Remote Work: Jessica Struck of CPP & Strategic Bookkeeping On How To Successfully Navigate The Opportunities & Challenges Of Working Remotely Or From Home

It is important to have a dedicated workspace when you work remotely. Work with what you have resource-wise, but having somewhere dedicated to working with a comfortable chair is essential. Make it appealing, but not distracting. Don’t have things in your line of sight that will take away from your focus time. For me, that’s not working in a co-living space like the living room. I will see everything in that room that needs to be done except for what I’m supposed to be doing at that moment. I’ve been working on my home office for a year now and it’s become a place I can focus well and am proud of.

As a part of our series about the things you need to successfully work remotely, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jessica Struck.

Jessica Struck is the Owner of Strategic Bookkeeping, LLC, a virtual Bookkeeping Practice. She leverages 18 years of private and public accounting experience, along with good old-fashioned common sense, to help small business owners become financially literate and grow their profits. Jessica realized a gap in the market for down-to-earth financial advice and desires to get everyone excited about seeing their numbers!

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. What is your “backstory”?

Thank you so much for having me today. My backstory consists of a lot of trial and error in finding out a good fit career-wise. To speed things up a little bit: I grew up in Interior Alaska. I graduated high school from a homeschool program in 1999. I tried the traditional route of college after graduation. When I say there’s been a lot of trial and error and confusion about where I saw myself, I started out as a biology major in college. That is a far cry from where I’ve landed in the accounting industry. My initial college career ended prematurely ¾ of the way through my freshman year. I was bored to tears and lacked any direction at that time in my life. I moved in 2003, lived for a brief time in Georgia, and then moved to Wisconsin. When I was in Wisconsin I was exposed to bookkeeping work, basically by chance. I was a receptionist in a temp-to-hire position. Another position opened there when their part-time bookkeeper left. I took that opportunity and that was where I discovered my love of bookkeeping.

That love of bookkeeping ignited a passion in me to make accounting a career. I went back to college in 2007 and graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s in accounting. 2011 was also the same year that I moved back to Alaska during my divorce and got a job in public accounting. Public accounting was a great learning opportunity, but it was not where I saw myself long-term. I found a corporate accounting position in payroll. That led me to obtain my Certified Payroll Professional designation in 2019. I was shortly thereafter promoted to the accounting manager position and spent 8 years learning and growing in that environment before I felt I was ready to pursue my own entrepreneurial dreams a struck out on my own.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

The most interesting thing I have discovered is that once you start putting yourself out there, the opportunities will present themselves. I feel the universe has guided me each step of the way. I don’t think I had as much input in how I got to where I am as the universe did in leading me down this path. As soon as I embraced my journey, bumpy as it was, opportunities presented that ultimately led me to where I am today.

A specific instance of this is how I began my career in payroll. Payroll had never been on my radar as a career consideration. Being open to opportunities and facing a challenge made me grow and I was able to add a valuable skillset to the services I can provide clients. I consider myself a lifelong learner. I see challenges and I face them with curiosity, and a “let’s see what we can do with this” type of approach. I took that challenge, and it led me to study for and pass two rigorous exams to get my FPC (Fundamental Payroll Certification) and then my CPP (Certified Payroll Professional designation.)

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Mistakes are a necessary part of learning and growth; I love this question! A lesson I continue to learn is to ask good questions.

My funny mistake was after having a fantastic conversation with a new potential client and then finding out that the system she was currently using wasn’t something that I could easily access. I was so excited about helping her with her project I forgot to ask what software she was using. Long story short I found a way to access her data so I could help her out, but I have since learned to ask better questions and then spend the rest of my time listening so I know if there’s an important detail I should be keying in on.

What advice would you give to other business leaders to help their employees thrive and avoid burnout?

Avoiding burnout comes from a place of awareness. Both in knowing yourself very well and then in spatial awareness of your team.

