Hi, this is Uriah from Productive Therapist, and this is 10 Questions with the super helpful Julie Herres. Enjoy.
Hi, everyone, it’s Julie Herres. I’m so excited to be doing 10 questions for the Productive Therapist because I really enjoy listening to the episodes. So here we go.
Question one, what is your name and job title?
So my name is Julie Herres. I am an accountant, and I am the owner of GreenOak Accounting, which is an accounting firm that specializes in working with private practice owners all across the U.S.
And in September, I’m also launching the podcast Therapy for Your Money that’s going to talk about all things finance and money for private practice owners.
Number two, what do you love about your job or business?
I love that my team and I help private practice owners feel less overwhelmed with the financial side of their business every day.
So over the years, I’ve really noticed that there’s a lot of anxiety around money for private practice owners. And I love that that’s something that we can just slide off their plate and help shoulder that anxiety and help shoulder some of those big financial decisions. That is really fulfilling to me.
Question number three, what are one or two things that you always do in the first 60 to 90 minutes of your day?
I am one of those crazy people who likes to get up at 4:30 in the morning. That’s usually when my alarm rings. I’m a big fan of the Miracle Morning, if you’ve ever heard of it. And so in those first couple of hours, what I like to do is start with a quick win. I’ll do a quick meditation. That’s when I drink my coffee. I love to learn something new early in the morning. I find that I’m really refreshed then. And so it’s a good time for me to do some reading, learn something new that I have been interested in.
And then that’s also when I do my deep work. So if there’s a project that I know I need to be very focused and that needs my undivided attention, this is the time of day that I use to do it because I know my email won’t be pinging. There’s literally nothing else going on at that time. So that’s the time I use for my deep work. And I usually can get an hour or two of work and before anyone else in my house wakes up. So that’s my favorite time of day.
Number four, what’s your go-to drink or snack for productive energy?
I love, love, love, sparkling water. Any flavor is good. I love them all. Unfortunately, I can’t drink sparkling water when I record a podcast because you can kind of hear it on the audio. So I have to resort to regular water.
As far as a snack. I really love Toasty Cheez-Its. It’s not healthy, I need to find a better snack, but that’s something that I really, really enjoy.
Number five, what does a very productive day look like for you?
So all weekdays start super early for me, then I usually take a quick break to get my kids up and running, get them ready for in-person school or virtual school, and then I get back to work. I typically work in my office, but right now I’m working from home.
My day is usually filled with different client meetings. I get a lot of energy out of that, but I do need to make sure I have some time for myself, some thinking time. So I try to build that in.
In my ideal scenario I end the day not too late. That doesn’t always happen, but that’s what I try to do since I start so early. So if I can get a couple of client meetings in and keep my inbox low, that’s a win for me.
Number six, what’s your favorite way to rest and recover?
I have three kids, so most of the time my rest and recovery time is family time.
During the summer, we love to hang out at the pool. During the winter, we kind of snuggle up and do movie time. That’s usually what I do. I also really enjoy reading. So for me, that’s always a great time. Great way to spend some time.
Number seven, are you a Mac or a PC person?
I feel like this is a loaded question! So I am a PC person, and the main reason is that my husband is also my IT guy. So he has his own business. He’s also an entrepreneur. He has a team of I.T. consultants. They do a lot of consulting on all kinds of Microsoft products like SharePoint. And so since he helps me out, I use a product that I know he can support. So whenever we have a new team member, he’s the one who sets everything up. Whenever there’s issues, he’s the one who helps with that. So that’s why we’re a PC firm.
What is one of the best business books you have read?
I love The E-Myth, that’s probably my favorite business book. It’s a classic and I think it applies to every industry, really. So I think it’s a great book.
And my other one would be Profit First, too. Profit First is such a great framework. It’s so simple at its base, and yet it works so well and so consistently that I think it’s a great read for any business owner. It is a little bit complicated to implement by yourself, although it’s doable, but it just works so well. I really highly recommend it.
If you were hot sauce, what spice level would you be?
What spice level would I be? I think I would be a 5 because I’m pretty cool-headed. I don’t think I get heated too much. I don’t think I’m too drab either. Yeah, let’s call it a five.
Where can people find out more about you and what you do?
There’s two places you can find me. The first is GreenOakAccounting.com. We have a great newsletter, and we put so much thought and content into that. There is tons of templates and all kinds of different advice. If there’s anything topical going on in the world of finance or tax, we try to discuss it there, too.
You can also book a free consultation with my team at GreenOakAccounting.com.
And if you’re interested in checking out the podcast, go to therapyforyourmoney.com. We are launching in September, and you can get on the email list there or subscribe on Apple iTunes and you’ll get the episodes when they come out. We’re going to be talking about all kinds of financial topics, specifically for private practice.
All right, bonus question, what is one of the best tips for success and happiness?
So my best tip for success is to make data-driven decisions in your business. The numbers are telling you a story in your business, and you just have to figure out what those are. And a lot of times it feels easier to go with your gut, but your gut isn’t always right. That’s the reality. So look at the numbers and make data-driven decisions for your business.
Have a great day, everybody!
