The 5 Business Investments I’m Making in 2023 (As a Bookkeeper)

As online business owners, the “new year” comes with a lot of hype. New planners, new programs, new revenue goals, new offers to create… it’s a lot.

Of course, with all that New Year planning comes a list of things you want to do or things you want to invest in over the coming year. You might want to invest in hiring a team, or investing in new equipment. (Running your business from a 2008 PC? Kudos, my friend.)

Whatever your business investments look like in 2023, I hope that you have a solid budget and a plan for making it all happen. If you don’t, I have a business budgeting guide here for you 😉 

But as a bookkeeper myself, I think it also helps to know how I invest in my business and what 2023 looks like from a planning perspective. So without further ado, let’s talk about my business investments for 2023!

In-person events

One of the things I love investing in most is in-person events. This year, my first event is actually in January, and it’s called the Elevate Summit. It’s happening in Nashville and I’m so excited to go and be around other women business owners and entrepreneurs.

Generally, I like to alternate the types of in-person events I attend. Each event changes the game for me in different ways, which is why I like to mix it up with:

• Networking events (both local and national)
• Mastermind retreats (always so much growth and fun to be had!)
• Professional conventions (where I uplevel my bookkeeping and business skills)

I actually have an “events budget” that helps me see if certain events are within reach for me, and so I can join events that really speak to me.

For example, I’m doing a work retreat in July in Tahoe, with just three other bookkeepers and me. I’m so excited! While it’s not a “conference” per se, there will be lots of work done.

New web design

Yup, madisondearly.com is getting a face lift in 2023! 

We have a new brand and new web copy now and I just love it. It feels southwestern, luxury, welcoming, all the things. Now, I can’t wait for the website to reflect all that. We worked with Kindly by Kelsea to create our branding, and now they will be doing our web design, too.

That project starts in May so stay tuned. And in case you’re wondering why I didn’t do new branding, new copy, and new web design all at once to knock out the whole project… it’s called cash flow 😉 We specifically spread out these projects so we’d have more cash flow for things like staff, profit margins, and other expenses!

Content marketing

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of the last-minute approach to creating content. Last year, it felt like I was just trying to show up on Instagram and a little bit on my email newsletter so people knew we were still there.

But this year? This year, I’m coming in with a strategy, a plan, and a clear direction for our content. I’m so excited! We’re working with Uncanny Content to create our content plan, and they’re actually writing content for us for things like this blog (hey!), our email, and social media.

Uncanny has been on my “Can’t Wait to Work With” list for over a year now, and now that we have the budget (there’s that word again!), we’re hitting the gas on great content and a strong strategy!

Content marketing, in general, feels like a big investment — I know. But our goal is get out there and really show up in 2023, and content marketing is one of the investments we have to make so we can see those results. It’s called ROI (return on investment) for a reason!

YouTube

Remember how I just said 2023 is the year we are showing up? Well, that means we’re introducing a new player to the game: YouTube! 

Not many bookkeepers are on YouTube and I LOVE showing up on video, so it just feels really natural to add it. Especially after adding our content team, it’s going to feel really amazing to show up on video and then have that content repurposed into a blog, email, social, and so on. I can’t wait! 

Of course, YouTube is an investment. In 2022, I invested in all the equipment — camera, tripod, microphone. Now, in 2023, it’s all about that time investment and investing in a YouTube editor.

As some of you know from recording videos yourself, it takes a lot of time and energy to create this kind of content. But I’m excited to give it a go and make this the year we reach more people on a new platform. Which reminds me… If you have a specific topic you’d like me to cover about online business, bookkeeping, and finances on my new YouTube channel, comment below. 

The other element of YouTube investments is hiring a video editor. I’ve already found someone — Studio Pizza Productions — who is helping me edits videos I’m recording this month. I can’t wait to see the magic they create! 

This has been on my mind for a while now, which means it’s been on the budget for a while now, too. Are you sensing a theme here yet?

New hires

On top of hiring a YouTube editor and content management team, we are also going to be hiring a staff bookkeeper and a virtual assistant. While these are still in the works and we’re developing the job roles, it’s something that’s on the horizon and we’re actively budgeting for.

Business investments mean business budgeting

I’m really excited for what 2023 will bring, both for you and for me. I know that you have big goals for yourself and a long list of things you want to invest in.

But like I said, I didn’t just buy these things all at once. I budgeted for them — and I know you’ll need to do the same. 

If you’re ready to make some sound business investments this year, grab our NEW Online Business Budgeting Spreadsheet.

This spreadsheet is broken down by month, so you can clearly map out what your revenue and expenses are for each month throughout the year. This helps tremendously when it comes to choosing when you can invest in something new, and knowing exactly how much to save. 

Best of all, I created this spreadsheet so it is easy to understand, and SIMPLE. I’ve even included a mini-training walkthrough video to show you EXACTLY how to use the spreadsheet, so there’s no guessing on how to use this thang to its full potential.

Want to see the spreadsheet in action? Check it out here.