Listen to your team and understand what motivates them in life. Learn their capabilities, their limitations, and their goals. Checking in with your team is an important part of helping employees avoid burnout. Nothing will fast-track burnout quicker than an employee that feels unheard, invalidated, and isolated. People are resilient and can navigate change and tough scenarios when they feel fully supported and appreciated in their roles. Dealing with staffing shortages, and employees’ personal struggles, can put a lot of pressure on a team. Knowing when to step in, suggesting breaks, or redistributing tasks can really help keep your team refreshed and happy. A happy team will be a productive team.

Ok, let’s jump to the core of our interview. Working remotely can be very different than working with a team that is in front of you. This provides great opportunities, but it can also create unique challenges. To begin, can you articulate for our readers a few of the main benefits and opportunities of working remotely?

There are so many benefits! No commute, working when and where you want. If you choose to work for a company, find one that offers the benefits you’re seeking. Whether that’s unlimited PTO or flexible work hours. In my case, I chose to start my own business as I wanted full control of where, when, and how I work. I create boundaries to protect the time I don’t want to be engaged in work, and then make sure I’m giving full focus during those pockets of time when I am working.

Can you articulate for our readers what the five main challenges are regarding working remotely?

1 . Accountability

2 . Distractions

3 . Lack of Socialization

4 . Burn-out

5 . Non-functional Workspace

Based on your experience, what can one do to address or redress each of those challenges? Can you give a story or example for each?

1 . Creating a schedule helps you be personally accountable. This is also a good way to make sure you’re taking breaks. I use a simple approach in google calendar. I keep google calendar open in a tab during my workday. I use the reminder feature quite a bit, so I get a little ding when I’m supposed to be moving on to something else. I schedule deadlines first, looking at monthly, quarterly, and annual non-negotiable deadlines. Prioritize scheduling those tasks and the amount of time you need to perform them. I use a time-blocking method within my Google calendar to block out work sessions. I also use that methodology to plan break times, meals, and other tasks that need to get done as well.

If you find this difficult in the beginning, there are timers you can use on the internet that tell you when to focus and then when to take breaks. That works well for some people. I thrive on structure, and I create it for myself by using my calendar and time-blocking method. I also make sure I have a bedtime and a time I wake up each day. Not everyone wants those constraints, but they work well for me.

Seek out an accountability partner that shares this common pain point for times when you find it very difficult to stay on track or focus. This is important for solo entrepreneurs as your days can feel very lonely and overwhelming when you’re the one doing everything.

2 . Remote work has great opportunities but can also come with many distractions. Specifically, for those who cohabitate in a household or don’t have a dedicated workspace. Use strategies such as working in “pockets” of time. Split your day up to make it work for you. Get up earlier so you have focus time before your household is noisy. Take your work to a quieter place such as a study room in your public library. Most cities also have coworking spaces where you can pay to use a workstation or small office space to focus and work free of distraction.

3 . Working remotely can feel isolating at times. Especially if you don’t have a team or participate in functions that bring you together with others. I think it’s just as important to schedule socialization into your days as it is to schedule your breaks, exercise, and work.

One way that I do this is by being involved in mentorship and peer programs that host coworking sessions. Some sessions I attend are held monthly while others are weekly. This is a place where peers can connect via a Zoom call and work on whatever they want to. You can also use break-out rooms within that Zoom call to collaborate with others, which creates that team dynamic many of us solo business owners are lacking. We take short breaks throughout the session where you can catch up and engage in some “water cooler” chat. It’s a simple way to feel more connected to your peers.

4 . It can be easy to get burnt out when you’re working remotely. Especially if your work is too accessible to you. You must create boundaries within your space because your personal time is valuable. This is part of being personally accountable too. Have set focus hours and times you’ll respond to calls, emails, and texts. Having a separate work laptop and cellphone may be necessary to help create these boundaries. Having a workstation or home office is a great way to create a boundary. When you’re done working for the day, leave your workstation or home office and don’t go back until your next scheduled focus time.

