The Business of Bookkeeping

When Jeffrey Phillips left University he walked straight into an accounting career and quickly realised that sitting at a desk all day crunching numbers wasn't for him.  With an idea of how he wanted to balance life and work, he bravely started his own franchise business. Twelve years on, he's successfully designed his ideal venture, one where small, agile and mobile are essential ingredients. And...

After many years as a First Class franchisee, Elisa Mayenco's needs changed and it was time to consider exiting her business. As we'll hear, this she did successfully, but happily her knowledge and skills have been retained in her new role supporting new bookkeepers.

When Bhayva Mittal started his bookkeeping business late last year, he was understandably a little nervous. Gone was the constant flow of work and a regular paycheck. However, holding the goal of an improved work/life balance and financial independence helped carry him through the early months. Thanks to this positive outlook and a commitment to effective, regular networking, business is growing a...

In his area of franchisee recruitment, Howard Kodra recommends extensive and careful research when contemplating this investment in your future. He wants to ensure First Class Accounts are a good fit and in this podcast we find out how his past experience influences his approach.

When Robyn Welch decided to break away from employment and start her own journey, she didn't need to look far for encouragement. With her older sister already in the First Class family and loving it, the decision was not hard to make. In this interview, we catch her in the early stages of her business with the future vision still taking shape.

In this podcast we meet Peter Thorp one of the founding principals of ABN and learn about their important role in the bookkeeping industry. Peter shares a summary of how things are changing, an insight into the likely impact of artificial intelligence and the benefits to the client/bookkeeper relationship.

Based in Subiaco, WA, Jackie Becker loves her area and has enjoyed over a decade in her business with plans for at least another ten years. It's not all been straightforward, however and on a few occasions she has really felt the pressure. In this podcast, she candidly shares her experiences and her tips.

As Community Relations Manager at MYOB and head of her own bookkeeping business, it was no surprise to hear some gems regarding business building from Leanne Berry. Another passionate and dedicated supporter of the First Class Accounts network.    

Since starting his franchise 3 years ago, Deepak Vallabh has worked hard to structure the business to ideally suit his life and professional goals. As we hear, things are developing very well and he's mightily impressed with the results he's achieved using tried and tested marketing strategies.

Trent McLaren has been in the Accounting and FinTech industry for over a decade and has worked with a number of leaders in the field. He's recently established   'Journey' a business dedicated to furthering growth and success and it's going gangbusters. In this episode he talks about the importance of a clear vision, how to keep the culture alive and how to avoid the pitfalls of rapid expansion.

A new start-up, Sarah Tice has long had a picture of the business she wishes to grow and how it will fit into her life. In this podcast, we learn about her plans and processes and some great strategies for anyone fearful of networking and promotion.

Andrew Walker has run his business for a little over ten years and is currently, pleasantly full with ideal clients. Clearly this has taken work and Andrew is not the kind of person to take anything for granted. Should the situation change, he knows what to do to top up his new business opportunities and in this podcast he shares his tips.

When Ana Hindocha started her business, she knew that growth might take some time. She realised that allowing someone to dive into your finances calls for a high degree of trust and that was a process that could not be rushed. Happily she was prepared to wait while steadily building relationships. It's starting to pay off and she's loving her work.

For nearly a decade, Monique Kalter has helped First Class franchisees set up their business and prepare for growth. In this podcast, we hear about the breadth of training and the importance of the wider network.  

Kentucky born, Maria Jowett came to Australia with a background in corporate management, yet didn't hesitate to start her own business. In this podcast, we learn some of the reasons she's been chosen as our Franchisee Of The Year and - spoiler alert! - it has a fair bit to do with just doing a good job.

As he enters his 21st year with the franchise, we catch up with Andrew Eustace. A man with, as he says, a 'just get on with it' attitude. From the outset shunning business plans and marketing plans, Andrew has designed his business, his way. But as you'll hear, he's always had a picture of where he's headed and how to get there.

A very recent start-up, one of Wayne Spencer's biggest challenges has been building faith in himself. He's learnt a great deal from existing franchisees and through his strategy of simply getting out and about and talking to people his business is steadily growing.

Immediately prior to starting his First Class Accounts journey, Neil Hodgson helped out a mate driving his scrap metal truck. While this may not have contributed to his accounting skills, it surely helped him understand the value of autonomy and freedom. These were to become key values in his bookkeeping business.

David Gillies started his business just as COVID 19 hit and the surprises didn't stop there. Basking in new found freedoms and flexibility, David decided to take a slow-and-steady approach to business development. As it turns out, his 'organic growth strategy' has been working rather well and in this podcast he shares his thoughts about adding structure and discipline.

Robyn Graham and daughter Nikki Dempster run a successful and growing family business on the Fraser Coast. In this episode Robyn discusses her work-style and future plans.

When Karen Norman came to bookkeeping, her background may not have seemed ideal. It turns out the opposite was true and 17 years on she's constantly reminded.

In this episode we hear from Simon Boler who supports new and existing franchisees.  Working from head office, but frequently out in the field, Simon shares some of the common challenges and how to address them. 

Clayton Oates helps implement simple and effective business systems that allow us to spend more time working on the business. He's currently running a program with First Class and in this podcast shares some tips to create a growth mindset. 

Michelle Timperley jumped the fence from being a First Class bookkeeper, to working with the team at Ignition. As she says, 'leaving one family to join another'. Together we delve into how Ignition supports a franchisee and the ways they help establish an ideal client relationship.

In this podcast, Damien Gooden of HR Central shares his tips on how to confront challenging conversations head-on. He's knows all about 'Radical Candour' and he tells us who created the concept and how to embrace it.