71. Intentional Financial Decisions: A Bookkeeper's Guide to Understanding Your Numbers with Samantha Eck

In this episode of Soulpreneur Scaling Stories, I sit down with Samantha Eck, a bookkeeper for creatives who transformed her career from corporate accounting to running her own business. She shares her philosophy that your numbers aren’t scary monsters hiding under your bed—they’re actually telling you a story about your business if you’re brave enough to read it.

Samantha reveals how most service providers avoid looking at their finances out of fear, and how this avoidance can actually prevent business growth and lead to poor decision-making. We explore the relationship between understanding your numbers and making intentional business decisions that align with your goals and vision.

During our conversation, Samantha breaks down essential bookkeeping practices that every service provider needs (even if you hate numbers), discusses the truth about all those “I made 10K this month” posts you see online, and provides practical guidance on how to set up regular money dates to remove shame and build financial confidence.

If you’ve ever found yourself avoiding your bank statements or making business decisions based on emotion rather than facts, this episode will completely shift your perspective on bookkeeping and finances.

Key Points Covered:

✨ Why your revenue number isn’t the most important metric in your business

✨ How to track your finances in a simple way without getting overwhelmed

✨ The difference between revenue and profit that many online business owners don’t talk about

✨ Creating intentional money dates to build a healthier relationship with your finances

✨ Using financial clarity to make strategic decisions about pricing and growth

✨ Why finding your unique approach to bookkeeping can transform your client experience

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Youtube: Creative Minds, Smart Money 

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Transcript

[00:00:00] 

[00:00:00] Andrea Elibero: Hey, hello everybody and welcome to Soulpreneur Scaling Stories. I am excited today because I think this is the first episode that I have done with somebody who specializes on more of the bookkeeping and finance side. So before we started recording, I told her that she was going to make bookkeeping fun.

[00:00:18] So no pressure or anything. Samantha Eck, bookkeeper, how are you? It is nice to have you here.

[00:00:26] Samantha Eck: I'm doing so well. Thank you for having me today.

[00:00:29] Andrea Elibero: Amazing. So why don't you just introduce yourself more formally than that and tell everybody what it is that you do. What does your business look like today?

[00:00:37] Samantha Eck: Yeah, I'd love to. So my name is Samantha Eck. I am a bookkeeper mainly for creatives, but I help all different kinds of industries because sometimes, you know, you have to talk to a single person. Otherwise, you're talking to everybody. So I mainly target creatives.

[00:00:54] Um,

[00:00:55] I started in the corporate world.

[00:00:57] with doing like corporate [00:01:00] accounting, things like that. But I just got really tired of working for someone else, working really late hours, being called in on weekends, things like that. So I decided to start my own business and run it my own way. Uh, it was really swing sink or swim for me because It ended up becoming this thing where me and my husband only had a certain amount of money set aside that if I didn't succeed, I would have to come back to a corporate job.

[00:01:24] But I pushed really hard and it ended up working out. I work with amazing people today. I am Very passionate about helping others learn through education and helping them connect their goals to their business because to me Finances are something that's not taught in school and I always like to tell them I'm like don't think of it as like this scary Monster that's under your bed Think of it as a story like you're bookkeeping your numbers are a story and you want to read the story that they're trying to Tell you

[00:01:55] Andrea Elibero: That's really beautiful because I will say that for me. Okay. So [00:02:00] first, let me preface this by saying that my bookkeeping used to not be terrible. But now I moved from the U. S. to Spain and I operate in like two different countries and I had to upgrade like I used zero because of that and I had to upgrade my account and like I have to have an accountant here and account like it's a whole situation It does stress me out a lot so having you frame it in that way as a story is Really lovely because I do think a lot of people shy away from from this topic Um And on top of that, especially when you're a brand new entrepreneur, nobody talks about bookkeeping and what you should be doing.

[00:02:36] Everybody's just really focused on getting clients and growing and this and that. So I'm really curious from your experience. So we're talking to our online service providers or VAs or OBMs, all sorts of beautiful people like that. I'm curious from your experience, what you feel called to share to maybe like a couple of things that are like, okay, if I did nothing else in terms of bookkeeping, like here's what like you should do.[00:03:00] 

[00:03:00] Samantha Eck: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the very first thing you should do is absolutely track everything. This doesn't mean you have to get a fancy accounting software. You don't have to get QuickBooks. You don't have to get Xero. Just get something like a spreadsheet, whatever it is. And I know a lot of people are like, well, isn't my bank statement good enough?

