I’m Writing My 2nd Book โ€” Want In?

Sign Up to Stay Connected!

Hi, I’m Susan Marie!

I wear a number of hats relating to business!

Take a peek at some of the things I’ve been talking about online! โฌ‡๏ธ

Explore:

Bookkeeping, Payroll, Benefits, HR
Legal & Identity Theft Services
Our Growth Community
Connect on LinkedIn
Grab My Book
Book a Time With Me

Grab Your Copy Today!

This 10-minute scorecard will help you quickly assess:

  • Hidden compliance gaps
  • Documentation weaknesses
  • Leadership system risks
  • Termination exposure
  • Benefits and payroll vulnerabilities
Biz Owner HR Toolkit

Instant Download | Use It Right Away

More About Susan Marie:

After becoming a second-generation attorney with 12 years of experience, Susan Marie discovered the worlds of entrepreneurship and motherhood!  

Those paths led to today, being the Chief Growth Officer at MyCORE, whose mission is to be the world’s most people-centric company.  They serve the people running Main Street businesses with fin ops, people ops and marketing ops.

Let’s connect!

1-514-990-9689

[email protected]

A Few of My Favorite Things

Solopreneur Employee Handbook

Book a Call & Learn More

MyCORE Facebook Community

Join Us on Facebook

Stay Connected With Susan Marie

Let’s Stay Connected

Follow My Journey

Follow me on Instagram @susanmariealmquist

A client of ours runs a home restoration business. Every March, his accountant got the same thing: a shoebox. ๐Ÿ‘Ÿ๐Ÿ“ฆ Not a metaphor - an actual shoebox. Receipts, invoices, a few napkins with numbers scribbled on them, handed over right before tax time, hoping for the best. The accountant loved him as a client. She dreaded him as a task. That's what referring him to us for bookkeeping changed. It started with one form โ€” our FinancialOps Checkup โ€” which gave us a clear picture of where his books actually stood (not where he thought they stood). From there, we took bookkeeping off her plate entirely. Every month, not every March. Clean, accurate, tax-ready โ€” no shoebox required. Now tax season isn't a scramble for either of them. It's just... March. Their numbers are already there, already right, already ready. That's the shift we help create: the same client, the same relationship, minus the dread. If you've got a client (or three ๐Ÿ˜†) who still shows up with a shoebox โ€” or a Google Drive folder that might as well be one โ€” message me, and I'll send you the FinancialOps Checkup form. Takes minutes to send, and it's the first step to giving both of you your March back.
"I do bookkeeping, but I'd rather not." I've heard a version of this sentence from more accounting firm owners than I can count. You didn't get into this profession to reconcile transactions all day. You got into it because you're good with numbers, good with people, and genuinely useful to your clients in ways that go beyond data entry. But bookkeeping is the thing that never stops needing to get done. So it eats the calendar. And the advisory work โ€” the work you're actually best at, the work clients would pay more for โ€” gets pushed to "when I have time." That time never comes on its own. It has to be built. And sometimes building it needs a fresh perspective (like the one I got lifting off in a hot air balloon last week)!
Quick recap before I shift into a regular posting rhythm here: โ†’ 12 years as a practicing attorney โ†’ 24 years building LegalShield/IDShield on the side โ†’ 5 years as Chief Growth Officer at MyCORE Every chapter taught me something the last one couldn't. And every chapter was really about the same question: how do I build a life where the credential works for me, instead of the other way around? ๐Ÿ™†โ€โ™€๏ธ Now I spend my time focused on mid-career women accountants who are asking a version of that same question โ€” buried in bookkeeping they never wanted, saying yes to client requests outside their expertise, with no time left for the advisory work that's actually why they got into this profession. Starting now, I'll be posting regularly about: โ†’ What "maxed out" actually looks like in an accounting practice โ†’ Why saying yes to everything is quietly costing you your best clients โ†’ What it looks like to hand off the work you don't love without giving up control โ†’ How firms are building capacity back without hiring another body If any of that sounds familiar, stick around. This is for you. P.s. feel free to sub-out IG for where I reference LI, lol ๐Ÿ˜‚
Are these the most amazing boots or what?! ๐Ÿฅพ๐ŸŽจ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐ŸŽจ๐ŸซŸ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ด I commissioned my eldest, Hope, to jazz up boots Iโ€™ll be taking to Norway on our trip this fall and WOWZA! They helped me pick the design and colors and placement on the boots, and kept me posted every step of the way. The paint is specially made for leather with a protective topcoat. Today, Hope explained, while completing the finishing touches, that each color in this particular design has a little bit of orange in it to pull it altogether! ๐Ÿงก I see Hopeโ€™s art degree shining through in these moments but moreover, their incredible eye for balance and creativity in art! ๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ Itโ€™s such a joy to support original art (and one of my children at the same time)! #blundstoneboots #originalart #proudmama ๏ฟผ๏ฟผ๏ฟผ #makelifemattermore ๏ฟผ๏ฟผ๏ฟผ๏ฟผ
Here's who I'm focused on: mid-career women accountants. Not new to the profession. Not looking to leave it. Just maxed out. You built real expertise. You have a real book of clients. And somewhere along the way, "help me with my books" turned into "also handle my payroll, my HR questions, my benefits, and honestly, can you look at this legal thing too?" You said yes because you're good at your job and you care about your clients. And now you're doing bookkeeping you never wanted to do, buried in tasks that have nothing to do with why you got into this profession, with almost no time left for the advisory work you're actually great at. It can sometimes feel, well, almost robotic. ๐Ÿ˜ณ I recognize this. I lived a version of it โ€” 12 years earning a credential that was supposed to buy me freedom, only to find myself boxed in by the very thing I'd worked so hard for. That's the exact problem I'm here to help solve for accountants now. Starting soon, I'm posting consistently about exactly this โ€” what maxed-out looks like for accounting firm owners, and what it actually takes to get your capacity, and your time, back. (Thanks to Oregon State University Human Research Protection Program for the image from their community center display.)
Nearly 5 years ago, I stepped into the role of Chief Growth Officer at ๐Ÿ›ก๏ธMyCORE. After 12 years in law and 24 years building a side business, I wasn't looking for another credential. I was looking for a mission I could throw everything I'd learned at. What I found at MyCORE was a version of the same freedom I'd been chasing since my early days practicing law โ€” except this time, I get to help build it for other people, not just myself. Specifically: professionals and main street business owners who did everything "right" to earn their credentials, built a book of business, client or customer base around it, and are now buried under the parts of the job they never actually wanted to do. I know that feeling from the inside. That's exactly why this role fits. Next post: who I'm focused on serving, and why. ๐Ÿ’ช #mycore #cascayd #leadwithwho #makelifemattermore