by MHolland | Oct 3, 2025 | Business Tips, Systems
As many of you know, I’m a big fan of the Freedom app—I use it daily. What I like most is that it works seamlessly across all devices—phones, computers, iPads—covering everything in one simple tool.
This week, I want to share two excellent posts from the Freedom team.
The Power of a Fresh Start
One of their recent blogs explores the idea of a Fresh Start—not just at New Year’s, but at any moment you choose. Morning, midday, bedtime—whenever you decide.
Personally, I find this idea especially useful after a crisis or stressful series of events. It’s a reset button for the mind.
I came across a Latin phrase that captures this perfectly – “Nunc Coepi”—meaning “Now I begin.” It was popularized by Catholic priest Bruno Lanteri as a reminder to let go of the past and start again, right here, right now.
That perspective has helped me more than once when things felt overwhelming.
👉 [Read the blog: The Fresh Start Effect]
Rebuilding Focus in a Distracted World
The other post tackles focus. Studies show our average attention span is now shorter than a goldfish—around eight seconds. Alarming, but not permanent.
The solution? Practice focus in short, intentional bursts. Start with 25 minutes, then stretch the time gradually.
Another practical tip: try reading a full chapter of a classic book (say, A Tale of Two Cities) in one sitting. It’s a surprisingly effective way to strengthen focus and patience.
👉 [Read the blog: Overcoming a Short Attention Span]
Final Thought
Whether it’s starting fresh after a setback or sharpening your ability to focus, these practices have one thing in common: they help you take control of your day instead of letting distractions or setbacks control you.
Thanks for reading…
by MHolland | Sep 5, 2025 | Business Tips, Selling Tips, Systems
We all know service is the key ingredient in running a successful business. But how important is it really?
Recently, my wife and I spent a few days at a hotel that, on the surface, was jaw-dropping. Unique. Special. Remarkable. We’ve stayed in boutique hotels around the world – from Kenya to Europe – and some of them left us with unforgettable memories. Almost always, the reason wasn’t just the architecture or location. It was the service.
A Factory That Never Was
This particular hotel had invested heavily in its design. The theme – an “old factory renovation” from the 1800s. From the moment you arrived, you felt transported. A rail line embedded in the walkway. Black-and-white photos of factory workers. Rusted tools in display cabinets. Cracked windows, faded tiles, furniture that looked vintage but wasn’t. Every detail was carefully manufactured to create the illusion of history.
And I’ll admit – they nailed it. The place was stunning. Except for one fatal flaw.
When Service Kills the Experience
From the first meal, the service fell flat. Staff moved around like they were heading to a funeral. No warmth. No welcome. We had booked for a week but quickly felt unwelcome.
One example stands out – we asked to see a different room type for a future stay. The front desk clerk acted like a prison guard, scolding me for touching the bedspread. “Do not touch the bed! We’ll have to call the cleaners again!” (For the record, my hands were clean. 😂)
Almost every interaction felt upside down. We were the ones making small talk and trying to spark smiles. By the end of the first day, we cut our stay from one week to one night. At checkout, they even tried to charge us a penalty for leaving early.
To their credit, when we asked to see the manager, she was gracious, apologetic, and quick to waive the fee. I truly hope she can help turn things around. The investment in infrastructure and design was a clear labor of love. But without service, none of that matters.
The Lesson
Here’s the point – service is everything. You can have the most beautiful product, the slickest office, or the most advanced systems. But if your service is cold, inconsistent, or dismissive, your business will suffer.
The opposite is also true: with outstanding service, customers will forgive imperfections, delays, and even the occasional mistake. Because they feel cared for. They feel valued.
Want your business to soar? Build service standards that make people say, “I’ve never felt taken care of like this before.”
Bottom line: Infrastructure gets attention. But service wins loyalty.
A Side Note on Productivity
On a another note, I just read a powerful blog post from the Freedom app team on reclaiming time with digital minimalism. They show how you can gain an average of 2.5 hours per day simply by managing your app use. A great reminder that just like service, small changes in behavior can deliver outsized results.
