Hey, everyone. Tools of the Trade is coming along and will publish soon. However, before phase 2 of this community starts, I want to know where everyone stands on progressing through the courses. This will help me tailor the most applicable content to where you’re at moving forward. When you get a chance, please respond to this poll and comment below which course has been the most beneficial for you and why. The poll question: How many courses have you completed so far? P.S. No need to mention anything about wanting content around starting your business. That will be a part of the next phase regardless. I’m more interested in knowing where everyone stands with their technical skills right now.

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! I wanted to share two things with you guys headed into this week; 1) I started building a bookkeeping AI agent this weekend. The purpose: Perform 80-90% of the coding, reconciliations, and monthly close tasks so I can do more review and less manual work. I’ll be working on this with one of my colleagues at work who is a developer for us, so I’m not sure how long it will take. Still, once I get something viable, I’ll be introducing to you guys. 2) I got the FP&A Certification I talk about in my FP&A course! It’s called the Financial Planning & Analysis Professional (FPAP) Certification by Corporate Finance Institute (CFI). This is the second certification I’ve gotten from them in the last 3 years (the other is FMVA - feel free to look it up if interested: https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com). I HIGHLY recommend CFI to everyone here. I think the cost for an annual subscription right now is like $380ish, but you get HUNDREDS of courses that are all SUPER applicable to your work. If you want to know more about my thoughts on these certifications, you can DM me, but FYI, they are globally recognized and top ranked in their industries by companies like Yahoo Finance. I’ve attached a photo that they published illustrating the use of some of these certifications and how they compare to others in the industry. I plan to make more templates with these new skills over time and offer them to you all. Now, it’s onto finishing the Tools of the Trade course and beginning phase 2 of this community 💪

Hope all my U.S. members had a great July 4th weekend - and everyone else had a great weekend too! A few of you have asked for easier access to the templates I've shared throughout the community and courses. To make that simpler, I've added a Financial Models and Templates page to the Classroom where I'll upload all new standalone templates in one place. If a template is already attached to a specific course lesson, it'll stay there (I can't add the same file to both locations). For those looking for the Month-End Close Checklist, I've just uploaded it to the Bookkeeping Best Practices course where it's referenced. Hopefully this makes finding everything a little easier! As always, feel free to DM me if you have any questions.

Hey, everyone! For those that are not aware, I work a day job. However, I also have a side business. I post about experiences from both (which is why I say there are two paths in this community: employee & entrepreneur). Both utilize similar skill sets that I teach and both can be rewarding. I’m currently at a place where I have opportunities in both realms. 1) Pursue a promotion at work 2) Expand my side business I think I can do both right now, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to do both long term. With that in mind, I will likely start tailoring my content in this community around the one I’m pursuing most and/or the one you guys want more of. So, I want your take first. Here’s the topics you guys have told me you want me to discuss more around each situation: Employee: - Teach how to navigate complex accounting more - Show how to use AI to automate tasks - Illuminate next steps that help advance careers Entrepreneurs: - Teach how to start your own business - Show tactics on how to get clients - Illuminate next steps that help grow your business I want to know which one you want more of in the community during this second phase. For context, here’s the plan for the community: Phase 1 (current): Create free resources/trainings so everyone can learn the necessary skills to succeed in either path while the group grows (3-6 months). This phase ends when Tools of the Trade gets published. Phase 2 (next): Create valuable behind-the-scenes content that shows how to advance in each phase, like starting/growing business or getting noticed for work promotions (3-6 months). Think of a community that helps you grow your business/career and walks with you as you do it. More relevant trainings and resources would be provided here along with more FaceTime from me and potentially others. Phase 3 (later): Not announcing yet, but this one is the real icing on the cake!!! I’ll likely announce this at the beginning of 2027. Really though. I’m excited for this😁

I would like to get your opinion on this financial analysis package. I created this using Copilot AI. I have been doing this a few months for our owners meetings and they seem to like them. I double check all the numbers and percentages but otherwise leave everything else. Is there anything else I should be including? I do a separate variance analysis that I do not use AI for. I’m hesitant to submit our entire GL into any AI. Any ideas/thoughts on that would be appreciated. We use Agvance, not QBO, and so far, they haven’t incorporated AI into the program. These financials are public postings and I use them to play with AI. I do not work for Syngenta.