual assistant, Lori, the
(27:11):
offer magician, right?
Um just on the show.
Oh you can't wait for theepisode.
Is it out?
I think that one's out, yeah.
Okay, I have to catch up.
Um but like it helped with themconnect in that way, and then we
are boosting each other'sdisability, and so people
(27:35):
outside of that network aretelling me now, hey Melissa, my
LinkedIn newsfeed is like filledwith your posts and your
activity and the comments thatyou're making in other people's
pages, but going back to thatcommunity, now that pod we've
(27:56):
disbanded a little bit in thesense that like we're not maybe
as active posting every day orcommenting on the posts every
day, but I know these people, Icount them as my friends, and in
this podcast, we talk aboutsomebody told us that she's
having a baby.
Um, you know, like they willshare about a trip that they
(28:19):
took, or photos of theirHalloween costume when they were
kids, or when they were beingtrolled in a different social
media platform and we ralliedaround them.
Um even things that are notappropriate to be discussed in
this podcast or on socials.
(28:40):
We talk about them there, andthe the pod started with a group
of people, and some of them likevery quickly like disappeared
into the background, but some ofthem were even reading the
comments, and uh she popped upat some point and said, I just
want to say that I've been supersilent and super quiet, but I've
(29:02):
been going through a very hardyear and coming in and like
looking at like the sisterhoodand the support in this little
WhatsApp chat um has beenreassuring and has lifted me up.
And so I think it's that'sthat's that's has been one of
(29:22):
the biggest things that I havetaken um from social media and
just showing up on myself, solike these connections that I
make on social get the sameversion of Melissa that you get
in person or that you get on thepodcast or that you get working
with me um as a client.
(29:43):
And then I've compounded thatwith the things that I have
learned from you with like otherniche communities, um, or even
like so I have met someentrepreneurs in person outside
of the ones that live inColorado.
Um, Erin Pohan was she's abookkeeper, she's in the Seattle
(30:05):
area.
She was coming to Denver for theBridging the Gap conference.
And she's gonna tell you aboutthat.
Yeah, and she also hosted herown conference earlier this year
in Seattle.
Hers was a one-day conference,and I passed on her conference
because it was eventuallyfeasible for me then.
(30:29):
Um, but when she was coming, shewas interested in like meeting
up in person, and I said, youknow what, I still need CPE
credit.
This is a renewal year, I amgoing to go um on a conference,
and we met, and I met her, and Imet um Erica and I met
(30:50):
Christina, and then I also metDavid Lamb, who was my first
podcast interview, guestinterview.
Ah he found me last year, yeah.
Um, and so he was he has a techcompany um taking AI assistance
(31:12):
and bridging the gap was thefirst time he was gonna be out
and about talking about hisproduct, and so I got to meet
them all in person.
So yeah, it's it's cool becauseyou have shown up genuinely.
These people have shown upgenuinely as well, and then you
get to meet them in person.
(31:33):
And now, yeah, they're part ofmy real network.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (31:39):
I always talk about like it's making friends at
scale, is what networking is,because truly I don't care if I
make money from thisrelationship or not.
I just want a genuinerelationship.
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (31:52):
Yeah.
And and that's it.
If you show up with the intentof like, what can I how can I
help you?
What can I do for you?
How can I support you?
Rather than trying to pitch flopsomebody else.
Yeah.
Never works.
You know, you're gonna get somuch more out of it, whether
it's now or it's in the future,like some good juju is gonna
(32:15):
come your way.
Um, plus life is better withfriends.
SPEAKER_01 (32:19):
Yeah, entrepreneurship can be so
lonely.
So like these people become yourfriends, they become your
coworkers.
SPEAKER_00 (32:29):
Yes, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (32:30):
Yep.
So before we wrap up, I want toconnect the dots because the
point of Tiny Marketing Club isto get booked out.
And I remember I think you wereat like the 90-day mark when you
got booked out.
SPEAKER_00 (32:45):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (32:46):
So let's talk about that a little bit.
SPEAKER_00 (32:49):
Yeah.
So, I mean, all of themarketing, just taking the
chance of like first, I'm gonnause these random templates and
go out there, and then I'm gonnarecognize that I need a strategy
so that I can market withintention and get guidance from
a professional uh like you, ledme to have this ability, but not
(33:14):
just this ability for vanitymetrics, but also so that I
could get my message and show myexpertise and connect with
people that yes, have referredme business, um, but also have
had other people that have cometo me directly, not because they
were referred by anybody else,but they said, Hey, I have seen
(33:37):
your content online and I thinkI need to work with you.