5 . It is important to have a dedicated workspace when you work remotely. Work with what you have resource-wise, but having somewhere dedicated to working with a comfortable chair is essential. Make it appealing, but not distracting. Don’t have things in your line of sight that will take away from your focus time. For me, that’s not working in a co-living space like the living room. I will see everything in that room that needs to be done except for what I’m supposed to be doing at that moment. I’ve been working on my home office for a year now and it’s become a place I can focus well and am proud of.

Do you have any suggestions specifically for people who work at home? What are a few ways to be most productive when you work at home?

I think productivity can be an individual thing. We may all view a productive day a little differently. I would say in general terms, document what your goals or objectives are and maximize the time you have available to achieve those things.

Being able to stay focused on one thing at a time helps. That’s where for me, the time-blocking method works great. I know certain things need to get done such as meals, client work, and family celebrations. Whatever the priorities are for a given day or week, I schedule my day in a way that I can achieve what I need to. It also helps to not overschedule yourself or run too close to deadlines. I’m always trying to think ahead and plan for contingencies so I’m always fulfilling my obligations as a partner and as a business owner.

Can you share any suggestions for teams who are used to working together on location but are forced to work remotely due to the pandemic? Are there potential obstacles one should avoid with a team that is just getting used to working remotely?

I work more with peers and clients, but I can speak to team situations when I was in corporate during the pandemic:

• Provide technology to help everyone work together seamlessly.
• Realize that everyone may have different capabilities and learning curves when it comes to the technology needed to work remotely. Make sure you listen to your team’s feedback and provide accessible technical training opportunities when needed.
• Know that some people’s personal space may not easily allow for them to be on screen often due to cohabitation so give everyone grace. Provide flexibility, in the beginning, to learn what works best for the team so that scheduling meetings and things of that nature run smoothly.

One thing I can say that makes people feel very uncomfortable when they’re trying to work remotely is the feeling of being micromanaged. Whether that’s requiring them to have their chat active from 9–5 or if they’re required to be on screen for such and such hours a day. It makes people feel micromanaged and not trusted. If you don’t trust that your team is working or if they are not getting their work done, then that could speak to a bigger issue. However, treating people like they’re not trustworthy without cause is going to damage your remote teamwork environment from the start.

What do you suggest can be done to create an empowering work culture and team culture with a team that is remote and not physically together?

Letting people be themselves. As someone who has worked in an industry that is very rigid, it’s important to recognize our team is human. We all make mistakes. We all have goals and desires that may have nothing to do with our work. That doesn’t make someone a bad employee. As a leader, hopefully, you have had to experience what it’s like to work under someone else. That’s valuable insight. If you approach things by treating others how you’d like to be treated, you will find the right answer. Be an active listener and learn about your team members and their goals and dreams.

Also, let your team know they’re appreciated. This is such a small gesture that can really go far in creating an empowered team dynamic.

You are a person of great influence. If you could spread an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Invest in yourself and invest in education. Education does not have to mean going to college, but I assure you, if you commit to learning everything about the topics that fire you up, you cannot go wrong! Capability exists in all of us, you just have to learn how to tap into your own potential. Allow yourself to try new things. Allow yourself grace to fail and to start over. Everything in life is about learning from and growing through our experiences.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Nothing will work unless you do” — Maya Angelou.

You can sit back and dream about having the life that you want, or you can get up and start to cultivate that life on your own terms. I really believe that a good work ethic and the courage to try new things will take you everywhere. Draw inspiration from those you admire, but most importantly use that inspiration to motivate yourself to achieve your goals and dreams!

I used to think others’ success wasn’t achievable for me. And maybe their form of success is not, but that doesn’t mean I cannot create my own success. The biggest difference between people who are making things happen and those that aren’t is that the ones that are, are taking risks and getting out there and doing the work.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

I’m the most active on Instagram: www.instagram.com/strategicbookkeepingllc

Readers can also follow my website: strategicbookkeeping.solutions

I’d love to hear how others stay organized and motivated working remotely!

Thank you for these great insights! We wish you continued success.

Thank you for the opportunity to share!