Let’s start here. What is The 6 Figure Bookkeeper?
What is The 6 Figure Bookkeeper?
We are Jo Wood and Zoe Whitman and we are on a mission to positively impact 1,000,000 children in poverty by helping their parents build profitable businesses.
Why?
Work didn’t “work” for our parents when we were growing up, and it still doesn’t work now.
In the 80’s and 90’s our parents did everything you would consider a “side hustle” from home. They had to pretend they weren’t trying to work around their families, and ultimately couldn’t make work work. And that challenge hasn’t gone away. When we had children, we couldn’t believe that the world of work was still so challenging for women wanting or needing to contribute to the family budget, and as we struggled with self employment, we knew we had to make this work and then show others how.
We’re seeing more and more people becoming self-employed in the bookkeeping and accounting space because traditional work doesn’t work for them. We love the freedom of self-employment. We love supporting entrepreneurs to build great businesses, but we know that isn’t for everybody. Plenty of people are simply looking for good work that works for them.
How we’re changing the industry
At The 6 Figure Bookkeeper, we educate our community with the business skills they didn’t learn in their bookkeeping and accounting exams. Nobody taught you how to market yourself, how to find clients, how to build systems, automate and build capacity so you could scale.
We don’t want bookkeeping to be associated with “little wifey in the corner”. Good bookkeeping is vital for any successful business and with automation, systems and changes brought by AI, bookkeepers – the day to day finance contact for many businesses – have insights into cash flow, profitability and financial stress that business owners NEED.
We, Jo Wood and Zoe Whitman are here to show the bookkeeping community how to build a better business, not just so they can do more to help their clients, but so they can build successful businesses that work for themselves. And their families.
Changing your own future has a ripple effect.
On your clients.
On your family.
And the wider economy.
The 6 Figure Bookkeeper is all about positive impact.
We’re here to make a positive impact. It starts with us teaching business skills to bookkeepers, but there’s a wider problem here in the industry, not least that there’s no reason, particularly since 2020, for flexible work to not to, well, work.
6 Figure Bookkeeper in the Media
As well as commissions in the accounting industry in which we regularly discuss the following:
- Pricing
- Niching
- Automation
- Goal Setting
- Flexible working
You’ll also find us commenting on:
- Small Business topics
- Consumer issues
- Social mobility
- Financial news
- Cost of living
- Parenting
This is what we deeply care about.
If you’re a bookkeeper or accountant and work isn’t working for you. Tell us. Connect with us at The 6 Figure Bookkeeper and let us know. Or work with us in The Bookkeepers’ Collective.
Journalists, event organisers, we’d love to support you with your feature or event. Drop us a message.
TEDx
Zoe Whitman was invited to speak at TEDx Aberystwyth about a topic that is incredibly important for this community. Pricing, why the hourly rate doesn’t work, and specifically why it limits female potential.
Zoe shared her deeply personal experiences of growing up watching entrepreneurship in action without it being entrepreneurship and drew comparison to the situation women in the 2020’s find themselves in all those years later.
This talk shines a light on the future of work, the future of pay, and what that means for women.
AAT Comment
Zoe Whitman was asked for her opinion on a number of issues facing the accounting and bookkeeping professions. Zoe discussed areas such as the need for visibility, the future skills needed in the profession and the impact and risk of AI and technology.
Read the full article.
Digital Disruptor Awards and Live Podcast
Zoe Whitman was invited to join the Digital Disruptors Team to talk about what’s new in the bookkeeping space and how the Hey Monika team are building a work experience solution for bookkeepers and accountants using the power of AI. As usual it was a lot of fun, but the conversation discussed the serious matter of training new professionals, getting them ready for the workplace, and the practicalities of accountancy beyond the text book and exams.
Accountex London 2025
Jo Wood and Zoe Whitman attended Accountex London. Jo and Zoe’s session on the Bookkeeping Stage at Theatre 4 covered how Pricing for Impact will Change Bookkeeping. They discussed how moving from pricing by the hour to pricing for outcomes, giving bookkeepesr an opportunity to build their businesses differently.
Zoe also took part in a panel in the Practice Excellence Theatre discussing the power of communities and how communities support accountants and bookkeepers in practice.