SPEAKER_01 (33:42):
Now, if you were to break it down, what what single
thing do you think that youshifted in your business that
resulted in the majority of yournew new clients?
SPEAKER_00 (33:58):
I yes, for this first year, uh there's there's a
lot about pricing or like all ornothing.
And I think what stuck with mewas your thing about these
gateway offers.
Like people need to get afeeling of what it is that you
can do for them and how you canwork with them.
(34:18):
Um, and I think that changed it.
And so um in the beginning, Iwasn't necessarily looking to do
bookkeeping, um, butunderstanding that there's
clients there that are maybe notready to hire me as their
controller, but do want sound uhfinancial systems and support,
(34:41):
maybe I need to come up with anoffer that is more accessible to
them.
I think that that's what changedit.
And once I did that, like I'mturning down meetings right now.
SPEAKER_01 (34:56):
Yeah, it becomes the gateway offer was also like the
thing for me that once I hadthat in place, it would it was
systematically easy to bringclient in, client in because I
was able to build that trust,build a foundation for them to
be ready to work with me on thebigger thing.
(35:18):
And I'm not trying to push themsomething that's a year-long
container right off the bat whenwe're just getting to know each
other.
SPEAKER_00 (35:26):
Yeah.
And so it was learning how can Iadd value to this person in a
way that it is still financiallysensible to me, but it's also
approachable to them.
SPEAKER_01 (35:41):
Yeah.
I if I remember correctly, thefirst thing we looked at was
like, what is the challenge thatpeople are coming to you with
when they first talk to you?
What's the the pain that theyfeel in that moment before they
realize all the other coolthings that you can do?
And we built it around that.
SPEAKER_00 (36:00):
Yeah.
And so now for this new year,what you will see and we will be
working on together is that Iwant to refine that process of
like, okay, if you are thatbusiness that is not ready for a
fractional controller, I willhave an offering for you.
It will not be me holding yourhand on the day to day, but it
(36:23):
will be a team that is led byme, that is learning from me.
And those financials will get areview before they go out the
door so that you're comfortablethat somebody, you know, a CPA
with 22 years of experience andhave your back and then uh
figuring out what the path lookslike to grow you from that to
(36:46):
additional support.
Maybe we're doing your accountspayable now and your accounts
receivable, and we're helpingyou manage cash, to where
finally you're at the pointwhere maybe you have an in-house
small accounting team, but youcan't hire an expert to manage
them, and I can be your practyour fractional controller.
(37:07):
And now you're working directly.
SPEAKER_01 (37:09):
Yeah, so like a staircase of like you need to
accomplish this mission, thenthis one, and then this one.
That makes sense.
SPEAKER_00 (37:17):
And making it easy for people to like join my
practice as clients based onwhen they are at.
It doesn't mean that everybodyneeds to start at the bottom
step, you know?
SPEAKER_01 (37:29):
Yeah, yeah.
So you can customize it andplace them in the offer that
makes sense for them.
Yeah.
Awesome.
I'm looking forward to workingon that.
Um, how can people find youonline and how can they work
with you?
SPEAKER_00 (37:45):
Yes, so um, you can find me online as Melissa
Armstrong CPA on LinkedIn.
That is honestly the fastest andbest way to get a hold of me.
I do look at those DMs.
If I am ignoring you, it'sbecause you're pitch slapping
me.
I don't do that.
Um otherwise, you can also emailme at info at
(38:07):
steadyhandaccounting.com.
And you can listen to mypodcast, No Se habla taxes, um,
in any of the podcast platforms,the one that you prefer.
SPEAKER_01 (38:19):
Awesome.
I'll have all of those links inthe show notes.
Thanks for coming on the showtoday.
Oh, it's a fun time, Sarah.
You love all things tinymarketing.
Head down to the show notes pageand I for the waitress to join
the tiny marketing club whereyou get to work one on one with
(38:41):
me with training, feedback, andpop up coaching that will help
you scale your marketing as aB2B service business.
So I'll see you over in theclub.
Service businesses.
Do more with black.
Learn new actionable organicmarketing strategies you can
implement today.
No fluff, just powerful growthtactics at work.
Ready to scout smarter?
Hit that subscribe button andstart growing your business with
tiny marketing.
SPEAKER_00 (00:56):
Melissa Armstrong, Ms.
CBA, Fractional Controller, andnope, I don't do Texas.
SPEAKER_01 (01:04):
Yay! So Melissa has been in the Tiny Marketing Club
since last January.
And she's gonna talk a littlebit about her time inside of the
club and then how it kind ofbounced her into this role as a
digital networker, teachingother people how to how to do
(01:27):
it.