[00:03:19] But a bank statement doesn't really give you the detail you need when you're filing your taxes. Because if you're just doing a bank statement at the end of the year, you're going to have to go through all your bank statements and say, well, let's see. What was this charge for? so tracking your expenses and your income is so important, even if it's on a spreadsheet.

[00:03:35] And I always tell people if you're small enough, just do it on a spreadsheet anyways, because once you get into an accounting software, if you don't understand it, that's when it gets really, really messy.

[00:03:45] Andrea Elibero: Yeah, I did it on a spreadsheet for, I mean, I've been doing this since 2019 and I've only started with zero this year since I, and it was after moving to Spain because it just got too much with the conversions and all of that. Otherwise I would still be on a spreadsheet. So yeah.[00:04:00] 

[00:04:00] Samantha Eck: And, and that's so important because you know what you're doing, you can handle it. The second thing I always suggest is to set up a money date because there's this huge fear around money. Like, we can't talk about it, we can't think about it, we don't really wanna, and I feel like that stems a lot from, Like many of the people I work with are women and it stems a lot from women not wanting to talk about money and like being like the stigma around it and I'm like, it's okay to talk about it.

[00:04:29] It's okay to talk about your success. It's okay to celebrate your successes. So set aside 30 minutes. It's every month or even every week and go and sit down with your numbers and look at them and say, okay, what did I make this week or month? What did I spend this week or month? And then ask yourself, is it working for you or is it not?

[00:04:49] Because the key in reading the story your numbers are trying to tell you is actually understanding if they're working for you or not. So if you spent. You [00:05:00] know, 200 on coffee last week and you're looking at that and you're saying, wait, I had 200 and I spent it on coffee. That's when you can really analyze it and say, was that worth it?

[00:05:10] Or should I maybe dial that back a bit and use that money elsewhere to grow my business?

[00:05:15] Andrea Elibero: So let's go back to the the fear And the the maybe shame or the I don't know I think So something that came to mind when you were talking was that I feel like especially when we're online a lot of All you see are people like I made this much money and my business is so successful and so easy and I work 45 Minutes a day, you know, and there's not a lot of sharing vulnerably and this also triggered another memory where I filled out somebody had had a form of kind of like, um, um

[00:05:47] Just like this kind of like Google form like recap like I want to send this out to like 500 entrepreneurs and you just fill it out and One of the questions was what do you earn?

[00:05:55] The vast majority were in the lower bracket, you know it's not like like the [00:06:00] vast majority and It's just so interesting because I feel like people don't share these things and the more that people do share them and normalize them The more other people like oh, I'm okay So I'm curious what your take on that is and especially also maybe with the your experience with your clients as you do work with creatives if there is

[00:06:19] I

[00:06:21] Know things that you do with them or think you know, cuz you're a bookkeeper But it sounds like you're also you have to deal with a lot of this There's a lot of like the mindset work as well.

[00:06:28] So I'm curious how you deal with that

[00:06:31] Samantha Eck: Yeah, I mean, so for me, wins are wins and celebrating any of them. Is just it's worth celebrating any sort of win But when we come back to thinking about the fear and things like that And we see all these things online where people like hey, I made 10k I think the most important thing is to remember that a lot of those people are talking about revenue So when you look at their numbers, they're saying oh my gosh I made six figures

[00:06:55] and I made a post on threads about this at the end of last year when I was looking at my numbers And I said, oh I [00:07:00] made six figures, but I said I want to clarify that this is revenue You I said, I did not make six figures at the end of the day when all my expenses were gone, when I paid myself,

[00:07:09] everything like that, but I brought in six figures.

[00:07:12] And I think that's so important to recognize is that the money that you're bringing in is your revenue. So you can celebrate that, absolutely. But it's not the most important number. At the end of the day, the most important number is your bottom line profit. So when you see all these coaches, you see all these popular people saying, Oh, I made 10k.

[00:07:32] I made 10k. It's not something you should really like get super excited about, celebrate them for sure, but understand that they're only showing you one side of the story. They're not showing you what they're spending on expenses, what they actually take home.

