We had the good fortune of connecting with Katie Bray and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
I have always loved time hacking and maximizing my own productivity. As a 7th grader I carried around a mound of aspirational books in my too heavy backpack. One of which was about speed reading. From an early age I have loved to learn and grow and continually. I have loved reading self help books attending workshops that promised to change my life in ways they couldn’t explain with experiencing them. These were all incredible and gave me some momentum but after time that momentum would fizzle and I would be back where I started. Starting my business I knew I needed something different from the tactics that I had tried in the past, but it was difficult in an overcrowded and unorganized market to distinguish which program or support I needed. I was ready to invest in anything that would help me create a successful business that one day I almost pulled the trigger on a program that promised these kinds of extreme results. After 1 hour on the phone I knew it had to be too good to be true. Eventually I began connecting with a woman who served me so powerfully, she was a heart-centered life and business coach. She served me powerfully, she gave me resources and stood by me in my business and life, challenging me to dream and vision in ways I had never done before. Finally I decided to go all in and invest an extremely uncomfortable amount of money in her coaching services. The key here was that I had an experience of the work- I knew what the coaching would look like and I knew what I was investing in because I had already experienced it. Making my coaching a regular habit has been the biggest factor in my success as a multi-business entrepreneur. Now, I offer these kinds of coaching services as well as my bookkeeping services for solo-entrepreneurs. Coaching has truly changed everything for me.

What should our readers know about your business?
What’s most exciting about my business is that I help people up level in their life and business. In my bookkeeping services I really take a different approach and work with my clients 1:1 monthly to not only understand their numbers but use their numbers to make strategic business decisions that truly align with the kinds of life they want to have. We don’t look at the numbers alone, we look at all the factors that played a part. For many of my clients I especially love helping them see their different income streams and how they can diversify and maximize their offerings. We have exercises that we do to support them in seeing what is possible an dhow to leverage their resources which will save them tons of time and money in the end. I especially am proud of my team and how we work together. Creating a team was a big hurdle for me. I had to take an honest look and work with my own limitations and how much I could do on my own. As my business grew I knew that in order to keep growing and keep serving I had to pass off some of the day to day tasks that were depleting all my energy and therefore I didn’t have anything left for business development. For many entrepreneurs it can be scary or overwhelming to think of delegating or creating a team, but I believe that there are some key aspects of each entrepreneurs life that they can outsource in order to maxmize their full potential and focus on the areas that give them energy instead of sucking their energy. This is truly what many of my conversations are about- how can you fully step into your life and business and show up at your best and feel really good about it. That is where the magic happens and that is where your clients get the very best of you.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh gosh, Tacoma, WA is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Whenever I leave I miss it so much, it just has everything, trees, mountains, oceans, wildlife, forests, city- its perfect. When my best friends visit we always have to take them to Point Ruston to get the gorgeous view of the sound and Vashon Island. We grab ice cream at Ice Cream Social- the best ice cream ever – I love that they change out their seasonal flavors monthly and there is always a new flavor to look forward to. We would absolutely have to spend a day on Owens Beach where we would watch sea lions and eagles, enjoy the rocky beach with driftwood, take a hike right from there through Point Defiance, find a little spot for a picnic and spend the whole day outside. We would have to go to dinner at The Table and Wooden City- Two of the best restaurants in town. One aspect of Tacoma that is quite wonderful and I would love to share with my guests is the art. I would take them to find local artists work on the side of buildings and make a few stops at the Museum of Glass and Tacoma Art Museum. I love this city so much and there is always something beautiful to do or see.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to acknowledge my own coach, Sarah Goodson of Three Beats Consulting, because I know that without her continued support I would have struggled so much more and my growth could have been so slow. I also want to acknowledge her for the way she not only supported me in my business, but supporting me in creating a life I love. For example, a requirement she had for me in 2019 was that I take a tropical vacation with my husband just the two of us- of course this was a dream of mine already, but I didn’t know how to make it happen, so she required that I go on this trip in 2020. The next step was that we made a plan for how I would create the money to go on this international vacation (without my children) and then I booked the trip. We travelled the first week of March 2020 and we all know what happened only 2 weeks after our return, the whole US shut down and our entire life changed on the outside. I love to travel and I know that if Sarah would not have required me to make it happen, I may have procrastinated and could have missed this major opportunity. Additionally, I want to recognize the entrepreneurs of Tacoma. These folks are some of the most supportive people I have ever experienced. Through the last 3 years of starting my businesss and living in Tacoma, WA I have had the privilege to get to know and be a part of this community of entrepreneurs. I think we are quite unique in that we all connect regularly and recommend local services and businesses to one another. We collaborate and serve and so believe in this community. I think we have something really special here, I am most grateful for this community who has supported me and my business out of the gate. Someone who always creates ways for entrepreneurs to connect through events like the Sustainability Summit is Allison Bishins of Allison Bishins Consulting.

Website: https://www.financialvisionbookkeeping.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/financialvisionbookkeeping/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-bray

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FinancialVisionBookkeeping/?modal=suggested_action

Image Credits
Heather Leacy Photography

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