Because you really are themaster.
You're so good at it.
SPEAKER_00 (01:30):
Oh my gosh.
Um, I I think it's wild thatit's about to be a year since
we've known each other.
I know.
I remember I got into TMC bybuying into your um Black
Friday.
Yes, which you extended untillike your birthday.
It was kind of like your wholecelebration.
(01:53):
Um yeah, it was a January start.
And so if I think about likeeverything that has happened in
this year, it's like a lot.
It seems like three years havegone by.
SPEAKER_01 (02:04):
Um, I know, I know.
That is such a good reminderbecause now I have to post that
like this week, so it alignswith our anniversary.
SPEAKER_00 (02:14):
Yeah.
Um, you know, and I I if I thinkabout Melissa at that time, I
was like, okay, I launched, Iregistered my business at the
end of July, but really, reallydove in full time at the end of
September.
Um, and honestly, that firstclient that I was working on, I
(02:35):
remember it was a projectclient, and they came to me
because the owner of the companyis married to my best friend.
Um one of the first ones to giveme the push to like go solo, you
know.
But it was a project engagement.
Yes.
(02:55):
And after that, I was like, whatam I like what am I gonna do?
Everybody says that business inour industry is 99%
referral-based, but how am Igonna make that happen?
Um, so I know I needed help.
Like, okay, people talk aboutmarketing and I have no idea.
(03:17):
Yeah, you're need accounting,pay me.
SPEAKER_01 (03:20):
Yeah, you're I mean, you're in like everybody is in
the same shoes as you becausewhen you're doing a service,
you're good at your thing, andthen you're like, oh shit, I
also need to learn how to sell,market, manage a business, and
that's not the stuff that youhad to do when you were just
(03:40):
doing accounting.
It's it's a learning curve.
SPEAKER_00 (03:45):
And so it's so wild because I was already on
entrepreneurs, and that's how wecan.
I remember I listened to you onthe girls make bank podcast.
Yeah.
Been interviewed by Jack White.
Um, and I was like, all right, Idon't I don't hate this girl's
voice, wouldn't mind talking toher.
(04:05):
And like the things that she issaying, they are speaking to me.
I she's talking to me.
I am that person.
SPEAKER_01 (04:13):
That's so funny.
And you did end up having tohear my voice all the time.
SPEAKER_02 (04:18):
So it's good that you find it.
SPEAKER_00 (04:23):
Um so I remember listening to this, and I also
remember being frustratedbecause I had put out like some
flyers, like trying to promoteor sell, or honestly, shove down
people's throats.
Um, end of your cleanups.
And I shared them onentrepreneurs and whatnot, and I
(04:46):
didn't get a single like,comment, post, message.
No love, rude.
Yeah, like you're doing thiswrong, Melissa, and you need to
help because I this is it, like,you know, I'm not going back to
working for somebody else.
So how am I gonna make thishappen?
(05:07):
So there you were.
It's like, yeah, let's do it.
Um I remember I was interviewingsomebody else, and you were the
second interview I did, andhonestly, we just vibed.
SPEAKER_01 (05:22):
Yeah, we did vibe so much that we talk about personal
stuff half the time.
We continue to vibe.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I had the same experience, lovedyou, and you were such a quick
(05:43):
learner, was like the thing thatstood out to me.
So let's talk about like thebeginning.
So the first thing that we dowhen we work together is build
out a strategic spark.
So yeah, I interviewed you andyou got your strategic spark,
which basically outlines whatyour marketing and sales
strategy should be.
What were your thoughts fromthat experience?
(06:06):
Do you remember I said, Sarah,I'm overwhelmed.
SPEAKER_00 (06:09):
Yeah.
And I did what I always do whenthat happens.
I just closed it, I shut itdown.
Because I'm overwhelmed.
Yeah.
Um, but then I came backbecause, well, you know, like
you have to do and Melissa, andso you walked me through it, you
(06:30):
helped me like piece it togetherand like break it down, and
somehow we got there.
And I remember that I my biggesttakeaway from this was like my
gateway offer.
We talked about that.
Oh my god, and my active leadgenerator, that was like the
(06:53):
first print that we did lastyear, and uh I was like, Yeah,
but I feel like I need somethingelse.
So, a couple of things.
So, like my gateway offer, Ijust want you to know that I
have an email sitting in myinbox from yesterday that I need
to reply to from this in-personcontact here in Denver who
(07:18):
reached out and was like,Melissa, I want to talk to you
about what it would look likefor you to take a look at our
financials to see if like we'reready for your end in taxes.
