Here's the link to book onto the training I mention at the end of the podcast: https://courses.catherinegladwyn.co.uk/products/live_events/bookkeeping-2026

Did you know that when people say ‘I’ve had an unexpected tax bill’, it just means they didn’t have access to a podcast episode like this.

Personally, I absolutely love bookkeeping and I hope that comes across in this podcast episode so I can help you to love it and not fear it.

So many new VAs either:

• completely avoid bookkeeping because it scares them
• think they’ll “sort it later”
• or accidentally create chaos by mixing personal and business money from day one.

And because we do need to know a bit more than how many notebooks you can put through the business every month, when this suggested topic came in from a listener I thought ‘bloody brilliant idea’.

And it gave me an excuse to invite the lovely Nadia Gibbs from Birdsong accountancy and one of the co-founders of Hey Monika, the award winning software for new bookkeepers, to join me.

Let us show you how the scary bits of bookkeeping are really rather easy with these hacks, what else you could be claiming for and much more.

---

It remains your responsibility to ensure your business accounting is accurate. If you're ever in any doubt please speak to HMRC and / or a qualified accountant.

Remember when becoming a VA was supposed to give you more freedom?

In this episode, I explore some of the warning signs of burnout, why so many of us struggle to switch off, and how to stop your business taking over your life.

Tried and tested practical tips on boundaries, client management, workload, AI, forced breaks, and how to build a business that supports your life rather than consumes it.

Plus, why your first £10k month might not be quite as glamorous as it sounds.

If you're doing this with your retainers you could actually be sabotaging the future of your VA business. You could be heading towards burn out. You could be heading towards another situation where work takes precedence over life.

I don't want that for you and I know you don't want that for yourself.

Let me share my thoughts on how we should be selling retainers.