More Information Form Us
1. Who We Are
The Award Bookkeeping Company is part of a group of family owned businesses.
Patricia Howard
David Osmond
2. Our Partners
MYOB
Australia’s leading accounting software for small business.
MYOB's business management solutions are more than just accounting software. Each solution gives
you a range of tools that can help you stay compliant, improve your customer service and build a more
profitable business.
www.myob.com.au
Quickbooks
Quicken Home and Business can help you keep on track. For those seeking the time saving benefits of
an easy to use automated accounting system designed for essential business tasks.
www.quicken.com.au
XERO
Xero is an easy to use accounting system that lets business owners see their finances in
real-time. You can also invite your business partner, accountant or bank manager online.
Being able to collborate like this takes away the headache of transferring data by discs or
email.
We realised early on that small business and start-ups need to be able to access their data on the
move. With Xero it’s also possible to use your iPhone or Blackberry or Windows Mobile device to check
balances and contact customers to give them a gentle reminder about that stray invoice.
Xero uses the SaaS (software-as-a-service) model where instead of being locked into onerous contracts
and tied to upgrades, it’s pay as you go. A set monthly fee covers everything including new features that
are released about every month. There’s nothing to install or back-up.
www.xero.com
3. Media Room
Please find below a series of articles and press releases on the Award
Bookkeeping Company. These articles are available to the media to use any
time.
For comment on particular issues or issues facing small business contact
Patricia Howard on 1300 130 343
MEDIA RELEASE
8 February 2012
FRANCHISOR CALLS FOR MANDATORY BUSINESS OWNERSHIP TRAINING
Award Bookkeeping Company, managing director, Patricia Howard says one of the biggest
challenges faced by franchisees is a basic lack of understanding on how to run a business.
“Franchisors have a responsibility to educate their franchisees in a more holistic manner, taking
into account some of the more fundamental elements of business ownership and operation.
“Understandably, franchisors have been more focused on providing prospective franchisees
with the technical skills required to run the franchise business to explore additional training
programs in core business skills, like record keeping, financial management (such as cash flow
and budgets) and negotiation.
Howard says it’s time for franchisors to be required to accept the broader responsibility that
comes with their role as business advisors, “But I admit it wouldn’t be easy,” Patricia says.
“In the past, trying to encourage franchisors to implement ‘business ownership training’ into their
training programs has been challenging.
“I’ve been offering these types of training services to franchise systems for some time, but
franchisors really don’t want to know about it.
“The expectation is that the franchisee will have an accountant or advisor to help them with
these day-to-day business management issues. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case,” she said.
Howard says business owners, by their very nature, often relied upon “gut” feelings to respond to
day-to-day issues and their lack of understanding of financial management further supports
these tendencies.
“This also applies to making the big decisions too, like the decision to buy a franchise. In fact, in
a franchise interview I once had, a prospective franchisee told me the reason she knew it was ‘
right’ was because a commercial promoting our franchise system came on the radio at the
exact time she was thinking about leaving her job.
“This demonstrated to me that this prospect hadn’t considered the implications of owning and
operating a business. For her, it was a fantasy providing her the freedom to leave her job. That’s
why training franchisees in matters of business accounting, reading financial reports and
statutory requirements should be mandatory.
Award Group Australia offers franchise opportunities for small business operators with extensive
accounting experience and/or qualifications. Franchises are available nationally.
-ends-
For more information contact Patricia Howard, managing director, the Award bookkeeping Company
1300 130 343
MEDIA RELEASE
10 January 2012
BOOKKEEPERS ARE BEST PREDICTORS OF ECONOMY IN CRISIS
Award Bookkeeping Company, managing director, Patricia Howard says hardworking qualified
bookkeepers are often the first to read the signs of a business in trouble.
“Our bookkeepers take their clients’ financial temperature almost daily. Cash-on-hand, debtor-tocreditor ratios and movement in income and expenditure are all part of what a qualified
bookkeeper measures on behalf of their clients,” she said.
As a result of this insight, Ms Howard says bookkeepers were able to predict the current difficult
economic climate some time ago by the “stress” being recorded in clients’ financial records.
“Collectively, our bookkeepers have access to information that would obviously be effective in
helping signal economic trends and downturns in spending, along with the impact these factors
are having on the business community,” she says.