And I was like, I have an offerfor this.
It's already built.
(07:40):
Yes.
I didn't know what I'm gonnaoffer her.
Awesome.
Thought about you.
Um, and then I remember at thatpoint, like I had like my my
little CRM that I put togetherover Christmas so that I could
send Christmas cards.
Less annoying CRM.
(08:02):
Is that the one you're stillusing?
It's still there.
Am I using it?
It exists, however.
Your girl needs help, but it'sstill there.
And yeah, but that was it.
So it's like, I'm not doinganything with this, Sarah.
What am what like, all right,let's get you on Flowdesk, let's
start your newsletter.
(08:24):
And I started it, and I feellike now that I think about all
of that, it's like it all workstogether, right?
Yeah.
Your in-person network and yourdigital network and your
marketing, like none of thesethings live in silos, they all
work together, and so I'm sograteful that I started that
(08:46):
newsletter, even if it's likebeen neglected for the past
month or so.
I haven't been getting them.
Yeah.
Um, but I'm gonna revive it,don't you worry.
Um, because here's the thinglike I will get random people
messaging me throughout theyear.
It's not always the same person,and it's not every um edition of
(09:10):
my newsletter, but like peoplefrom my in-person network and
from my digital network will getum an edition and like read it,
and something will resonate withthem, and they'll let me know.
So it's like, oh, this is how itall comes together.
SPEAKER_01 (09:25):
Yeah, that's how you uh as I creepily always put it,
like how you warm up thatrelationship, you bring them a
little bit closer becausethey'll reply to those emails
and then you start thatone-on-one conversation.
SPEAKER_00 (09:37):
Yeah, so yeah, so it's been great, and like I have
reconnected with people um notjust from my efforts now, but
from like what I call my two orthree past lives, like you know,
10, 20 years ago, um, that havebeen following my marketing
(09:58):
efforts that have been coachedby you.
Um, and they have responded andit's resonated with them.
So yeah, come a long way.
SPEAKER_01 (10:09):
You have, you have.
You went from no marketing andnow you're doing like all of the
things.
So let's just work through yourmarketing system now.
You're doing in-person events,they are generally getting on
your email list, yeah, and youremail is being fed primarily
(10:30):
through your podcast that youlaunched.
Yeah, so it's an ecosystem thatyou've built where one thing
feeds the next, feeds the next.
Can you tell me about yourpodcast?
SPEAKER_00 (10:41):
I remember saying I am never gonna have my own
podcast.
I'm not a podcaster, I'm anaccountant.
Um but then yeah, but then so itseemed to be like poof, like so
so big and like so overwhelmingand like so insurmountable.
Um, and it's because before TinyMarketing Club, nobody had laid
(11:06):
it out to me that like, oh, youreally can start low budget,
number one.
Number two, you don't have to beinterviewing anybody if you
don't want to.
Number three, you don't have tobe speaking for an hour or even
30 minutes.
You can do this in like six toeight minutes, yeah, and like
(11:26):
have great content.
And then I'm not ashamed to saypeople ask me all the time,
like, I lean into AI.
Like, yes, I I am the creativemaster behind it because I tell
my little chatty, like you callthem, chatty what I want to talk
about my chatty tea.
I tell her, hey, I want to talkabout this, and I created my own
(11:51):
GPT that she already knows howlong it needs to be, what like
things she needs to hit, or whatthe format is.
Um, it's just like all of it.
And so I just tell her I want totalk about this, and she helps
me put together the script, andit I read it for the most part,
(12:11):
but then I can also add in mypersonality, and it's honestly
one of the most fun things thatI do.
SPEAKER_01 (12:19):
Yeah, and it's going well.
You hit uh what is it?
Like the top, was it the top 30in accounting?
SPEAKER_00 (12:27):
Yeah, 20 top 23, I think.
SPEAKER_01 (12:30):
That's freaking awesome.
And you only launched it acouple months ago.
Yeah, the beginning of July.
SPEAKER_00 (12:38):
And it was I think I was at 12 episodes and I had
already surpassed 500 downloads.
SPEAKER_01 (12:47):
Yeah, she surpassed me, by the way, like way, way
faster.
I think, gosh, I showed you theanalytics, like how long it took
me to get there, and I think itwas I think it was like a year.
SPEAKER_00 (13:03):
But I think so, you know, a lot of people in my
industry don't know aboutmarketing or are hesitant or
will question if like theyreally want to do it, and like
there's a couple of things thatyou have to do in the beginning
of a project that you reallyshould invest in so that you can
get some sort of fast ROIbecause that is going to keep
(13:26):
you motivated, right?