[00:07:47] They could technically be bringing in pennies at the end of the day, because you don't actually know what they're doing on the other side of that revenue.

[00:07:55] Andrea Elibero: Yeah. And I'll add to that because I, in addition to coaching, I also [00:08:00] have a certified online business manager. So I've been on the back end of all of, with people who make six and seven figures with, you know, a lot of times there's a big team, there's ad spend, there's all these things that they'll talk about their launches and they need, they need to bring in so much money just to cover their business expenses.

[00:08:19] Samantha Eck: yes,

[00:08:20] Andrea Elibero: It's it's interesting to see because people think like oh i'm just one person and i'm not making you know Whatever, but they're not either a lot of them Some of them are but a lot of them are not just swimming around in pools of money like you think that they are right, so I think normalizing that is is so so important and So if somebody has these thoughts and these fears, so you're talking about straight up, you know,

[00:08:46] what are other things that they should consider?

[00:08:47] Like, I'm thinking things like, how much money does it actually take for you to live the life that you want to live, right? And things like that, because a lot of people say, Oh, I want to make 10k, but why? And there's no why behind it. So I would love to dive into [00:09:00] that a little bit more.

[00:09:01] Samantha Eck: Yes. So that's something I'm very, very focused on.

[00:09:04] Um,

[00:09:05] especially with a lot of my clients. We do strategy calls every either quarter, half a year, or every year, depending on their package. And we really talk about The whys and the hows behind it. So when we're setting their goals, we're looking at their revenue and we're saying, why do you want to make this much?

[00:09:22] And it's not just, okay, we want to make this much because we want to spend this much. It's more like, what do you want to pay yourself? So you want to pay yourself 9, 000. Then we need to add your expenses to that 9, 000. And that's how much revenue you need to bring in. Cause you need to make sure that you're paying yourself.

[00:09:40] And then, yeah, we do also have to analyze those expenses and say, How much money do we need for expenses and not just the expenses you have today,

[00:09:49] but whatever else it is that you want to be bringing in. Eventually you want to go to a conference later on down this year. You want to hire a coach later down this year.

[00:09:59] You need to [00:10:00] understand what your goals are for the entire year so you can plan for that and kind of work that into it. Because when you start thinking about all these other things, you start to realize, okay, maybe my pricing is a little bit lower than it needs to be, Because I need to pay myself first.

[00:10:16] I'm a business owner. I'm doing this to make money for me for my family I need to make sure that i'm a priority then my expenses are second So then what do I need my revenue to be now? I need to change my pricing so that I can get there

[00:10:31] Andrea Elibero: It's such a, it almost takes the pressure off of pricing in a way because it's not pricing for the sake of, Oh, I want to charge this much. It's pricing for the sake of this is, this is a business and this is what it actually needs to be in order to make a profit. Like the same as somebody who's selling a product when we have a physical product, you know how much it costs, you know how much, you know, like, like it's kind of like, it's very calculated.

[00:10:57] And. When you're [00:11:00] saying that, it makes me feel like, oh, your clients must feel so much relief just having facts and being able to base their decisions off of facts, as opposed to just having everything be very nebulous and floaty in the sky. Mm-hmm.

[00:11:14] Samantha Eck: completely agree because I feel like, you know, we even set budgets and when we look at the budgets, I always tell my clients, I'm like, this isn't something that's supposed to be restrictive. I'm not saying, okay, you can only spend 500 on marketing this month. That's not at all what I'm saying. I'm saying if you went over that 500, we're going to sit there and we're going to look at that and we're going to say, did that 500 do what you wanted it to do?

[00:11:37] Yup. Yup. Or was that money that you spent over really not worth it? So that next month, when you come against something like that again, and you're like, ooh, another 500 I could spend on marketing,

[00:11:48] you're going to actually think, I remember what Samantha said, is this really worth it for me to spend this extra 500 this month, or should I pass on it?

[00:11:58] Andrea Elibero: Yeah. And that's so important. 'cause people do [00:12:00] make all these investments, right? You do this and that, and then a lot of times you don't take the time to just be intentional and think about it. And, and having somebody there to even just, I don't say question you, but just like remind you of that, you know, is, is really great because now you get to be like, oh yeah, you're right.