👉 Read it here.
by MHolland | Aug 15, 2025 | Business Tips, Cloud-based Accounting, Systems
You’re either going to automate or you’re going to hire more people.
There is no third option.
The business graveyard is full of companies that clung to manual processes because “that’s how we’ve always done it.” They didn’t die because AI took their jobs. They died because they refused to adapt.
One of the hot topics these days is whether AI will wipe out a massive number of white-collar jobs.
The short answer? No, it won’t.
Why not?
Because automation has been happening for centuries — and people are still working. Not just in manual or service jobs, either.
Take aviation as an example:
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In the 1800s, there were no pilots.
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In the 1950s, were there proportionately more pilots or fewer than today in 2025? Clearly fewer.
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Are airplanes more automated and computerized now than in 1955? Absolutely.
Automation didn’t kill the airline industry — it helped it explode. It enabled more flights, more routes, more passengers, and more jobs.
The same principle applies today. Automation doesn’t destroy opportunity — it destroys complacency. If you don’t keep up, you get left behind.
The Accounting Example
In just the past 15 years, we’ve seen accounting software evolve to:
- Pull all the details from source documents and even suggest where to post transactions.
- Pay all bills online — no more cheque printing or mailing.
- Reconcile banks daily through automated feeds.
- Integrate operational software directly into accounting systems.
- Route bills to department heads on their smartphones for quick approval.
Has this wiped out accounting jobs? No.
It’s shifted the skill set. Today’s accountants need more focus, more adaptability, and stronger critical thinking. Those who embraced the changes thrived. Those who didn’t? Marginalized and sidelined — just like buggy whip makers when the car came along.
Automate or Hire — Pick One
If you run a business, here’s the real question:
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Can this process be automated?
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Is there cloud software I can buy to do it?
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Can I connect my operational data directly to my accounting system?
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If no off-the-shelf solution exists, can I hire someone to build it?
If you choose not to automate — or think it’s too expensive — then you have no choice but to hire people.
Now compare the costs. Is it more expensive to bring on more staff, or to invest, say, $30–$50K in software that eliminates bottlenecks and stops duplicate data entry?
Data duplication is one of the biggest wastes in any business. Every time the same data is keyed in twice, error rates go up. That’s not theory — it’s a law of averages.
How to Fix It
- Ensure accuracy at the source. Hold the person entering data accountable for getting it right the first time.
- Validate at the managerial level. Don’t just trust the input — verify it.
Do this across all your data flows, and errors drop dramatically.
The Payoff
Run the numbers. A one-time $50K investment in automation can pay for itself in less than a year compared to the ongoing cost of a full-time data-entry hire. And unlike a human hire, automation doesn’t take sick days, quit, or need training every six months.
The bottom line: Automate where you can. Hire where you must. But don’t waste money doing what software can do better, faster, and more accurately.
Thanks for reading…
by MHolland | Jul 31, 2025 | Business Tips, Systems
If your business feels like it relies too much on you—or a few “star employees”—it’s a sign you’re missing two critical tools – Performance Standards and a Playbook.
These two elements are the foundation of a business that runs smoothly, trains new staff quickly, and delivers consistent results. Most companies only have one (or neither). Here’s how they work—and why you need both.
Performance Standards – Defining “What Great Looks Like”
Performance Standards (PS) are outcome‑driven. They define the operational and service results you expect from a process or a role.
Think of them as the bar your team must clear. They focus on results, not steps, like:
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Delivering on time
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Maintaining quality and accuracy
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Completing work without rework
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Creating a great service experience (how phones are answered, how emails are written, or the “extras” that delight clients)
Good Performance Standards are measurable. Here’s an Accounts Payable (AP) example:
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Zero payments without a 3‑way match (PO, invoice, receipt)
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99% of vendor bills entered within 2 business days
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Payment runs Wednesdays only, early‑pay discounts captured if ≥1.0% effective annualized
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Exception rate <2% per month, all exceptions resolved in 5 business days
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Fraud controls: dual approval for any payment >$10k; vendor master changes segregated
A Performance Standard is not a motherhood statement; it is something measurable in physical reality. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it—and Performance Standards give you the yardstick for accountability.