Yeah, and so marketing, I thinkit's one of those when you're
launching your own businessbecause this is gonna help you
like shorten the time where youconvert and start bringing in
revenue.
I mean, which is important.
I needed to get paid personally,yeah.
Um, but also it sort of givesyou validation that your
(13:48):
business is that there's a needfor it, that people want it.
And with marketing, it's thesame, right?
Like with the podcast, youcoached me through it and like I
identified a group of peoplethat know that already knew me
and loved me, and I told themabout the podcast and I asked
them for their help.
(14:09):
I also offered to like givesomething in return.
Um, and they all jumped at theidea and said yes and helped me
really promote my podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (14:21):
Yeah, you have a ton of reviews already.
And so, like, my podcast suckedat the beginning.
I was going from scratch, Ididn't know what I was doing,
but that was five or six yearsago at this point.
So I put everything that I'velearned over those six years
into that sprint.
(14:42):
And what Melissa's referring toright now is what we call the
street team.
So she built a street team ofher already existing fans, and
they helped promote the podcast,get the reviews out there really
early, and get as many ears onher podcast as she could.
SPEAKER_00 (15:01):
Yeah, I have around 35 reviews on Apple Podcasts
only.
So like I made a digital one onSpotify, and then some people
have even commented or like Ihave a lot of views on my
(16:18):
YouTube also.
It's mind-blowing.
I never thought it would be likethis.
I never thought that I wouldenjoy it this much, but I like
it, and I like that like youknow, be you're always saying
like people want to hear yourvoice, people want to see you
because they want to get to knowyou, and then you're absolutely
right, they feel like they areyour besties.
(16:39):
Yeah.
I at the conference I was justat, some people were like, Oh, I
listened to your podcast.
That's awesome.
And I have to thank you for thereminder.
I have to do this.
SPEAKER_01 (16:48):
I'm like, Yeah, it's called a parasocial
relationship.
When you it's like, yeah, peoplewho creators have this
parasocial relationship withtheir listeners or viewers where
it feels like you guys know eachother because it's one-sided.
unknown (17:08):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (17:08):
And this is and this is me, right?
Like, you know, you know me.
Like, this is me, the way that Iam on my podcast with the eye
rolling and the SAS and thefriends, like all of that,
that's me.
And so that has been reallygood.
But it feels even though I'mreading a script, it feels to me
more natural um than like makinga random video online, or even I
(17:34):
know that with the activelygenerators, and I do you don't
love this, but um you were like,Oh, host a webinar or like a
masterclass or whatnot.
Those are not great for mebecause I feel very disconnected
from the audience becauseusually what I'm presenting is
covering people's faces, and soit makes me feel like I'm
(17:55):
talking to myself, yeah.
Um and it just makes it justmakes me uncomfortable.
I don't feel like I come acrossas natural or relaxed, and so
the podcast has given me a wayto like take all of those boxes
in a fee in a way that feelsnatural to me.
SPEAKER_01 (18:12):
Yeah, yeah.
So we're we're gonna experimentinside of the club and find
maybe you do hate this thing,and that's okay.
We'll cut it.
The idea is to build a systemthat you like, that you enjoy,
otherwise you're not gonna doit.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (18:30):
And then I will get I'll throw a freebie in my
podcast and like say, hey, ifyou like want this checklist or
whatever, and people will go andthen I have a new person added
to my podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (18:43):
Yeah, I was just gonna ask that.
How have you turned your podcastinto a lead generator?
That's the perfect way to do it.
SPEAKER_00 (18:50):
I so I I will have like, oh, do you like what if
you need to clean up like creditcard charges or vendors?
Here is the like a checklist foryou to do like a self-review, or
if you don't know how to fillout um a W9, like here is the
guy to do it for you.
And so just things that areuseful for people and add value
(19:13):
and they can use on their ownbecause the whole premise of the
podcast is to help people thatare DIYing their book thing.
Um, so they'll grab it, butsomething interesting has
happened too.
Bookkeepers are following me,and they are signing up.
Um, this I know that they'resigning up, like listening to my
podcast, because I will getsomebody from an email that says
(19:37):
bookkeeping, I don't know, LLCor whatever, right?
Um, and so it's because theydownloaded a freebie that I put
out there.
Nice.
So whether it's to judge, to useit themselves, to give it to
clients, I don't know, but yeah,it's validation that you know
what you're doing.
(19:57):
Yeah, yeah.
And a lot of the comments that Iget are from fellow accountants
also.
