We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Diana McLaughlin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Diana below.
Hi Diana, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I think the quickest way to push yourself in every way possible is to move abroad. The second quickest is to change careers. In the last 15 years I have done both. I got my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Music – I was an opera singer. I moved to Ireland with my Irish husband the same year I finished college and opened a music studio where I taught happily for over a decade, then something in me switched. I got tired of the long nights teaching after school while my husband cared for our children. I wanted a more active role in my family life and to be that mom who could always be there, and it was then I closed my studio and started supporting US business owners online as a virtual bookkeeper. Learning to live in a new country will make you resilient, being self-employed from the day and hour you ventured into the real world, that’ll do it too. But becoming an online entrepreneur too? I feel bulletproof!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
When I started out as a bookkeeper, the first thing I noticed was that there seemed to be a lot of us in the online space. I was overwhelmed with how many actually. One of the first things I was taught was to “niche”. At first, I wanted to work with everyone and learn as much as I could, but as I went, I learned that there were flavors of business that I particularly loved working with – flavors of people too. It was online coaches, healers, alchemists, artists, light workers people who create, people who bring so much good into the world and help so many people in their lives, their businesses, and their souls. I am the bookkeeper for people who believe in their power to manifest their desires and have an “Abundance” mindset. Many of my clients do not enjoy the “numbers” side of their business – some may even say they are allergic to it. My goal as a service provider to my ideal clients is to help them actually enjoy this side of their business and learn that paying attention to their numbers can actually help them create more abundance in their lives. I do this by creating rituals around their monthly financial reports, so that when they receive their reports, they are actually excited to get them, a bit like opening a Christmas present. I offer done-for-you and done-with-you bookkeeping. I host a group called “The Sacred Bookkeeping Circle” where I help people manage their books on their own with co-working sessions and open space for questions. Basically, I’m a bookkeeper in your back pocket. Of course, my done-for-you packages are ideal for any busy business owner who just simply does not have the capacity or desire to handle their own. I love helping people love up to their numbers in their business and using the info they gleen from their reports, to skyrocket their ability to manifest more money into their business.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Flexibility – the ability to think outside of the box so that you can serve best. People will come to you with specific needs and you have to believe that everything is figure-outable and be able to make something that works. Trust – trusting in your higher power that everything in this life is happening for you, and is meant to be. My spirituality has helped me align with my purpose and find ways to serve people I admire and love to encourage. Confidence – I had to believe I could help, that I had something that someone needed and that I was more than capable of helping people with their bookkeeping in their business because I did the work.
Keeping your mind open is HUGE because it’s there that we fall into the most interesting situations that can propel us forward. Trusting that everything is going to work out for the best always is huge. Not doing so limits us and can stop us from finding that which lights us up. Believe in yourself, believe that you have done the work, and that you are the best person to help your ideal client.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was let me follow my dreams. They let me learn that I could trust myself and my own intuition from a very early age.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.abundancebookkeeper.com
- Instagram: theabundancebookkeeper
- Facebook: The Abundance Bookkeeper
- Linkedin: Diana McLaughlin
Image Credits
Lauren Carroll Photos, http://www.laurencarrollphotos.com/
