22/08/2026
In 1977, I got hired because of World War 2.
Let me explain.
I'd just emigrated to New Zealand. Dutch girl, no experience in anything, nothing but a typing course under my belt.
I walked into a job interview for an "accounts clerk."
The man interviewing me heard my accent. His face changed.
Turned out he'd been stationed in the Netherlands during WW2 -- in a town right near where I grew up. He loved Dutch people. Said they were the hardest workers he'd ever met.
He took a chance on me.
I took to it like a duck to water.
Within 3 months I had the entire job under control. Finished my work at 3pm instead of the usual 5. They gave me a second person's workload. Few months later I was doing two people's
jobs and finishing at 4.
That pattern never stopped. Every place I worked, same reaction -- surprise at how fast I got things done. My last employer, the person who replaced me couldn't handle all the work I'd been doing on my own.
That was nearly 50 years ago. I still do this work. And I still love it.
When I started, there were no computers. Every entry, every ledger, every reconciliation -- all done by hand. That gave me something the newer bookkeepers don't have. I don't just operate
software. I understand what the numbers actually mean.
So when something doesn't add up, I find it. That's my favourite part. Troubleshooting. Digging through the figures until I find exactly where it went wrong and fixing it.
Years later I started my own business here in the UK. Needed to stand out. I remembered something from Les Dane -- Big League Sales Closing Techniques. He wrote that you have to
differentiate yourself from everyone else. Wear a special hat. Do something nobody in your field does.
So I put a cat on my letterhead.
This was before email. I'd send letters to people on that letterhead. And something happened I didn't expect.
They remembered me.
"Oh, you're the girl with the cat on the letterhead!"
In 2012 I wanted a proper company name. The old one didn't mean anything to people. A friend took me to a printer. The lady there chatted with me about what I wanted. I told her I wanted to
keep the cat.
She smiled and said: "The Purrfect Bookkeeper."
That's been the name ever since. But here's what it actually stands for.
Give me your cooperation and I guarantee your accounts will be 100% correct. No HMRC surprises. No guessing where the money went. Real figures you can use to make real business
decisions.
Nearly 50 years in, and I still find the source of the problem faster than anyone expects.
Some things don't change.
P.S. I've got room for 5 more clients -- that's my limit because I don't cut corners. If you know a small business owner who's stressed about their books, or dreading their next VAT return, or
just wants to finally trust their numbers -- tag them in the comments. No pitch, just a conversation to see if it's a fit.
-- Lisa