Um, we had something I made anepisode about the bank feeds in
QBO, which have driven everybodyinsane with the updates that
have come out this year.
And uh I was just talking abouthow, like, oh, my Adobe
(20:20):
subscription, QBO was coding itto meals and entertainment.
And I said something like, Oh, Idon't know about you, but I've
never eaten a PDF.
And uh yeah, one of the CBAs onmy network is she does work way
more elevated than bookkeeping.
Um, she was like, I was laughingthe entire time uh through this
(20:45):
episode.
SPEAKER_01 (20:46):
Oh my gosh, hold on.
Does that mean like soQuickBooks thinks that it's
Qdoba, the restaurant?
Is that what's happening?
SPEAKER_00 (20:54):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I don't know what's going on,and so now with AI, there's a
lot of things that getautomatically added, and it's
hard to find them until likeyou're reviewing the financials,
and so yeah, who knows what it'sthinking, but we all hate it.
SPEAKER_01 (21:15):
Accounting jokes, yes.
Oh my god.
I was watching Parks and Reclast night, which is my one of
my seasonal affective disordershows to make me laugh when it's
dark out.
And uh Ben was doing hisaccounting jokes.
Oh, I've never watched thisshow.
Oh my gosh.
(21:36):
Well, you're missing out.
unknown (21:39):
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (21:40):
Um, I'm hooked on South Park this year.
It's pretty good this year.
SPEAKER_00 (21:44):
Pretty good.
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (21:46):
Yeah, my husband pulled it up and we were just
like crying.
Yeah, hilarious.
Um, okay, I want to talk aboutyour digital networking now.
Yeah.
So you are killing it so hard atdigital networking that people
are inviting you to teach themhow to do it.
So tell me all about that.
(22:09):
Do you have a process?
SPEAKER_00 (22:12):
I had a process.
In the very beginning, I had aprocess.
And it's like I tell everybodywhen you're starting out, like,
you know, my workload in thebeginning, it's very different
than it is right now.
And like at the beginning, I wasvery heavily focused on like
(22:33):
marketing and promoting myselfand all of that.
And um, I'm still doing that,but now I'm like, it's crunch
time for me year end to getready um for the beginning of
the year.
So it's different.
But in the beginning, when Ididn't have much to do, um I
started honestly posting, and Idid something that a lot of your
(22:59):
peeps don't like.
What?
But I but I I am grateful that Istarted doing it.
Um, I bought into thesepre-packaged Canva templates.
Oh, I like that too.
There are companies out therethat will do it for accountants,
for tax people, for bookkeepers,but also for all sorts of
(23:21):
industries, right?
And a dear friend of mine thatput together my um website for
me, she also helped put togetherbranding guidelines.
And so I had the names of thefonts and of the colors that
were used on my website, and shetaught me how to like apply
(23:43):
those into what a template.
And so back in the day when Ihad no idea how to like how to
like market myself or where,like, what content to create or
put out there, these templatessaved like the grounding tool
(24:03):
for me to just like here.
This is here's something that isvisually appealing, and uh you
can put it out there and notfeel embarrassed by it.
And yeah, um, so that's how itstarted.
And with that, I joined theentrepreneur community, and uh
(24:27):
that was that was a launchpad,but I don't know that everybody
needs to like if you're a guy,you can't join entrepreneurs,
but you can still grow yourdigital network, is what I'm
saying.
Yeah, find some.
SPEAKER_01 (24:38):
Yeah, the the takeaway of that is you joined a
niche community, it was a nicheonline community.
SPEAKER_00 (24:45):
Yes, it was a niche online community, which is
important regardless of theindustry that you're in, to
associate with other people thatare going through similar things
that you are, and so I had thatwith my accounting community for
accounting practice-relatedquestions and commiserating, but
(25:07):
as a founder, like some of thesepeople had or the majority of
these people have more years ofexperience than I had been doing
it longer.
I needed people that were earlystage like me and wanted to like
gain visibility online and allof that, and so I I know this is
(25:29):
a big no-no.
I'm kidding.
I joined a LinkedIn pod.
SPEAKER_01 (25:34):
Yeah, no, I don't I don't mind them if they're with
the right people, right?
SPEAKER_00 (25:40):
And I and I know that LinkedIn front uh frowns
upon them, but for me it was agame changer because here is the
thing about social media that Iwhat I use it for.
Like if you go networking inperson, which is still very
(26:00):
important, we're not saying thatit is not, but if you go into a
networking event in person, youcan meet a lot of people.
I am I am terrible with likefaces and names.
I need to see a person multipletimes um and hear their name and
be reminded of what they do tolike make it stick.
