Podcast cover image for Money Secrets featuring the episode titled 'Beautiful Bookkeeping, Is It Possible? With Olly from Rounded.' The image shows Olly, a smiling man with glasses and a white shirt, on a dark teal background. — **The surprising link between calm finances and confident business moves. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the financial side of running a solo business this episode is for you.**

Fi is joined by Oliver Garside, co-founder of Rounded: the calm, clean, beautifully designed bookkeeping software made just for sole traders. In this episode, they dive deep into what it means to build a sustainable business, why simplicity is a financial superpower, and how Rounded is helping thousands of Australian sole traders take control of their money.

Listen to Episode 26

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

Keep It Simple, Make It Beautiful: Rounded was designed to take the stress out of bookkeeping for sole traders, especially creatives. No balance sheets. No jargon. Just what you need, nothing you don’t.
Sole Trader ≠ Small Business: Olly breaks down the key differences between sole traders and companies—and why most traditional platforms just don’t work for solo operators.
Structure Supports Success: Having a clean, straightforward setup (hello, business bank account!) can be the difference between flying blind and leading with confidence.
Bookkeeping Impacts More Than Business: If you want to apply for a mortgage or grow your wealth, being able to speak confidently about your business finances matters—a lot.
Financial Viability Is a Justice Issue: When 25% of sole traders are making less than $50k, we need systems that support success. Rounded is part of the solution.
You Deserve Calm, Not Chaos: Rounded helps you track time, send invoices, get paid, and prep for tax time—all in a way that feels spacious, not stressful.

Beautiful Bookkeeping, is it possible? Interview with Olly from Rounded (Ep#26)

Money Secrets Podcast – Episode 26

Introduction

We've made a lot of progress as a society in many areas, but one thing that hasn’t changed enough is our relationship with money. If we want to tip the scales in favour of marginalised people, we need to understand the secrets to making money in small business.

The more we talk about money — especially the secrets that usually stay behind closed doors or on the golf course — the more empowered we become. My mission is to get more money into the hands of good people, specifically business owners like you.

Because I believe small business can change the world. And to do that, we need to be making more money.

Acknowledgement of Country

This episode was recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation. I’d like to acknowledge them as the Traditional Owners and custodians of this land and water that I live, work and play on.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present, and recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded. This always was, and always will be, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land.

Beautiful Bookkeeping for Sole Traders—Is It Possible?

“I hate numbers, so I can’t be good with money.”
“I’m too small to take bookkeeping seriously.”
“Bookkeeping is boring — I’ll just figure it out at tax time.”

If any of those sound familiar, you’re in good company. For sole traders, freelancers, and creatives, money admin often falls to the bottom of the to-do list — right under “buy more oat milk.”

But what if it didn’t have to feel that way?

In this live episode of Money Secrets, I sat down with Olly from Rounded, a simple yet powerful bookkeeping tool built just for sole traders. And we had the kind of chat that left me feeling seen — and genuinely excited about money admin (yes, really).

Why Sole Traders Deserve Better Tools

If Rounded was designed for the humans behind small businesses — not accountants. That means no scary dashboards, no corporate jargon, and no features you’ll never use.

Olly shares how Rounded was intentionally built to support creatives, tradies, coaches, and consultants — anyone who’s running a one-person business and just wants to know their numbers without having a meltdown.

Because understanding your money? That’s power. And it’s often the difference between staying stuck… and starting to grow.

Bookkeeping Isn’t Just a Chore — It’s a Mindset

A big part of our conversation focused on the feelings that come with finances.

Too many sole traders feel like they’re not “real” businesses. That if they’re not a company, or scaling, or outsourcing, they must not be doing it right. But that’s a harmful narrative — and it’s costing people money.

Whether you make $20K or $200K, your money matters. And the right systems (like Rounded!) can help you stay in control, build confidence, and make smarter business decisions.

Your Money, Your Way

Olly and I talked about:

The legal and emotional difference between being a sole trader vs. company
What makes Rounded different from other accounting software
How good tools reduce decision fatigue and give you your time back
Why beautiful, simple software actually helps you make more money

Plus, a few thoughts on why we’re both excited about Ripple Festival — a new event celebrating small business owners who are doing things differently (and redefining success along the way).

Want to try Rounded?

You can set up a free trial—no credit card needed—at rounded.com.au.
It’s built just for sole traders, and it’s Fi-approved (and Kyra, Janine, and Renee-approved too).
✨ Calm interface, intuitive layout, no balance sheet needed.

Good Money Club

Are you a female or LGBTQIA+ business owner who wants to make more money and create meaningful change? My 6-month program, Good Money Club, is designed to help you do exactly that.

We work on your pricing, positioning, business model, and mindset — so you can build your bank account and your impact. Read more about Good Money Club.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve ever felt like bookkeeping isn’t for people like you — creatives, service providers, non-number-lovers — this episode is a breath of fresh air.

Money admin doesn’t have to be messy. You deserve simple tools that make your business easier to run and more profitable in the long term.

Outro

Thank you for listening to Money Secrets. If you loved this episode, please subscribe, share it with a friend, or leave a review. Your support helps us get these conversations into the hands of more good people who deserve to thrive in business.

We’ve come so far as a society in many ways, but money is one of the areas where progress hasn’t been enough. If we want to tip the scales in favour of marginalised people, it starts with understanding the secret: money in small business.

In this podcast, Money Secrets, host Fiona (Fi) Johnston—Chartered Accountant, small business advocate, and impact enthusiast—dives into the conversations we need to have about money. The secrets that once stayed behind closed doors (or on the golf course) are finally out in the open.

Fi’s mission? To get more money into the hands of good people, like you. She believes small businesses have the power to change the world, and the key to making a bigger impact is to make—and manage—more money.

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Thank you to everyone involved for bringing this podcast together. We are excited to hear from you with any questions, feedback or suggestions for future episodes that you might have. Send a Direct Message to @peach.business

If you are excited for what’s to come, please like this episode, follow the podcast and share it with your friends. We are thrilled you're here.

Want to find out more about Good Money Club? It's for female and non-binary business owners ready to make more money and impact. Join us?

Check out my FREE Pricing Training you need to set your prices for profitability.

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This podcast episode was recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation and I'd like to acknowledge them as the Traditional Owners and custodians of this land and water that I live, work and play on. I'd like to pay respect to elders both past and present, and note that sovereignty has never been ceded. This always was and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land.

Beautiful Bookkeeping, is it possible? Interview with Olly from Rounded (Ep#26)

The surprising link between calm finances and confident business moves. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the financial side of running a solo business this episode is for you.