The Bookkeeper's Academy

08/09/2026

When I started my bookkeeping business back in 2000 there was no ICB, no support network, no one to ask what to charge or how to handle a difficult client... I learned everything the hard way.

In my latest blog I share what a bookkeeping business mentor actually does, and why I created The Bookkeeper's Academy to be accessible for bookkeepers at any stage and any size of business... the guidance, resources and support of a mentor in your corner, without the hefty financial investment that puts 1:1 mentoring out of reach for so many.

Interested to find out more... feel free to DM me!

Martine Hoosen built her bookkeeping practice without a mentor. What a bookkeeping business mentor really does, and how to find affordable support at every stage.

27/08/2026

"Would we have done what we did on our own?"

Brooke, Jen and I have often asked ourselves this over the years. Would we have overcome the challenges, acheived the successes, and had the courage to 'just go for it' without each other's support?

The power of finding your tribe is the common thread in Part 1 of The Opening Balance, Episode 2 with Brooke Arnott & Jen Pryor.

And yes, this episode is a special one, as it's with two women who (through a chance encounter) became a core part of my personal and professional support system.

We've had each other's back, and been each other's biggest champions through it all - divorces and separations, kids, and of course building, scaling and ultimately exiting our bookkeeping businesses. In this episode we talk about our, often synergistic, journeys and how having a mindset of supporting, collaborating with, and celebrating others (rather than competing with them) is where real growth lies.

Check out the full episode - https://youtu.be/XGqkr-giCUQ?si=1q9j-wUEDKrNagsz

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this episode, where we dive deeper into our experiences exiting businesses we'd spent decades building.

05/08/2026

I can't wait to jump into my webinar- The Bookkeeper's Guide to Pricing.

Not only will I be sharing the exact pricing strategy behind my 7-figure bookkeeping practice (which I recently sold), I'll be showcasing my BRAND NEW Fee, Package, and Proposal Builder.

This new tool takes you all the way through the pricing process, from your initial discovery and scoping, through to building out your service menu, fee structure and package options, all the way to creating a branded, downloadable proposal that's ready to present to your clients.

See it in action tomorrow!

THE BOOKKEEPER'S GUIDE TO PRICING
10am AWST / 12pm AEST
Thursday 3 Sept
Register here - https://www.thebookkeepersacademy.com/pricing-webinar-registration

See you there!

30/07/2026

A handy update is now rolling out in Xero across Invoices, Quotes, Credit Notes, Purchase Orders and Bills (quick edit) for all documents using the Line Item Grid.

➡ What’s new:
- Drag to fill: enter a value once, grab the blue dot and drag down the column to fill the rest (very Excel-like 👀)
- Keyboard navigation: press Esc to enter navigation mode, use the arrow keys to move around, hold Shift to select a range, and press Enter to apply a value across the selection

➡ Why this matters:
If you’re repeating the same tracking category, account or tax rate across multiple lines, you no longer need to update each row manually!

😁

30/07/2026

I sat down with Matt Wilkinson & Oscar McGuire from Nylon (formerly Law Cyborg), for a chat and demo of their AI tax and legal research tool, and I have to say, this is the most excited I've been about a new tool for a very long time!

I've gone down a rabbit hole or two over the years, trying to find an obscure ruling, regulation, or guideline. And I'm sure I'm not alone in the endless searches, infinite loop of links, multiple tabs, contradicting findings, and hallucinating AI that often results.

I've used Nylon to avoid these rabbit holes more than once recently, and it has blown my mind (and saved my sanity) every time.

And I can see so many ways that bookkeepers and accountants could be using tools like this every single day to build efficiencies, save time, and access valuable, trusted intel.

So I asked the Nylon team to join me to discuss the world of this legal and tax AI research tool, and work through a few real bookkeeping and payroll examples to see it in action.

A few key insights:

🤠 Why it's not ChatGPT or Claude with a tax hat on - Nylon draws from a curated, closed library of trusted sources- ATO rulings and guidance, tax legislation, case law, Fair Work awards and expert commentary, never random blogs or forums. Every answer is cited down to the exact paragraph so you can verify it yourself.

