It’s Global Bookkeeping Week, an annual tradition that recognises bookkeepers from all corners of the globe and a worthy cause for celebration at Xero. From 6-10 November 2023, this dedicated week will see tens of thousands of bookkeepers take a moment to reflect on their incredible contributions to the small business community.

Bookkeeping remains a thriving global profession, presenting its practitioners with a unique blend of challenges  and enriching experiences. Global Bookkeeping Week serves as an important reminder of the vital role bookkeepers play in bolstering small businesses worldwide.

Today, we are thrilled to introduce you to two remarkable bookkeepers, Katie McCool and Deb Mirisch from Beam Bookkeeping, based in Newcastle and Maitland, NSW and expanding into other locations in the near future. They graciously shared their insights, experiences, and inspirations with us in a recent interview.

Getting started with Xero

When asked about how they got started with Xero, Katie and Deb had similar tales to tell. “In a similar fashion for both of us. Katie knew about it when a friend asked her for help with bookkeeping in Xero. A friend was starting a naturopathy business and had heard about Xero from other practitioners. Having not heard about it at that stage (this was very early Xero days) I was curious, so said yes. The rest is history!” says Deb.

Proudest moment

One of their proudest professional moments was the successful merger of their talents into Beam Bookkeeping in July 2021. Katie remarked, “Our merger into Beam Bookkeeping. The success of the team coming together in July 2021. We couldn’t be prouder of our team.  If we can achieve that in complete lockdown during Covid, together we can achieve anything.”

Areas of expertise

Katie specialises in people and operations, while Deb’s strengths lie in technical, training, and quality assurance. Their complementary skills make them a formidable team.

Enjoying the work

We asked Katie and Deb what they enjoy most about their work: “Helping our team develop and grow both professionally and personally. As an outcome, we have a happy team and clients with balanced lives and books.”

Happy workplace accreditation

Beam Bookkeeping recently gained a Happy Workplace Accreditation, a testament to their strong focus on cultivating a positive workplace culture. They believe that a happy team naturally leads to happy clients, and the accreditation serves as an external validation of their efforts.

Deb talked us through the decision to take on this accreditation: “We intentionally have a large focus on culture. We devote a lot of time, effort and money in this area. We had heard of the BU Happiness College through our networks and felt it was a great way to have an external review to sanity check that what we were doing was resonating with the team. Our results were glowing! We strongly believe our journey is as much about our team, as it is our clients.  A happy team will organically result in happy clients.”

Words of wisdom

Katie and Deb share valuable advice with the community, encouraging bookkeepers to have confidence in their abilities and not succumb to imposter syndrome. Katie says, “To back yourself and have confidence in your abilities and avoid falling prey to Imposter Syndrome.” Deb’s wise words are: “To lean into the feeling of fear and take educated risks because that’s where the magic happens.”

Favourite part of the Xero community

When asked about their favourite part of the Xero community, they both appreciate: “The ability to collaborate with the many experienced people in our industry, who are willing to discuss and share their knowledge and experiences — and the doors and opportunities that open as a result of that.”

#RaiseACup

In celebration of Global Bookkeeping Week, we’d like to raise a cup and extend our gratitude to bookkeepers like Katie McCool and Deb Mirisch, who work tirelessly to support small businesses and bring a positive influence to the industry.

In celebration of Global Bookkeeping Week this year we’re hosting a special giveaway competition for our Australian Xero Partners in our local Xero Partners Facebook Group.

This week, we are giving away 10 prizes to 10 lucky Xero Partners who enter our competition. We’d love for you to share a comment in reply to our competition post about someone who has inspired you on your bookkeeping journey. This may have been someone special who you connected with at an event, a teacher, a mentor, a previous employer or just a good friend who’s been there on your bookkeeping journey.

Ten lucky winners will be selected from the comments posted. The competition is open in the Xero Partners (Official) AU Facebook Group until 5:00pm AEDT on Friday 10 November 2023. View the full terms and conditions.

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