[00:12:16] You know what, I spent this money, I didn't get any client, you know, or whatever happened. And so maybe I'll take that money and do something else with it and make an actual informed decision. Mm.

[00:12:28] Samantha Eck: the power of knowing your finances and understanding them and being able to read this story

[00:12:34] is making decisions with intentionality.

[00:12:38] Andrea Elibero: Yeah, it's, I love that. Well, okay, so intentionality is one of my big words and that's what, you know, I, I do. So I love that you said that because, um, Like from my standpoint, a lot of people I feel like are growing their business without taking the time to be intentional. I did this too at the beginning when I, when I grew, I expanded into things that my business just kind of took me along and I didn't take the minute to [00:13:00] like sit there and be like, wait, is this what I actually want?

[00:13:02] So doing that and doing that on the finance side of your business and doing it in a way where it's actually empowering. Is That's a game changer because I will admit I am one of those where I'm like, I have gone through periods I'm, like, I don't know. I don't want to know I don't want to do, you know, like Let's just ignore the numbers in the bank account and and whatnot and And yeah, and so like just reframing it as something that is empowering And then that's just there it's just and almost removing the emotion from it, right?

[00:13:34] It's

[00:13:34] Samantha Eck: Yes. Yep.

[00:13:37] Yeah. And I think that's, that's the truth of it is because there is so much emotion behind what we do and what we purchase. But. When you think about it, so you're a business owner and you're like, I need to hire a VA this year. I know I need to hire a VA, but if you're not looking at your numbers, you're avoiding them.

[00:13:56] You're not thinking about them. You're like, Oh, I don't really want to look at [00:14:00] them.

[00:14:01] And you're like, ah, I don't know if I can afford it when you sit down and you actually look at them You actually understand them you do the what I told you recording your income your expenses and you're like, okay I have 300 extra dollars this month.

[00:14:14] Is that enough to hire a va

[00:14:16] and you realize it's not now you can say Okay, where can I cut back? Do I need to make more money? Do I need to cut back? Because again, it's all about having that intentionality It's all about having that clarity and it's all about just Understanding what's right in front of you instead of saying, Oh, I don't know if I could do this or having those fearful emotions, really just looking at the facts and saying, Can I do this?

[00:14:38] Can I not do this?

[00:14:40] Andrea Elibero: Hmm. Yeah, very, very lovely. Are there things

[00:14:43] so

[00:14:44] so you work with creatives and are you working with people in a certain income bracket or or whatnot or business level or is it kind of open in terms of who you work with?

[00:14:55] Samantha Eck: Yeah, so for me, it's really open because I feel [00:15:00] like finance education in general is something that's just not taught. It's not taught in school. A lot of people are scared to learn about it or talk about it. So, I have it very open because even though my packages are set at a certain price,

[00:15:15] there's one that I have that's not listed on my website where I help people if they're super small because I want to be able to help as many people as possible just understand their business so that they can grow it because

[00:15:29] there is, there's again, there's so much fear and so much, I don't want to talk about it.

[00:15:33] I don't want to look at it that It ends up causing some people to have to shut down because they're not looking at it. And I want to be the person that helps as many businesses as possible get past that like dreaded I guess five year mark where everybody's like at five years. It's either you make it or you break it Like if at five years, you're not really making money that's when you have to take that step back and like

[00:15:55] Go backwards

[00:15:56] and I want people to just get past that and be able to blossom [00:16:00] and flourish

[00:16:01] Andrea Elibero: Yeah. Amazing. So let's let's shift a little bit. So I want to talk about your journey as a business. So how your business looks now. Is this what it's always looked like when you started or how talk about your own journey. growth and evolution of your business.

[00:16:18] Samantha Eck: Absolutely. So when I first started, like I said, I was in the corporate world of accounting. So I knew what I was doing on the like backend business, like, or not really the backend, but the day to day work. But I had no idea how to handle people. So I actually took a course on how to deal with clients and things like that.

[00:16:36] Cause I was like, I don't know how to talk to people about this. I don't know how

[00:16:39] Andrea Elibero: Wait, this is so interesting. You took a course on, on almost like client communication.

[00:16:45] Samantha Eck: so it was a bookkeeping course where it also taught you, like, how to give, like, proposals, how to, like, talk with people during the calls, things like that,

[00:16:55] Andrea Elibero: Okay.

