#446 – Dida Clifton – The Office Squad

The Next 100 Days Podcast

The Office Squad

The Office Squad was founded by Dida Clifton, a former military staffer. Her husband flies F-15 jets. You can pick up on the methods and standards founded on a life of service. She’s now putting these to good work in this back end company mostly based out of Las Vegas.

Summary of the Podcast

Dida’s military background and entrepreneurial journey

• Dida shared her background of serving in the US Air Force.
• She worked in operations for an F-15 fighter squadron.
• After leaving the military, she started a bookkeeping business from home while raising her two daughters.
• Over time, the business grew into a full-service back office support company called The Office Squad.
• The Office Squad currently has two offices and 13 employees.

The Office Squad’s unique service model

• Dida explained The Office Squad’s membership-based pricing model, where clients pay a flat monthly fee for a suite of services including bookkeeping, phone answering, mail handling, and more.
• The company focuses on providing a consistent, high-quality experience and has developed proprietary systems and processes to ensure accountability and efficiency.

Scaling through franchising

• Dida discussed her plans to expand The Office Squad through a franchising model.
• This leverages the company’s operational systems and training programs.
• She aims to open franchises across Texas first, then potentially expand to other parts of the US and eventually internationally.

Importance of company culture and client fit

• Dida emphasised the importance of maintaining a strong company culture.
• That means only working with clients who are a good fit.
• She shared that The Office Squad has a 3-month onboarding period to ensure alignment, and they are not afraid to part ways with clients who are not a good match.

Embracing technology and AI

• Dida expressed a positive outlook on the role of technology and AI in supporting The Office Squad’s operations.
• She discussed using AI tools like QuickBooks AI to streamline bookkeeping tasks, while maintaining human oversight to ensure accuracy.

Recap and closing thoughts

• Graham and Kevin praised Dida’s entrepreneurial spirit and the success of The Office Squad, noting her military background and focus on company culture as key factors in the business’s growth.

Clips from the Podcast

First Client Won By Fax

https://thenext100days.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dida-Clifton-First-Client-by-Fax.mp4

Franchise

https://thenext100days.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dida-Clifton-Franchise.mp4

Testimonial

https://thenext100days.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dida-Clifton-Testimonial.mp4

The Next 100 Days Podcast Co-Hosts

Graham Arrowsmith

Graham founded Finely Fettled ten years ago to help business owners and marketers market to affluent and high-net-worth customers. MicroMailings is his new low risk, done for you marketing solution for companies seeking high net worth leads. He is also founder of MicroYES, a Partner for MeclabsAI, which combines the world’s biggest source of 10,000 marketing experiments with AI. Find Graham on LinkedIn.

Kevin Appleby

Kevin specialises in finance transformation and implementing business change. He’s the COO of GrowCFO, which provides both community and CPD-accredited training designed to grow the next generation of finance leaders. You can find Kevin on LinkedIn and at kevinappleby.com