Get To Know Us: Q&A Time! with Shelley
As our business has grown, so has the team behind it - and the way we support our clients.
These days, working with Resonate isn’t just about one person. It’s a team effort, with each of us playing a different role to make sure everything runs smoothly and our clients are well supported.
You’ll still see me working closely with clients in an advisory capacity, helping them understand their numbers and plan ahead. Behind the scenes, our team is making sure everything is accurate, up to date, and taken care of.
We often get questions about who does what, and (especially!) a bit of curiosity about the people behind the scenes - so we thought we’d put together a quick Q&A to introduce ourselves properly.
First up...Shelley!
1. What’s your role at Resonate, and what do you spend most of your time doing?
As the founder of the business, my role is to keep everything running smoothly. Recently that has turned into ensuring the team is set up for success in their roles as accountants. I also work closely with key clients in a business and tax advisor capacity, meeting with them to go over their numbers and being a sounding board for decisions. I help them plan ahead, not just look backwards. As a business owner, I’m also spending a lot of time on the same things as you! Marketing, sales, recruitment, finances, management. I love it.
2. What’s your background, and what led you here?
Well I had a super straightforward career path to be honest! I was good with numbers at school and business fascinated me, so naturally I entered the world of accounting at university and then professionally. I’ve always worked as an ‘external’ accountant, looking after a variety of clients over a vast range of experiences (small through to global accounting firms). This has given me exposure to a wide range of businesses, from small owner-operated through to much larger, more complex organisations. I chose to start my own firm as I wanted to get back to working closely with small business owners, using my “big firm” experience to make a real impact on their lives, while also creating a business that suited my lifestyle.
3. What do you enjoy most about working with small business clients?
This sounds so very generic, but it’s being able to help people. Small business owners are so inspiring – they’ve taken a leap of faith and are creating value for the economy. But being in business can be really tough; it’s risky, lonely, and time-consuming. You can get hit with so much compliance and administration that you lose the spark that got you into business in the first place. I love showing small business owners that it doesn’t have to be so tough when it comes to compliance and administration, and the power that their numbers can have in shaping the direction of their business – especially as they grow and become more complex.
4. What do you see business owners getting stuck on - and what does it look like when things are working well?
Cashflow. It’s so common across the board for business owners to not understand their cashflow - it’s so much more than what’s in your bank account. Taking it back a step, business owners can get stuck with the wrong numbers. They can be messy or missing, and trying to make decisions (especially cashflow decisions) with messy numbers is where things start to go wrong. The business owners that have great numbers (usually with someone dedicated to looking after them!) and clear plans are always the ones with better peace of mind when it comes to cashflow and making confident, sound decisions.
5. Quick one - what does life look like outside of work for you?
My husband and I have two snack assassins (AKA children) under 5 who keep us very busy! They’re both cheeky girls and we laugh a lot, apparently quirkiness runs in the family. We also love to travel - exploring new places is almost an addiction and we are always planning our next overseas trip. So you can see why having a lifestyle-based business where I can work from anywhere is so important to me! I also love going to concerts and so stoked to have been able to go to Metallica in 2025, as I missed out seeing them last time they were here. Living by the beach also means I’m there a lot, I grew up in a beachside town and it’ll always be a part of my life.
