Do a triathlon they said. It would be fun they said. You are raising money for a great charity they said. You will feel amazing they said. Well what they didn’t say was that doing a Triathlon would be one of the hardest things you have ever done and you will be a big fat emotional mess when you finish it. So three weeks ago my local gym here in… Read more
Two weeks ago I cracked. My son cracked. We were broken. Something had to give. I simply didn’t want any more tears (from him or me). The day I told him that school would open up (in regional) but he would return on separate days to his older brother and they would not overlap, it was all too much for him. He took himself to bed at 7pm and cried… Read more
Lockdown number #5 for Victoria. How on earth did we get here AGAIN? How much stamina do we have to survive this, especially when financial assistance to many of our clients (and ourselves) is NIL. That’s right, no financial support for months and months, but they are forced to shut down. Sorry for not being more positive, but it just seems that the “we are all in the together” mentality… Read more
I haven’t done many personal blogs about the impact of being an accountant during a worldwide health pandemic and economic crisis. I am not sure I have had the words, the heart, the strength. But we are now 12 months post Covid, and I feel like I will be mentally scarred forever. I still remember attending an accounting conference in early March 2020, and at this stage there were jokes… Read more
In my spare time I like to dream up projects that I will work on. One of those projects has now been on my list for 18 months….and that was to create a podcast. So introducing the “Becoming Financially Fit” podcast. OK, so the podcast is not live yet. It doesn’t even have a website (but it is a work in progress) and I haven’t recorded any episodes (that is… Read more
Working in finance during a Pandemic and economic downturn is certainly no bed of roses. And if one more person assumes “I must be raking it in” during this Coronavirus crisis, I seriously think I will lose my mind. You see, we are busy, yes. And we are super grateful for that. But we are busy in July and August every year. But this year sees us being a different… Read more
So the Morrison government gave a sneak peak at what JobKeeper 2.0 will look like from October 2020, and whilst most people are losing their minds, there are some good changes coming. How will you be impacted? What should you be doing now? And how can you prepare for life “post JobKeeper”? Well first and foremost, JobKeeper 2.0 is not legislation yet so we can’t tell you the exact impact… Read more
End of financial year is a great time to start using accounting software, either for the first time or perhaps upskilling to ensure your current software is kicking goals for you. Maybe you need to upgrade your excel worksheet or shoebox of receipts to something a bit more robust. Perhaps you are still highlighting items from your bank statements and getting sick of spending hours on historical transactions. Getting organised… Read more
Coming up to the second round of JobKeeper reporting and we are still so bloody shocked by the amount of crap information being thrown around in relation to who is eligible for this funding. And more importantly, why are people not qualified to give this advice so happy to throw around these “JobKeeper Myths” like confetti?? Let me bust some of the crap information and myths around JobKeeper that people… Read more
JobKeeper, decline in turnover tests, eligible employees, non eligible employees, cash boost, state government grants, unfair legislation, cash flow problems. Somehow, it seems I am responsible for all the shit that has happened in the past 5 weeks. But I am here to tell you I am not. I actually have no involvement in the process of government decisions becoming legislation. I have no involvement in how the ATO interprets… Read more
I have no words to describe the past three weeks of being a business owner running their own accounting and bookkeeping business during the Coronavirus pandemic, but I will try. There has been so much negativity, so much uncertainty, increased levels of stress and anxiety, frustration through the roof, so many tears – and that is from both clients and from me. “We are not immune to any of it,… Read more
Small business right now is hurting. The level of uncertainty across the board is causing sleepless nights, increased anxiety, job loss, cash flow crisis and basically a level of doom that I just haven’t experienced before as a business owner. So what if we could all help each other create a ripple effect of positivity? I was thinking about “what can I do” to help others in business. Obviously I… Read more
The Australian Government today announced a cash stimulus package for small business in wake of the Coronavirus and the downturn in economic conditions. But what on earth does it mean. Facebook groups for business owners today have gone into overdrive with many people flat out asking “when do I get my $25,000 deposited into my bank account”. Now before you start rubbing your hands together in glee, let’s break down… Read more
How does “saying no” improve your business? Well, bloody hell don’t ask me as I say yes to everything and try to figure it all out later. But the only thing I figure out is that I am burnt out and exhausted. So what a bloody resounding surprise it was to listen to Elizabeth Gilbert this week in Melbourne. Now I have read her book “Big Magic” yonks ago, and loved it. So I… Read more
As a business owner, we often get asked by clients “what does my profit mean?”, “am I doing ok?” and most often “am I a success?”. Now whilst profit is one measure of success, looking at that number alone is dangerous.It could mean that you sail along in your comfort zone, not knowing how, when or if your business is actually successful in the first place. Now we… Read more
Christmas is always such an overwhelmingly expensive time of year. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a debt free Christmas each year? It can happen, I promise. But only if you plan well in advance. So if having zero Christmas credit card hangover is on your next years to do list, read on. So when is the right time to start planning your Christmas spending for 2020? NOW. Yep, that’s… Read more
I don’t know if it is just because it is the festive season that everyone seems to have their tinsel in a tangle. But if you are wrong, please say sorry. There is no need to be rude, abusive and pretend those around you, whether they are a service based business, retail, customer service or anything in between, is any less deserving of your time and attention. Most people think… Read more
Small business is at times, heartbreaking. You bend over backwards for clients. Always going above and beyond behind the scenes which clients don’t see. You work 24/7 including weekends to get things done on time. Perhaps you initially didn’t set clear boundaries as you want to help so bloody much. You explain the same thing what feels like 57 times – and then the client will send you yet another… Read more
Can accountants and bookkeepers use Facebook to grow their business? You bet they can. You see – do you know where your clients, and more importantly your future clients, hang out? Social media. Facebook has on average 1.33 billion active users a day. 1.33 billion. Now sure that is a world wide number, so the stats in Australia will be less, but that is still a whole lot of people… Read more
Do you know how many times we hear/see this question? Oh at least 3 times a week. We get it, you need to be getting value from your accountant/bookkeeper. And what your accountant or bookkeeper charges you needs to be reasonable. However, what are you factoring in when you get your answers to that question? Skill? Service level? How many people touch your data file? The scope of work included… Read more