And I am sure that I am not I'mnot alone in that, right?
(26:22):
No, I'm the same way.
By joining this pod, we were theOGs.
I'm in two from Entrepreneurs,but the OGs, we joined this pod
and we were posting every day,and now I am seeing their names,
what their specialty is, becauseI am uh consuming their content
(26:46):
daily, so now their face isassociated with a job title and
to their expertise.
Like I will never forget LaurenBerkusen is an attorney who
helps with trademarks and IV.
Right, and and that is how shebecame my trademark attorney.
Um the same with like Nicole, avirtual assistant, Lori, the
(27:11):
offer magician, right?
Um just on the show.
Oh you can't wait for theepisode.
Is it out?
I think that one's out, yeah.
Okay, I have to catch up.
Um but like it helped with themconnect in that way, and then we
are boosting each other'sdisability, and so people
(27:35):
outside of that network aretelling me now, hey Melissa, my
LinkedIn newsfeed is like filledwith your posts and your
activity and the comments thatyou're making in other people's
pages, but going back to thatcommunity, now that pod we've
(27:56):
disbanded a little bit in thesense that like we're not maybe
as active posting every day orcommenting on the posts every
day, but I know these people, Icount them as my friends, and in
this podcast, we talk aboutsomebody told us that she's
having a baby.
Um, you know, like they willshare about a trip that they
(28:19):
took, or photos of theirHalloween costume when they were
kids, or when they were beingtrolled in a different social
media platform and we ralliedaround them.
Um even things that are notappropriate to be discussed in
this podcast or on socials.
(28:40):
We talk about them there, andthe the pod started with a group
of people, and some of them likevery quickly like disappeared
into the background, but some ofthem were even reading the
comments, and uh she popped upat some point and said, I just
want to say that I've been supersilent and super quiet, but I've
(29:02):
been going through a very hardyear and coming in and like
looking at like the sisterhoodand the support in this little
WhatsApp chat um has beenreassuring and has lifted me up.
And so I think it's that'sthat's that's has been one of
(29:22):
the biggest things that I havetaken um from social media and
just showing up on myself, solike these connections that I
make on social get the sameversion of Melissa that you get
in person or that you get on thepodcast or that you get working
with me um as a client.
(29:43):
And then I've compounded thatwith the things that I have
learned from you with like otherniche communities, um, or even
like so I have met someentrepreneurs in person outside
of the ones that live inColorado.
Um, Erin Pohan was she's abookkeeper, she's in the Seattle
(30:05):
area.
She was coming to Denver for theBridging the Gap conference.
And she's gonna tell you aboutthat.
Yeah, and she also hosted herown conference earlier this year
in Seattle.
Hers was a one-day conference,and I passed on her conference
because it was eventuallyfeasible for me then.
(30:29):
Um, but when she was coming, shewas interested in like meeting
up in person, and I said, youknow what, I still need CPE
credit.
This is a renewal year, I amgoing to go um on a conference,
and we met, and I met her, and Imet um Erica and I met
(30:50):
Christina, and then I also metDavid Lamb, who was my first
podcast interview, guestinterview.
Ah he found me last year, yeah.
Um, and so he was he has a techcompany um taking AI assistance
(31:12):
and bridging the gap was thefirst time he was gonna be out
and about talking about hisproduct, and so I got to meet
them all in person.
So yeah, it's it's cool becauseyou have shown up genuinely.
These people have shown upgenuinely as well, and then you
get to meet them in person.
(31:33):
And now, yeah, they're part ofmy real network.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (31:39):
I always talk about like it's making friends at
scale, is what networking is,because truly I don't care if I
make money from thisrelationship or not.
I just want a genuinerelationship.
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (31:52):
Yeah.
And and that's it.
If you show up with the intentof like, what can I how can I
help you?
What can I do for you?
How can I support you?
Rather than trying to pitch flopsomebody else.
Yeah.
Never works.
You know, you're gonna get somuch more out of it, whether
it's now or it's in the future,like some good juju is gonna
(32:15):
come your way.
Um, plus life is better withfriends.
SPEAKER_01 (32:19):
Yeah, entrepreneurship can be so
lonely.
So like these people become yourfriends, they become your
coworkers.
SPEAKER_00 (32:29):
Yes, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (32:30):
Yep.
So before we wrap up, I want toconnect the dots because the
point of Tiny Marketing Club isto get booked out.
And I remember I think you wereat like the 90-day mark when you
got booked out.
SPEAKER_00 (32:45):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (32:46):
So let's talk about that a little bit.