[00:16:56] Samantha Eck: which I felt was so important because, [00:17:00] you know, a lot, a lot of that as well is not taught.

[00:17:03] So. It started off with me being really nervous and really scared and like, I don't know what I'm saying. I'm just going to tell you, Hey, I'm here to do your books. I'm going to go in your QuickBooks. I'm going to categorize things. So when I first started, I was very much a typical bookkeeper, if you would say, where I was like, this is what I'm going to do for you.

[00:17:23] This is how I'm going to do for you. Not really explaining the back end, like what I was really going to do for you, how we were going to work together. Because to me,

[00:17:33] When I'm working with your business as a bookkeeper, it's more about partnership and being, working together as partners,

[00:17:40] unless of me just being someone in the shadows. Like, I want you to be comfortable reaching out and saying, Hey, Samantha,

[00:17:46] um,

[00:17:48] I have a question about this certain financing. Can you help me? Or I have a question about a decision I want to make in my business. Can you help me?

[00:17:55] Andrea Elibero: So when you started, it was more almost like, these are the tasks that I do. I put in [00:18:00] and do this and not so much of the strategy and the partnership and focusing on that aspect of it. Yeah.

[00:18:06] Samantha Eck: Yeah, so that's when I really started. I think it was last year mid last year I hired a coach we kind of worked a little bit on my messaging and she told me she said well What is it you're really trying to do and I'm like, well I want people to read this story that their numbers are trying to tell them and she's like, okay We'll use that and I was like I want them to utilize their goals like the goals that they have in their brain that they don't ever write down

[00:18:32] to Further their business to understand their numbers on a different level.

[00:18:37] You know, I want them to forget about just revenue I want them to focus on everything. I want them to focus on the big picture And she's like then use that she's like talk about that. She's like because no one out there is talking about that So put it in front of people and say hey This is the story that your numbers tell and use the way that you're talking about it And when I started talking about it like with words, I was like [00:19:00] Whoa, like I didn't realize that what I, is in my brain when I let it out, like it makes sense and people actually resonate with it.

[00:19:09] So,

[00:19:09] Andrea Elibero: but here's the thing is that you manage to find, and this is something that happens or that I see happen. I see this shift when people find the thing that really lights them up and, and I'll call it their unique magic. And a lot of times there are service providers who, you know, they're doing, they all start out kind of general, like you started out doing tasks, you know, I'm like, okay, I'm doing this thing.

[00:19:28] And yeah, that's great and lovely. But then it's like, oh, like what's the meaning behind it? And when you find that meaning, then you can, then your passion, like when I see you talk about it, you light up, right? Like you, like you could hear the passion coming through and that's the thing that's so magnetic to people.

[00:19:43] So there are 10 million bookkeepers, right? There's there's so many bookkeepers, but why are they coming to you? It's because you have found the thing that makes you so excited and you know, you're not like, oh, I love like Putting numbers into QuickBooks and picking categories, like, no, you're like, you know, you're talking about the bigger transformation, the [00:20:00] bigger picture, and this is key, right?

[00:20:01] This is like the pivotal thing that's really amazing about the fact that you can be the quote unquote the same and do the same thing as so many other people, but you have your unique spin to it, you have your viewpoint, you have the thing that makes you so excited about it, and that's the thing that draws people, no matter what you're doing, and it's really, really cool.

[00:20:20] So I love that, that you found that thing and were able to use it to actually grow your business and connect with your clients more and, and all of that.

[00:20:27] Samantha Eck: yes. Thank you so much. I appreciate that. And I, I love that you see that because I'm like, I'm, I am, I'm so passionate about it and sharing it with others.

[00:20:36] Andrea Elibero: And in your business growth, so now you're like, okay, I found my messaging. I found like the thing that's kind of making me unique. Did you always have the same packages? Do you always package up your offers in the same way?

[00:20:48] Samantha Eck: Yeah, um, so I didn't actually, when I first started, I didn't have any packages. I just went based off of pricing. So I'd say, hey, what's your bank accounts? What's your transactions? What's stuff like that? A lot of the times [00:21:00] nowadays, yes, I have three set packages, but I look at more than just their transactions and their bank accounts.

