A Chat with JG Bookkeeping

Many of the brilliant bookkeepers we work with have had interesting, varied journeys into the profession. Bookkeeping Boss Jasmine didn't dream of being a bookkeeper initially - but she's now successfully grown both her client base and her team, and has shared her advice for other bookkeepers hoping to expand their practice.

What did your journey into bookkeeping look like, and did you always want to be a bookkeeper?

I had no idea I wanted to be a bookkeeper! I hated maths in school and totally thought it would all be figures and that I would hate it.

It all started way back 13 years ago when I was a childminder, I found that the little bit of time I spent managing my finances each week was actually quite enjoyable. I also enjoyed managing my personal finances! Being a single parent at the time I spent a lot of time tracking my personal expenditure also. I needed to know my incomings and outgoings! Then I moved along to working in a well known driving school and while I was there I was tasked with improving and maintaining the finance function of the business.

I absolutely loved it. Eventually, I gathered up all my courage to apply for a role at an accountancy practice and absolutely fell in love with the role of working in a higher pressure environment with many deadlines and lots of different clients with different requirements and methods. I quickly became head of the VAT department in that company and eventually decided to make the leap and branch out on my own. Now I work with a team of people who are equally as passionate as I am and we all love what we do.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far in your business?

My business has been through a period of very rapid expansion and so managing work flows and setting up the processes for smooth onboarding of clients and staff has been particularly challenging.

What do you love most about your job?

The people! I am so lucky to have found the most lovely clients and team mates. We have a great time together and know we can all ask each other anything. I love that in a team.

Which tools (apps, software etc) could you not live without?

Xero, Quickbooks, Hubdoc, To-do, Accountancy Manager, Microsoft Office.. TIME KEEPER!

If you had to choose one - Xero, Sage or Quickbooks?

Xero.

Quickbooks is great for smaller businesses however Xero has much better functionality and it’s easy to correct things.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given by another bookkeeper or someone in the industry?

“You need to worry less” I am such an anxious person and I always want my clients to be happy so sometimes I really worry about things that haven’t even happened! I stress myself out over silly things... I’m still working on it!

When you’re not bookkeeping, what do you love doing?

I have a second passion in my life... motorbiking! I love my bikes and love the freedom of tearing up the open road! I also enjoy working on my house, gardening, boating and the occasional workout!

If you could travel back in time, what would you tell yourself when you were first starting out?

Get your processes in place for the future, not for now. Sometimes I left it too late to upgrade a process and was doing that on the run. I’ve now learned to put my processes in place early and not wait until after I needed them! The client onboarding process was such a useful tool for us.

Would you rather fight one hundred duck-sized horses, or one horse-sized duck?

We wouldn’t fight... we would be friends and all hang out and eat crisps. Me and the duck can ride down to the shops and all the little horses could gallop along behind us. It would be so much fun.

Who are your biggest role models - in both your work and personal life?

My grandmother was my biggest role model in my personal life for many reasons. I always loved her passion and enthusiasm for nature and travel.

At work, my role model is my wonderful partner. He runs his own businesses and is always so calm... makes really good business decisions. I always ask him for advice on my own business processes. He’s a fountain of knowledge.

How can people reach out to work with you?

You can find me on Facebook, call us on 07944885740 or send us an email at Jasmine@jgbookkeepingservices.co.uk