Playbook – Making the Work Repeatable
If Performance Standards are the “what,” your Playbook is the “how.”
A Playbook is a step‑by‑step guide or checklist that ensures your team can consistently hit the standards—even when you’re not in the room.
Continuing with the AP example, a Playbook might include:
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Invoice intake: where they arrive, naming convention, and upload to Xero/HubDoc
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3‑way match SOP: screenshot‑rich walkthrough in ApprovalMax with edge‑case examples
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Payment‑run checklist: start‑to‑finish steps plus what to do if the bank file rejects
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Vendor setup process: template emails, required banking data, and sample remittance PDFs
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Payment method decision tree: when to use Plooto vs. wire vs. cheque, including FX handling
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Weekly reconciliation routine: report template, exception log, and sign‑off process
A strong Playbook turns tribal knowledge into documented knowledge, making it easy for any trained staffer to perform consistently—and for new hires to get up to speed fast. What is tribal knowledge? It is the stuff people keep in their heads on how they perform processes. The problem? When they leave, the knowledge leaves with them, and you are back at ground zero, with your replacement hire.
Why You Need Both
Businesses often get stuck because they only have one side of the system:
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Standards with no Playbook: You know the result you want, but everyone does it differently. Errors and inconsistency creep in.
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Playbook with no Standards: People follow steps, but you don’t know if the outcome meets expectations. You get activity, not results.
When you have both, you create a system that:
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Sets the bar (Performance Standards)
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Shows the way (Playbook)
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Makes results measurable and repeatable
This combination is what allows your business to scale without stress, protect quality, and remove dependency on any single person.
Take Action in Your Business
If you’re ready to stop firefighting and start scaling, here’s where to begin:
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Write 3‑5 clear Performance Standards for each critical process.
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Track performance weekly so everyone knows if the standard is met.
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Build a simple Playbook so any trained team member can hit the standard every time.
When you combine clear standards with a repeatable playbook, your business becomes trainable, scalable, and a whole lot easier to manage.
Thanks for reading…
by MHolland | Jul 25, 2025 | Business Tips, Cloud-based Accounting, Systems
by MHolland | Jul 18, 2025 | Business Tips, Systems
As my Blog readers know, I am a big fan of Freedom (the reality and the app😁)…
This week I want to share with you a blog from the Freedom app on taking a digital detox.
Why is this so important for business? Because focus, like awesome service, has become a competitive advantage.
I use the Freedom app to block distractions that come in the form of notifications from messaging apps, emails, and the desire to look at the latest news!
What I have not been aware of is how often I pick up my phone. I think if most of us started tracking just the number of times we pick up the phone in a day, we’d be shocked. Even with the Freedom app.
Can you (be honest with yourself 😉):
- Go for a bike ride, to the gym, or for a jog without your phone?
- Go for dinner without your phone (or just leave it in the car)?
- Keep your phone off the dining table when eating?
- Go to an event without your phone?
- Work for 90 minutes with your phone in another room?
Apparently studies how that people unlock their phone on average 96 times a day! 😕Yikes!
What is the cost? Loss of sleep, less depth in your relationships, inability to focus, irritability, neck pain (from looking all the time).
The biggest cost is simply the inability to sustain focus.
Here is a test – can you read, in one sitting, a full chapter of a Classic book, like a novel written by Dostoevsky?
Try it. See how you go.
Here is the link for the full blog:
Digital Detox in 2025
One last note – did you know that most of the creators of digital content and software in Silicon Valley forbid their children from using smart phones?
Hmmm, I wonder why? Could it be the same reason that Colombian drug lords never use the addictive stuff they sell?
Thanks for reading…