Engager Labs
Jo Wood was invited to give a Keynote at Engager Labs about how proactive communication can transform bookkeepers and accountants from behind-the-scenes data processors to strategic advisors. Jo used her personal experiences to illustrate the power of effective communication and mindset shifts in building confidence and delivering value to clients.
The 6 Figure Bookkeeper at Accountex Canada
In 2024 we were invited to speak at Accountex Canada and host Bookkeepers’ Basecamp, a meet up for bookkeepers attending the event. 248 attendees were scanned into the session on the main stage.
- 80% of attendees fed back that the session was either excellent or very good.
- 85% of attendees rated the speakers as either excellent or very good.
“Great energy from these ladies”
Digital Disruptor Awards
Jo Wood and Zoe Whitman were invited to speak at the Digital Disruptor Awards. We were involved in two panel sessions discussing whether Vendors have got too good at selling, and Influencers: Valuable, or Snake Oil Salesmen?!
Watch the replays.
New NatWest research shows 25% of people earning six figure salaries no longer consider themselves ‘rich’.
Zoe Whitman’s business coaching company brings in well over £100,000 each year but she also admits, ‘we aren’t living the life we thought we might at this stage’.
https://members.graziadaily.co.uk/read/issue-877/we-earn-over-100000-so-why-dont-we-feel-rich
Grazia Issue 877 March 2024.
We take our children out of school during term time
Despite the fines in many parts of the country, we know we can give our children a better quality of holiday for our budget if we travel during term time.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001x4yc
Piece starts at 03:53 minutes.
BBC Radio 4 13th March 2024.
‘Child benefit reform is great but will take too long,’ says mum on £70,000
Government has promised to look into changing the individual-based system to a household-based system but these changes would not come into effect until April 2026.
https://inews.co.uk/news/child-benefit-household-system-long-2940578
inews 6th March 2024.
The supermarket crown
M&S nation’s favourite supermarket for third year in a row despite being ‘a bit pricey’, Which? finds
https://www.gbnews.com/shows/breakfast-with-eamonn-and-isabel/2024-02-26
Piece starts at 13:00 minutes.
GBNews 26th February 2024.
We earn over £60k but can’t afford a third child
The UK’s middle classes are “struggling despite incomes of up to £60,000 a year” citing insecure jobs and rising housing costs. Zoe Whitman, 40, can relate: she has had to give up her dream of expanding her family due to financial worries.
https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/earn-over-60k-struggling-cant-afford-third-child-2921383
inews 23rd February 2024.
Supermarket Sweep
Commenting as business expert on the story that Morrisons is the latest supermarket to price match Aldi and Lidl.
https://www.gbnews.com/shows/breakfast-with-eamonn-and-isabel/2024-02-19
Piece starts at 23:30 minutes.
GBNews 19th February 2024.
Staying Sane This Self-Assessment Season
Webinar panel with AccountingWeb.
AccountingWeb 29 November 2023.
How to Offboard Clients Well
The 6 Figure Bookkeeper Webinar panel with AccountingWeb.
AccountingWeb 29 November 2023.
The 6 Figure Bookkeeper: The Power of Knowing Your Numbers
Our presentation at The Entrepreneurs’ Marketing Conference in Brighton.
EMC Brighton September 2023
23 brilliant money management tips you’ll want to share
Here’s what professional bookkeepers want you to know about keeping tabs on your money!
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/consumer-advice/money/a36942505/money-management-bookkeeping
Good Housekeeping 23rd June 2023
Building A Team Part 2
Webinar Panel with AccountingWeb
AccountingWeb 9 May 2023
The 6 Figure Bookkeeper: How to increase your prices and still find clients
Our session at Accountex Manchester.
Accountex London May 2023
Building a Team Part 1
Webinar with AccountingWeb.
AccountingWeb 28 March 2023
Recession Proofing Your Business
Webinar with AccountingWeb.
AccountingWeb 28 February 2023.
The 6 Figure Bookkeeper: Why Accountants Charge More Than Bookkeepers
Our session at Accountex Manchester.
Accountex Manchester October 2022.
Podcasts
We’re regularly asked to appear as guests on other podcasts to discuss topics that range from bookkeeping and accounting to small business, and building business partnerships.
We’ve been thrilled to have received invitations to a range of fantastic podcasts.
If you’d like to book us to speak on your podcast, please drop our team an email at media@6figurebookkeeper.com
