Meet Leanne Williams from Leanne Williams Consulting.
After connecting with Leanne, we quickly learnt she is a hard-working, dedicated business professional who stands out from the crowd for many reasons, including her genuine passion to support her clients through comprehensive accounts and bookkeeping services.
What’s more, it all happens from her humble home office in Tauranga Moana!
Get to know one of Tauranga’s outstanding boss ladies below.
Tell us a bit about your background – your career to date, your experience… basically, how what you have done has got you to where you are today.
I’ve been doing accounts for more than 20 years, working in various companies doing everything from general accounts to management accounting.
In 2018 my husband and I started a business in hospitality, and we sold that in 2020. When thinking about my next move, I was so used to being my own boss that it just made sense to work for myself. I’ve got a very supportive husband and great friends cheering me on and motivating me, which makes it so much easier.
When did you start this business? How long have you been operating?
I set up my business in May 2020, but this was mainly to support my not-for-profit clients that I had as I was involved with another business at the time. In August 2020, I decided to leave that business and go full out on my own. I like to think of October 2020 as my start date (as that’s when I really took on clients and started working on my business). So, it’s been just over a year now!
Why did you start this business?
I set up my business from scratch as I wanted to have flexible working arrangements around my daughter (with school and holidays etc). Aside from owning a business with my husband, I’d always been in employed roles previously, but I didn’t want to go back to that. I like working early in the morning (or late at night) and being able to take a day off if needed (which not many paid roles can accommodate to).
Tell us about your business: What services do you offer? How can you help our business community?
I do everything from day-to-day bookkeeping (think bank rec’s, creditors & debtors), payroll, GST returns, cash flow forecasting, budgets, and general business administration.
Most business owners don’t enjoy doing accounts, but I do, so they hand the reigns over to me and can be assured that everything is done on a daily or weekly basis. This way, they always know their financial position. I also work in conjunction with their accountant if needed.
I love to free up small business owners time, as what might take them four hours likely will only take me two. I can do as little as an hour a month to five to 10 hours a week. There’s no one size fits for everyone, so being flexible is key.
What makes your business unique?
Me! I am my brand and give 100% to all my clients. I think of myself as part of their team. I’m actually on a few of their websites as part of their team which, I love! It shows they value me and the work I do for them.
In the first few months of business, what challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?
Like everyone, COVID has been a huge challenge. Most of my clients are service based, so during lockdown, they couldn’t work. This meant less work for me. We had to forecast different options going forward, but happy to say they are all positive about it.
And now, looking back, what have been your biggest learnings?
It’s not as easy working for yourself and at home as most people think! Time management is huge for me. I have set tasks I do early in the morning (bank rec’s etc.), then after school drop off, I get into the bigger stuff. Also, being able to put aside the distractions of home life took a bit of getting used to.
What’s the one misconception people might have about your industry?
That bookkeepers are just people who do accounts. We are much more than that and hold ourselves to very high standards, including bellowing to the Institute of New Zealand Bookkeepers Association. However, bookkeepers are slowly becoming more recognised for the work that they do and are searched for more and more.
What’s the one thing you want people to know about your business?
Bookkeepers need to be seen as an investment. They can save you money at the end of the year by ensuring everything is in order and coded correctly from the onset.
Outsource what you don’t know (or you don’t like).
What are your goals (personal and professional) for the next six to 12 months?
Professionally I’m likely ready to take on a sub-contractor to help me out in 2022, and personally, we are building a house currently, so that will be amazing to get that all finished and moved in.
When you’re not at work, how do you like to spend your time?
With my family and friends – we love entertaining and regularly have people over. Also, in my downtime, I enjoy cooking and reading, and I also make candles as a side hustle which I find therapeutic.
If you could impart one piece of advice to fellow business owners, what would it be?
If you have a dream or a vision, go for it! Business is a risk, but if you don’t try, you’ll never know.
Members can find it hard meeting people at events, so we want to take some of the pressure off that awkward small talk by shining a light on your business through our member profiles.
Our member profiles are a great way to give the business community a taste of who you are and what you do, so when they see your face at one of our events they won’t hesitate to make that all-important introduction.
If you’re a member and would like a profile, get in touch with our marketing manager Laura today.