“Right now, cash flow is proving more challenging for businesses as they mistakenly bear the
added costs of inflation, interest rates and transportation, without making the necessary costing
adjustments in their own products and services.
“Sadly, as inflation increases and consumer spending decreases, business owners can find
themselves in a situation where not only are their costs increasing but their income is
decreasing,” she says.
Ms Howard says a bookkeeper’s role resembled a paramedic’s, since they work at the coal face,
read the signs and help ease the symptoms of their ailing client or patient.
Award Bookkeeping Company is a franchise network of small business operators with extensive
accounting experience and/or qualifications. Franchises are available nationally.
-ends-
For more information contact Patricia Howard, managing director, the Award bookkeeping Company
1300 130 343
TIP SHEET
06 March 2012
5 TOP TIPS TO PREPARE FOR TAX TIME
Award Bookkeeping Company, managing director, Patricia Howard says the key to avoiding a
“tangle with the tax man” this year is to follow these five basic steps:
1. Prepare your ‘real’ paperwork
Get your paperwork in order. Collate your receipts and any other paperwork you have that
helps substantiate your expenditure. And keep it real. (You can avoid a lot of stress by
making sure you only claim expenses that were legitimately related to your earnings.)
2. ‘Type in’ your records
Avoid hand-written records. Enter your business information in an accounting package or
Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to allow easy verification of expenditure types.
3. List the ‘big ticket’ items
Prepare a list of capital equipment you’ve purchased in the last nine months and have copies
of any finance agreements on hand. This information is important to record for the purposes
of depreciation.
4. Balance, balance, balance
Reconcile your accounts and financial facilities. Start with bank accounts, then move on to
debtors and creditors and loans. By reconciling your accounts, you’ll identify any errors that
might have occurred in your data entries and can rectify them early.
5. Hand it over to your accountant
Make an appointment with your accountant well in advance of 30 June. She or he will be able
to tell you up front if you have a tax problem while you can still do something about it.
“And if you’re not keen on doing this yourself, employ a good bookkeeper to do it for you.
“By following these five basic steps, not only will you be better prepared come 30 June, you’ll
also:
reduce your stress
reduce accounting fees
improve your cash flow; and
minimise your tax liabilities (legally).
“It’s that simple,” Ms Howard says. Award Bookkeeping Company provides franchise businesses
to small business operators with accounting experience and/or qualifications who are interesting
in becoming bookkeepers.
-endsFor more information contact Patricia Howard, managing director, the Award bookkeeping Company
1300 130 343
4. Useful Links
ABN Lookup - www.abr.business.gov.au
AusIndustry - www.ausindustry.gov.au
Australian Business Limited - www.australianbusiness.com.au
Australian Building and Construction Commission - www.abcc.gov.au
Australian Government - www.australia.gov.au
Australian Government Information Management Office - www.agimo.gov.au
Australian Industrial Relations Commission - www.airc.gov.au
Australian Jobsearch – www.jobsearch.gov.au
Australian Public Service Commission - www.apsc.gov.au
Australian Retailers Association - www.ara.com.au
Australian Standards - www.standards.com.au
Australian Taxation Office - www.ato.gov.au
Business.gov.au - www.business.gov.au
Commonwealth Ombudsman - www.comb.gov.au
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations - www.deewr.gov.au
Department of Education, Science and Training - www.dest.gov.au
Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources - www.industry.gov.au
Employment and Workplace Relations Services for Australians - www.workplace.gov.au
Federal Court of Australia - www.fedcourt.gov.au
Flying Solo – Australia’s solo and micro business community – www.flyingsolo.com.au
Franchise Council of Australia – www.fca.com.au
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission - www.hreoc.gov.au
Job Placement Services - www.workplace.gov.au/jobplacement
MYOB - www.myob.com.au
Office of the Mediation Adviser - www.mediationadviser.com.au
Office of the Privacy Commissioner - www.privacy.gov.au
Prime Minister of Australia - www.pm.gov.au
Reckon, Quicken, QuickBooks - www.quicken.com.au
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission - www.accc.gov.au
Workplace Ombudsman- www.wo.gov.au
Xero - www.xero.com