Outside Accounting

Outside Accounting Xero based, young, fresh, beyond the norm. Chartered Accountants getting behind local wider Wellington business.

New Zealand Accounting, Bookkeeping & Property Business Consultancy Services | Wellington Lower Hutt Paraparaumu Xero Accountants

07/06/2026

One thing I didn't expect from defining our core values:

It made hiring significantly easier.

The values serve to evaluate new hires' fit and commitment to company culture. Employees aligned with the values are more motivated and engaged.

You share your values early in the process. You watch how the candidate responds.

The right people usually light up. The wrong ones tend to glaze over.

It saves everyone a lot of time.

04/06/2026

We ran a values workshop recently and I was surprised by how practical it turned out to be.

I expected it to feel a bit abstract. What I got instead was a clear set of behaviours that made a lot of conversations easier.

This framework helps set standards and manage behaviour consistently. It reduces emotional conflicts by using shared values as reference points.

When something's not working, you're not pointing at a person. You're pointing at a behaviour that doesn't match what you all agreed on.

That's a much more useful conversation.

02/06/2026

Here's the honest version of why I prioritise growing my team:

It's not just so I can take on more clients.

Delegation allows team members to develop confidence and skills. The purpose is to create profitable businesses that run without the owner.

The goal is to build businesses that work – for the owners, for the teams inside them, and for the clients they serve.

That only happens when you genuinely invest in the people around you.

31/05/2026

One thing I've noticed about delegation:

Most owners don't fail at it because they give away too much.

They fail at it because they never start.

If delegation feels hard, begin somewhere tiny. One task. One handover. See what happens.

Starting with small tasks builds trust and confidence for handing over bigger responsibilities later. This shift allows owners to focus on strategic growth areas.

The trust builds from there. On both sides.

28/05/2026

Something that changed how I approach delegation:

I stopped treating mistakes as evidence that it was a bad idea.

Mistakes are seen as learning opportunities rather than failures. Apologising and fixing errors builds trust with clients and strengthens the team.

When your team makes a mistake, you apologise, you fix it, and you move forward. That process – done well – actually builds more trust with clients than if the mistake never happened.

Delegation isn't a risk to be managed. It's a process to be practised.

26/05/2026

If you had to step away from your business for 30 days, what would happen?

For most business owners, the answer reveals something important.

I've seen two businesses sell at roughly the same time. Similar revenue. Similar client bases.

Very different outcomes.

The business less reliant on the owner transitioned smoothly and retained clients better. Owner dependence raises risk and reduces business attractiveness to buyers.

The difference wasn't the numbers. It was how much the business needed the owner to function.

That's worth thinking about – whether you're planning to sell or not.

24/05/2026

I invested in a new bed recently.

I know – not the most exciting business update.

But the reasoning behind it was entirely commercial.

Disrupted sleep was affecting my energy. My energy was affecting my leadership. My leadership was affecting my team.

Sometimes the highest-ROI investment you can make isn't a new tool or a new hire.

It's something that protects your capacity to lead well.

What's draining your energy right now?

21/05/2026

Honest question for business owners: when did you last feel genuinely rested?

I've been thinking about this a lot lately.

We talk about strategy, systems, marketing. We rarely talk about the fact that everything runs through us as owners – and we can't run well when we're running on empty.

Lower personal energy leads to even lower team output. Maintaining high energy is a key priority to uphold standards and influence.

If you've been feeling flat lately, treat it as a business problem. Because it is one.

19/05/2026

I was reminded of something recently that I think is worth sharing.

One of the most successful business owners I know isn't the smartest person in the room. They're not the most creative. They don't have the best strategy.

They just execute. Consistently.

Completing one task, even if imperfect, is better than juggling many incomplete projects. Executing allows learning from mistakes.

I think a lot of us – myself included at times – spend too much time optimising our plans and not enough time running them.

The learning is in the doing.

17/05/2026

Something I see a lot with business owners right now:

They're working hard. They're learning constantly. They're doing everything they've been told to do.

And nothing is moving.

What I've noticed is that the problem usually isn't effort or knowledge.

It's trying to do too many things at once.

Overwhelm from too many options reduces productivity. A clear framework helps maintain focus and avoid burnout.

Pick one task. Finish it. Move on.

It's not exciting advice. But it's what actually works.

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Level 1/169 Rimu Road
Wellington
5254

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Tuesday 9am - 5pm
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