[00:21:05] That's still something that I want to know so I can understand the work that's going into it. But. Whenever I talk with someone and I'm looking at clients that are applying on my website, I'm looking at what they're saying in the questionnaire because I asked them, I said, what are your goals? If they're just going to say to grow my business, I'm like, are you the right person for me?

[00:21:25] Cause are you just looking to grow your business by just like putting in numbers or are you the right person or the person who's going to say,

[00:21:33] I want to grow my business by changing my pricing. I want to grow my business by hiring some contractors this year.

[00:21:40] I want to grow my business by hiring employees, whatever it is. Then I know that they're looking for more than just, I want to a bookkeeper. They want something deeper. And that's the people that I tend to really, really connect with and how my package is transformed from just, hey, what are your bank [00:22:00] accounts and your transactions?

[00:22:01] And now it's like, how can I actually help you grow?

[00:22:05] Andrea Elibero: So it sounds like what I'm hearing from you is that it's really a lot about being selective with your clients and making sure that you really align with them.

[00:22:13] Samantha Eck: Yes, absolutely.

[00:22:15] Andrea Elibero: Yeah. And this was, I know that as service providers, we've all gone through, I've all had lots of different types of clients, some more amazing and lovely and others that weren't quite the right fit.

[00:22:29] So is that something that you kind of learned from experience that you're like, Oh, this is the thing that makes the difference for me.

[00:22:36] Samantha Eck: Yeah. Uh, I mean, and that's, that's it right there is, is how they filled out that

[00:22:41] initial contact because I found that if someone just puts one or two sentences,

[00:22:48] usually

[00:22:49] they're the type of person that's not going to get me the things when I need them, doesn't really respond to the emails when they're sent, things like that.

[00:22:58] Andrea Elibero: Yeah,

[00:22:58] Samantha Eck: who filled it out in [00:23:00] detail are the ones who are like consistently in touch with me.

[00:23:03] Andrea Elibero: it's such a good indicator. It really is. That's so funny. But yeah, you could totally tell a lot I'm thinking back to like, oh, yeah, that's true

[00:23:11] Samantha Eck: Yeah.

[00:23:12] Andrea Elibero: People that i've chatted with and what I do right like what i'm doing things so So yeah, it's really amazing and I believe when Okay, so that's okay. So so

[00:23:22] You started out you figured out your messaging you figured out.

[00:23:24] Okay this client piece And what about now? Where are you today? And where do you want to go in your business?

[00:23:30] Samantha Eck: Yeah. So today I have almost a complete roster of aligned clients. There's a few more that I'm like working with and I'm like, I hope that I get to the point where I can say, Hey, you know, It's time that we part ways Because of course you want people that are aligned and like help you build your business But for me the biggest thing for this year is visibility I want to get in front of people I want to start [00:24:00] talking more because I found that's something that I have a lot of power in is Getting the words out of my head and speaking them and I can write stuff down all day, but the way I write it down is not the same as the way that it comes out of my mouth.

[00:24:17] Andrea Elibero: Okay. So there's two things on that that I think are really important. One is, the journey, kind of like the business evolution in terms of what should you focus on. And to me, the first thing is, okay, like, are the offers, you know, it's like, okay, what is my business? What is my structure? How do, you know, do I love what I'm doing?

[00:24:35] And then it's kind of the messaging and the marketing piece. And then once you have all of that down, and it sounds like that's the point where you're at, then it's like, okay, now I can focus on visibility because now I have all these things down and I can grow, grow. And like, that's my focus. So, and I'm stating that very clearly because I feel like a lot of people don't.

[00:24:51] Not that they don't understand it, but they don't know where to focus, right? Like, oh, I just need more clients. So they jump to the visibility piece and skip over the structure of your business, the offers, how are they [00:25:00] set up? Are they streaming? You know, like, how are you actually operating on the back end?

[00:25:03] They skip over the marketing and messaging piece. Like, oh, can I talk about things effectively and go straight to the visibility? And that's not going to be as effective. So there's a very, there's a very clear delineation in terms of step one, step two, step three, and how can you grow your business with ease.

[00:25:17] Samantha Eck: Yeah.

