Meet Sarah.

Sarah Pyke

from

Bond Financial

Tell us about yourself

I was born and raised in Tasmania until moving to Sydney at age 22. I've worked in large accounting firms for 15 years before being fired for taking a holiday for my birthday. From this experience Bond Financial was born. I am a keen traveller and spent 5 months travelling Europe solo at the end of 2022. Currently I have visited 44 countries, with so many more to go!

Tell us about your business

Bond Financial serves small to medium businesses, including sole traders, to take the stress and complexity out of not just their tax and compliance requirements, but the day-to-day financial management and maintenance of their businesses. Let's face it, numbers are not everyone’s cup of tea and tax, well! That's a conversation killer! We support our clients through the ups and downs of business ownership and provide a caring and supportive team for them to rely on. Sometimes you don't even need someone with expertise, you just need someone to talk to.

What's the heart behind your business?

Our 'Why' is perfectly summed up by a quote from Southeast Airlines President Colleen Barrett - We’re in the Customer Service business - we just happen to provide airline transportation". Or in our case, accounting and tax services.

Have there been any struggles in your business that you've overcome? What did you learn from them?

Only 18 months into my business journey, I have been fortunate enough to not have a long list to mention here. However, I would say the thing that I initially struggled with more than anything else was self-promotion and branding. After working in corporate for 15 years, who I was wasn't the brand I was selling. If a client said no to me, they were saying no to a huge company, not me specifically. It was a sharp realisation to suddenly be faced with selling myself, selling who I was and what I believed in. Having found my confidence and fully stepped into this self-promotion role, it's very liberating!  I love what I do, I love my clients and I've found my purpose. I know I am now in the place I was always meant to be in. As uncomfortable as starting a business might initially be, push through those feelings and you won't regret the results.

What's been a highlight for you in business?

The absolute highlight has been the community it has opened up to me. I didn't contemplate that by becoming a business owner and opening up this business community, I would meet so many amazing people, some people I now genuinely call family, after such a short period of time. People that truly understand what you are going through, what you want to achieve and who wholeheartedly only want the best for you and your business. It's been the number one best thing about starting my own business.

What advice would you give others wanting to start a business?

Do not wear too many hats for too long. What I mean is, don't try and do it all on your own. I understand that when we commence our businesses we are trying to do it as cheaply as possible. Whilst this works for a short period of time, I cannot stress enough how important it is to have people in your corner, in your village, who are experts at what they do and handle the parts of your business you don't need to be spending time on. Your business's finances is a prime example of this. Finances can literally make or break your venture, so it's important to build a team of people around you who can help you from the get go. Whether that be a bookkeeper and an accountant (some accountants do both, such as Bond Financial), a lawyer, a marketing specialist. You need to lean heavily on your accountant in the early days to discuss when is the right time to start spending money on other areas of your business. E.g. marketing.

How can people find you?

www.bondfinancial.com.au
@Bond_financial_sydney on instragram
Bond-financial-sydney on linkedin