Bookkeepers of the world, unite and take over

It’s Global Bookkeeping week! The time of the year when the world stops in homage to the great work done by those dedicated people in this vital industry.

OK, hyperbole aside, maybe the world doesn’t exactly come to a stop, but for those of us who work with, or in the Bookkeeping industry, it’s only right that we use this week to doff our caps to all of the passionate and talented individuals who make up this essential industry.

Too often the role of Bookkeepers in supporting small business and the global economy as a whole, is overlooked. And make no mistake, this is a truly global community. Global Bookkeeping week will see tens of thousands of Bookkeepers from 110 countries taking part in the biggest virtual gathering of Bookkeepers ever!

If you’re old enough to remember the Smiths, and the song that I’ve blatantly plagiarised for the purposes of a snappy blog title, then like me, you’re old enough to have witnessed a lot of changes in the Bookkeeping industry. It is this rate of change that Global Bookkeeping week has had me reflecting on.

In less time than it took Morrissey to realise we’d appreciate it if he started buttoning up his shirts, the Bookkeeping profession has transformed itself. Bookkeepers are no longer the number crunchers of old focused solely on maintaining immaculate books, they are the financial heart and soul of small business.

Increasingly, Bookkeepers are taking on the role of Virtual Financial Officer, swapping data entry for offering detailed reports and deciphering important information about their client’s businesses.

With the value this shift in focus adds, smart businesses are now leveraging the expertise of Bookkeepers to help them not only manage cash flow but plan for the future growth of their business. It’s a trend we would expect to grow as quantity and quality of cloud solutions continue to make it easier for Bookkeepers to collaborate with their clients.

I’m excited that MYOB has, and continues to contribute to the evolution of the Bookkeeping industry and am happy to see the industry get the recognition it richly deserves.

So if you’re a Bookkeeper, or use a Bookkeeper, or have ever needed the services of a small business, take a moment this week to raise a glass to the vital work done by this profession.

There’s plenty of  #GlobalBookkeepingWeek action on Twitter, so jump on it and shout it from the Twittersphere.