SPEAKER_00 (32:49):
Yeah.
So, I mean, all of themarketing, just taking the
chance of like first, I'm gonnause these random templates and
go out there, and then I'm gonnarecognize that I need a strategy
so that I can market withintention and get guidance from
a professional uh like you, ledme to have this ability, but not
(33:14):
just this ability for vanitymetrics, but also so that I
could get my message and show myexpertise and connect with
people that yes, have referredme business, um, but also have
had other people that have cometo me directly, not because they
were referred by anybody else,but they said, Hey, I have seen
(33:37):
your content online and I thinkI need to work with you.
SPEAKER_01 (33:42):
Now, if you were to break it down, what what single
thing do you think that youshifted in your business that
resulted in the majority of yournew new clients?
SPEAKER_00 (33:58):
I yes, for this first year, uh there's there's a
lot about pricing or like all ornothing.
And I think what stuck with mewas your thing about these
gateway offers.
Like people need to get afeeling of what it is that you
can do for them and how you canwork with them.
(34:18):
Um, and I think that changed it.
And so um in the beginning, Iwasn't necessarily looking to do
bookkeeping, um, butunderstanding that there's
clients there that are maybe notready to hire me as their
controller, but do want sound uhfinancial systems and support,
(34:41):
maybe I need to come up with anoffer that is more accessible to
them.
I think that that's what changedit.
And once I did that, like I'mturning down meetings right now.
SPEAKER_01 (34:56):
Yeah, it becomes the gateway offer was also like the
thing for me that once I hadthat in place, it would it was
systematically easy to bringclient in, client in because I
was able to build that trust,build a foundation for them to
be ready to work with me on thebigger thing.
(35:18):
And I'm not trying to push themsomething that's a year-long
container right off the bat whenwe're just getting to know each
other.
SPEAKER_00 (35:26):
Yeah.
And so it was learning how can Iadd value to this person in a
way that it is still financiallysensible to me, but it's also
approachable to them.
SPEAKER_01 (35:41):
Yeah.
I if I remember correctly, thefirst thing we looked at was
like, what is the challenge thatpeople are coming to you with
when they first talk to you?
What's the the pain that theyfeel in that moment before they
realize all the other coolthings that you can do?
And we built it around that.
SPEAKER_00 (36:00):
Yeah.
And so now for this new year,what you will see and we will be
working on together is that Iwant to refine that process of
like, okay, if you are thatbusiness that is not ready for a
fractional controller, I willhave an offering for you.
It will not be me holding yourhand on the day to day, but it
(36:23):
will be a team that is led byme, that is learning from me.
And those financials will get areview before they go out the
door so that you're comfortablethat somebody, you know, a CPA
with 22 years of experience andhave your back and then uh
figuring out what the path lookslike to grow you from that to
(36:46):
additional support.
Maybe we're doing your accountspayable now and your accounts
receivable, and we're helpingyou manage cash, to where
finally you're at the pointwhere maybe you have an in-house
small accounting team, but youcan't hire an expert to manage
them, and I can be your practyour fractional controller.
(37:07):
And now you're working directly.
SPEAKER_01 (37:09):
Yeah, so like a staircase of like you need to
accomplish this mission, thenthis one, and then this one.
That makes sense.
SPEAKER_00 (37:17):
And making it easy for people to like join my
practice as clients based onwhen they are at.
It doesn't mean that everybodyneeds to start at the bottom
step, you know?
SPEAKER_01 (37:29):
Yeah, yeah.
So you can customize it andplace them in the offer that
makes sense for them.
Yeah.
Awesome.
I'm looking forward to workingon that.
Um, how can people find youonline and how can they work
with you?
SPEAKER_00 (37:45):
Yes, so um, you can find me online as Melissa
Armstrong CPA on LinkedIn.
That is honestly the fastest andbest way to get a hold of me.
I do look at those DMs.
If I am ignoring you, it'sbecause you're pitch slapping
me.
I don't do that.
Um otherwise, you can also emailme at info at
(38:07):
steadyhandaccounting.com.
And you can listen to mypodcast, No Se habla taxes, um,
in any of the podcast platforms,the one that you prefer.
SPEAKER_01 (38:19):
Awesome.
I'll have all of those links inthe show notes.
Thanks for coming on the showtoday.
Oh, it's a fun time, Sarah.
You love all things tinymarketing.
Head down to the show notes pageand I for the waitress to join
the tiny marketing club whereyou get to work one on one with
(38:41):
me with training, feedback, andpop up coaching that will help
you scale your marketing as aB2B service business.
So I'll see you over in theclub.
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