🔐 Why it's more secure than ChatGPT, Claude or similar AI tools - everything is encrypted end to end, even the Nylon team can't see your chats, and your data is never used to train the AI. They're SOC 2 Type 2 attested and ISO 27001 certified, with the new AI-specific ISO 42001 standard underway.

🕑 You could save hours interpreting an award, working out a termination payment, or tracking down that GST ruling a client wants evidenced.

Check out my conversation with Matt and Oscar here - https://www.thebookkeepersacademy.com/Nylon.

FYI - this is not a sponsored post - just me sharing tools that are on my radar right now.

28/07/2026

Does pricing still feel awkward, inconsistent, or reactive? Imagine waking up knowing...

✔ what your monthly revenue will be
✔ which clients are actually profitable
✔ how to confidently communicate your pricing
✔ and that your business is no longer dependent on tracking every hour

That’s the shift fixed fee/value-based pricing can create.

And it’s exactly what I'll walk you through inside The Bookkeeper’s Guide to Pricing

This webinar has helped countless bookkeeping business owners:

✨ increase revenue
✨ improve cash flow
✨ reduce stress
✨ attract better-fit clients
✨ and build more scalable businesses

This session will completely change how you run your business.

📅 Thursday 6 August 2026
⏰ 10am AWST (12pm AEST)

Free to attend.
Register now - https://www.thebookkeepersacademy.com/pricing-webinar-registration

01/07/2026

Take a breath.

EOFY is one of the busiest times of the year, and it can be pretty stressful, even if you've put in the work planning and preparing.

So make sure you take time to look after yourself.

Amongst the deadlines, workflows and expectations, schedule in a break, a walk, a nutritious meal - whatever feeds and fuels your soul.

It will not only help you get through this time of year burn-out free, it is also a really good habit to get into year-round, and one we don't do enough of - putting our health and wellness first!

If you're feeling overwhelmed, reach out - to me, to a trusted peer, to your industry association, or to the professionals (Beyond Blue's New Access program is great!).

We're in this together!

26/06/2026

I'm thrilled to have been nominated for the global Ignition Top 50 Women in Accounting 2026!

This year's award theme is "Igniting Change", focused on celebrating women making an impact across the profession, and I couldn't be prouder to be considered part of the mix alongside a cohort of such strong, inspirational women.

28/05/2026

Last week I hosted a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) session with Xero to answer questions on Payday Super.

In the AMA session, a lot of the same questions came up again and again, so I've pulled together the top 5 FAQ’s along with a summary of my responses, in case they're useful to you too.

For the full Top 5 and all the links, head to my blog - https://www.thebookkeepersacademy.com/blog/payday-super

26/05/2026

The problem isn’t that you need more clients.

It’s that your pricing model is making business harder than it needs to be, and you're...

Still chasing payments.
Still second-guessing your pricing.
Still saying yes to clients who drain your time, energy, and profit.

And the worst part?

You KNOW you’re good at what you do.

But hourly billing, scope creep, awkward pricing conversations, and inconsistent cash flow can make even experienced bookkeepers feel overwhelmed.

Earlier on in my business, I hit that exact breaking point.

And after rebuilding my pricing strategy from the ground up, everything changed:

✔ More profit
✔ Better clients
✔ Predictable revenue
✔ More confidence
✔ More capacity
✔ A scalable business model

Now I'm teaching other bookkeepers how to do the same.

Join my FREE webinar:
The Bookkeeper’s Guide to Pricing

You’ll learn:
✨ How to move toward fixed fee/value-based pricing
✨ How to confidently communicate your value
✨ How to transition existing clients
✨ How to stop undercharging without losing sleep

📅 Thursday 18 June 2026
⏰ 9:30am AWST (10:30am AEST)

🔗Register now - https://www.thebookkeepersacademy.com/pricing-webinar-registration