[00:25:18] Andrea Elibero: Right, because you can do the visibility all day long, but it's not going to be as effective if you don't have all those other

[00:25:23] things in place. So that reminded me of that. And then there was a second thing, which I was like, Oh yes, that thing. And now I forgot it. So we are going to, um,

[00:25:32] It's gonna bother me because I was like, oh, yeah, that's really good.

[00:25:35] And I want to point that out as well. Ah, yes, I see. I remember now. So the You the other thing that I really loved and wanted to kind of pull out about what you were saying Is that you're like, oh I love talking and I think and like speaking and that's what I really want to do and the words They don't come out, you know, it doesn't

[00:25:52] It doesn't translate as well when I write it down.

[00:25:54] And this is so important as well, because this is the same, like people feel like, Oh, I have to mark it in this way, or this is the one [00:26:00] best way to mark it.

[00:26:01] But it's every single way works. It's what works for you. And what can you be consistent with what you enjoy doing? So if you don't love doing this, right, then, then don't do that, you know, do like go write blogs or go do like the things that you don't have to talk and vice versa.

[00:26:18] So I think it's a really. It's such a great example that you're able to show people of like, it seems very clear, you know, in your explanation of your journey, it's very clear, like, no, I focused on this. I focused on this. Oh, I really love doing this. And, and I just want to make that even more clear that do the things that you love to do, and then that's

[00:26:37] Samantha Eck: Yes.

[00:26:37] Andrea Elibero: for you.

[00:26:39] Samantha Eck: Yes. And, and like, like I said, that shift really happened for me last, last year

[00:26:44] where I started my podcast. I'm starting my YouTube this year. I'm going on more podcasts. I'm talking at summits because

[00:26:52] it's what I love doing. And like people can hear the passion that I have behind my voice, similar to how you heard it.

[00:26:58] And I'm like, that's the power [00:27:00] is when people can really hear the passion because they can't see that passion behind my words,

[00:27:05] but they can hear it in my voice.

[00:27:07] Andrea Elibero: Yeah. Yeah. Completely. Completely.

[00:27:09] So

[00:27:10] it's the right path for you. So, so amazing. Okay. And I would, I love to ask as a final question as your top scaling tip. So somebody who has a business and of course this could be related to whichever, whatever you want it to be.

[00:27:25] So I'm okay. I'm growing. I'm a VA. a whatever server, online service provider.

[00:27:29] I'm growing my business. From your experience, what's the top tip that you would love to leave? this audience.

[00:27:36] Samantha Eck: Yeah, I mean just in general for growing your business, I would say look at everything with

[00:27:44] The question of why am I doing this? What purpose does it serve me and my business? And don't just think about your business. Think about you personally, because you are your business. So think about what it's doing to serve you and you'll have so much success because you're [00:28:00] going to start thinking of things in a different way.

[00:28:01] Instead of purchasing that

[00:28:03] 27 course that keeps popping up on Facebook or

[00:28:07] something like that, you're going to think, does this really serve me? Does this really serve my business?

[00:28:11] Will it serve my clients? and it'll impact every decision you make in your business.

[00:28:17] Andrea Elibero: Yeah, and doing things with intention. It's the theme of our, our interview today. So, yes, amazing, beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing all of that. How can we stay in touch with you? And if you have any gifts you'd like to share, go ahead and shout those out as well.

[00:28:35] Samantha Eck: Yes, absolutely. So I'm most active on threads at Firestorm Finance, uh, but I'm also active on Instagram as well.

[00:28:44] I have a podcast called Creative Minds Smart Money for creatives. We talk about business, we also talk about finance,

[00:28:50] and we're going to get a little bit more conversational in the future talking just about things in general.

[00:28:55] So I'd love to see you there if you're interested in that.

[00:28:59] And then, of [00:29:00] course, I do have a freebie for you today. It is called the Strategic Success Menu Workshop. It's a sneak peek into what I do with my clients where we're starting to connect your big picture goals

[00:29:11] to your finances.

[00:29:13] So if that's something you're interested in, I will make sure to give the link to interested that she could put it in and, uh, you guys can have a peek at that.

[00:29:22] Andrea Elibero: Yeah, it'll be in the show notes for sure. Thank you for sharing all of your genius about money and how it is just data and we can use it effectively to make decisions. And I think that was really inspiring and amazing. So thank you so much for being here today.

[00:29:37] Samantha Eck: Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it.