In thinking about the health and longevity of your business, ask yourself: Is my business running like an engine or like an egg beater? That’s to say, is your business a well-oiled machine with every part running exactly as it should with minimal input? Or, must you manually churn away with great force to accomplish your business’s goals and deliverables?

What if you want to make your side hustle your only hustle? Many accounting firms are breaking the traditional mold and offering alternatives to the Big 4 grind. For example remote bookkeeping and advising firms, like Breakaway Bookkeeping + Advising, offer flexibility in scheduling, a supported network of other advisors (who are equally working from themselves) and joy.

Tax practitioners are often inundated with marketing and promotional pitches on how to “optimize our tech stack,” increase their social presence, attract new clients and improve workflows. While all of these things are important to build and grow a business, the most successful entrepreneurs focus their energy on two valuable assets: their people and their existing clients. Done right, optimizing your client list can lead to higher profits and greater job satisfaction for you and your team. When focusing on existing clients, there’s a few critical questions you should be asking your team.

In the new year, I will celebrate a more joyful office culture, flexible schedules, borderless partnerships and being mission-driven. These values will make your employees happier and make your company more successful.