The Admin Elf, instead of yourself, is Tina Leigh’s mantra to helping business owners save time and money through her bookkeeping and admin support services.
The former hospitality business owner knows first-hand the long hours and hard work it takes to keep a business ticking over when it’s just you wearing all the hats.
“I am a passionate and dedicated admin who loves AI and thrives under autonomy. Cloud technology has enabled my team over the years to help more businesses than ever before.
“By no longer travelling from office to office, we are able to provide the same service but for less. Less time, less expense, less space taken over by piles of paper.”
Tina and her team offer a suite of services, including bookkeeping, set-ups for start-ups to ensure you are off on the right foot, training to help you manage your own accounting or admin software, virtual assistance and Xero payroll.
She says one of the biggest misconceptions, and why she offers support in the training space to complement her hands-on help, is that bookkeeping is just data entry.
“Many owners think I can do that myself and save myself the money. While there is user friendly software on the market that assists in maintaining the books, learning this software – and subsequently ensuring everything is entered correctly, understanding the taxable treatments of different transactions etc – can become a time commitment too large for the business owner.
“Moreover, having to track all the accounts, suppliers, customers and moving parts can get complicated quickly, leading to nagging subconscious questions like, ‘Did I forget to enter that big purchase?’ or ‘Will we have enough after that weekly payment?’”
Tina says bookkeeping is crucial to the growth of any small to medium-sized business and mismanaging accounts can quickly snowball into a serious issue.
“A single incorrect recording, off by two or three zeros, could paralyse the business until the transaction is reconciled, but disorganised books and little day-to-day involvement in the recording can easily make the account reconciliation process utterly frustrating for those who view bookkeeping as an afterthought.
“Eventually, a growing business will need to hire a bookkeeper to deal with the sheer volume of transactions. For those on the cusp of needing one, outsourced bookkeeping is a great place to make the first forays into the area.”
Tina says after COVID-19 she has found that her services have taken off as the way we work adapts with the times.
“COVID-19 has fundamentally shifted the way in which people work. As a result, traditional office jobs may never be the same. Virtual PAs, remote bookkeepers and contract office admins are now a more attractive option for many business owners who have now had to work outside the square.
“Numerous companies have elected to make the move to working remotely a permanent feature of their business models.”
But, not everyone wants to move with the times, which presents some interesting challenges for Tina to overcome.
“Changing mindsets to a digital process has always been a challenge, but one I happily rise to the occasion to demonstrate.”
“It certainly helps that I have had the conversation a number of times, so I have a well-practised presentation which demonstrates the considerable time, space and money saved by simply making a few key changes!”
