Meet Lyza Rooks, the small business owner of Bookwiser located in Logan Village, QLD
Meet Lyza Rooks, the founder of Bookwiser, a cloud-based bookkeeping business with expertise in grant writing based in Logan Village, QLD. Through her consulting services, supports businesses virtually with book-keeping, grant writing and admin solutions. With over 18 years of experience in banking, finance, administration, and business consulting, Lyza has honed her skills and garnered a wealth of knowledge in the industry to assist others.
“Many Rivers assisted me in various ways, including helping me develop a business plan, creating cash flow forecasts, equipping me with tools for marketing, and establishing a timeline for achieving specific outcomes. Moreover, having a trusted business coach from Many Rivers to discuss my business ideas and make informed decisions on current opportunities proved invaluable.”
Read more about Lyza’s business journey so far:
Lyza’s Business
I registered my ABN in October 2022, so my business is still very brand new. My business is a cloud-based bookkeeping business with expertise in grant writing. I have a profound understanding of the challenges businesses face in maintaining accurate financial records while juggling other crucial tasks. I am confident that I can complement your existing services and contribute to the success of your business ventures.
I started my business to support small businesses virtually with their bookkeeping and administration needs. With a long history of Banking and Finance experience, Cert IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping along with experience developed in the Northern Territory Government in the Department of Business Grant Funding areas as a Small Business Champion and Manager of Workforce Training allows me the opportunity to support small businesses across many areas of need.
My business is still at the very initial stage right now as I have just one client at the moment because I just finished studying last month. So now I am trying to build my business now as I can give it all my time.
Working with Many Rivers
Before reaching out to Many Rivers, I spent five years in Darwin, with nearly four of those years working for the Northern Territory government. My role there involved championing small businesses and workforce training, where I approved grant funding.
Now, as I’ve embarked on my own business journey, I provide virtual business consulting services to my clients.
I first learned about Many Rivers and its key strategic partners while I was working as a Small Business Champion in the Northern Territory.
“Many Rivers assisted me in various ways, including helping me develop a business plan, creating cash flow forecasts, equipping me with tools for marketing, and establishing a timeline for achieving specific outcomes. Moreover, having a trusted business coach from Many Rivers to discuss my business ideas and make informed decisions on current opportunities proved invaluable.”
Starting a business can be initially driven by enthusiasm, which can make it appear deceptively easy. However, the reality often leads to feeling overwhelmed. With the guidance and support of my Many Rivers business coach, Alex, I was able to establish a strong foundation for my business and gained a profound sense of confidence. For instance, Alex encouraged me to craft a capability statement for my business—a concise one-page document that provides an overview of the services my business offers and delivers.
While I found all their support to be valuable, what stood out for me was their help in maintaining a commitment to taking additional actions to build my business. During that period, I was primarily focused on my studies, and I required concurrent support to ensure that I stayed on course and established a robust business foundation beforehand
Biggest Challenge
The biggest challenge for me has been figuring out how to use all the different digital tools and getting help with them. Alex helped me learn how to use calendars and organize my work. Another challenge was deciding how much to charge for my services. I have different options for pricing, including lower rates, service packages, or a mix of both. I work closely with each client to find a price that works for them. To do this, I start with a free one-hour meeting to understand what they need for their bookkeeping, and then I create a pricing plan that fits their needs.
Biggest Success
My biggest success to date has been in grant writing. I’ve successfully secured grants totaling nearly $80,000, and I’m also working with a couple of other clients.
Biggest Change
I feel that after starting my own business, I am now enjoying a better and more flexible lifestyle as I have more time for myself and for friends and family now.
Future Goals
In the short term, I aim to establish my presence on Facebook and enhance my marketing efforts. I also plan to streamline my systems to provide efficient service to my clients. Looking ahead in the long term, my goal is to create a consistently successful business.
Thank you, Lyza, for sharing your business journey with us. We wish you the best of luck with your future endeavours and business success.
If you would like to stay updated with Lyza and her small business, follow Bookwiser on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookwiser.com.au
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