Work less.
Earn more.
Hi there! I’m Jewlz Ellem, your Queen Calculator and bona fide motorcycle enthusiast.
Myself and the rest of my calculator angels here at CatalystPlus are ready to support your business from the perspective of the business owner.
We are passionate about giving you the lifestyle you sought out when you first got into business. Nobody goes into business wanting to work 80 hours per week, but maybe – just maybe – that’s the hole you’ve found yourself in.
That’s why I lead by example.
My business is 100% cloud. No matter where I am in the world, my clients aren’t affected. In fact, I’ve had clients ask me – “hang on a second – is that The Eiffel Tower in the background?” and the answer is yes. Yes it is.
My clients see me as a straight-shooter. I’ve been referred to as trustworthy, tech-savvy, easy going, and – most of all – passionate about all things business.
I structure my mindset around three ideas:
- Routine sets you free: Pay yourself first, because YOU are the least squeeky wheel
- Big little giants: Thinking big doesn’t mean you compromise on quality
- Life long learning: Everything is fixerupable and figureoutable
I truly believe that business owners can scale their profit without working long hours AND have an exciting, fulfilling life in the process.
Take your business to the next level with our ACCELERATE Program
Make more possible in less time.
I assist entrepreneurs who want to make MORE possible with their business. Without working more hours. In fact, most end up working less hours.
The Poor Entrepreneur’s Cycle is made up of three things: Poor cashflow; Poor systems; Poor People Management.
Business owners stuck in this cycle often go between all three on a daily basis.
They end up ‘lashing out’ in frustration. They buy fancy cars / gifts / houses / motorbikes etc because they ‘work hard enough for it’. Which, you betchya, throws them back into the cycle that they can’t find a way out of.
The poor entrepreneur’s cycle explained:
- Poor Cashflow. They feel like they can’t get ahead. Or have made poor financing decisions (short term gain, long term pain) in the past that they are still paying for. They have large government tax or credit card or ‘financing’ debt at high interest rates.
- Poor Systems. They feel like all they do is work. They are often overwhelmed and the thought of growing their business gives them heart palpitations! In fact their business systems are usually archaic, paper based and not well structured.
- Poor People Management. They aren’t clear on their own strengths making it impossible to find the right employees and customers for their business. They often say ‘I can’t find the right people’ or ‘staff is the biggest issue in my business’.
Are you ready to quit the poor entrepreneur cycle?
Steady cashflow
Pay yourself first, and manage cashflow easily with our simple 3 step process.
People management
Create fulfilled, happy staff (and boss) by working within your strengths.
Automated systems
Automagic, accurate systems that work even whilst you sleep!
That’s where we come in.
We at CatalystPlus provide an automated and systemised business structure so entrepreneurs can get more done in the available time they have.
We improve the consistency and quality of their services by outsourcing, automating, and becoming location-free (by, for example, moving to “the cloud”.)
Yes, it’s “strictly business”. But for me, it’s also deeply personal. My clients are like family.
Which means I am strict about who I take on as a client.
My clients pride themselves on being:
- Thoughtful and compassionate. They always treat me, and my team with respect and kindness. They get the same from us.
- Patient. They understand that I work on many projects at once, so they must schedule time in with me. They understand that sometimes, their problems are complex and time consuming.
- Ambitious. They strive to be best practice and move their lives and business forward.
- Down to earth and easy to get along with. They leave their ego at the door.
- Action takers. I give them homework, and they do it. I tell them hard truths about their spending, they fix it with the strategies I give them.
- Willing to learn. They know that I’ve implemented many strategies for hundreds of clients. They are willing to give new things a go even though it might be very different to what they’ve done in the past.
- Curious. They will ask lots of questions to fully understand why I’m suggesting actions to take or what their numbers mean.
- Strong moral compass. They understand that paying tax is essential to our communal way of life. They would never dream to ask me to be fraudulent, purposely evade tax or ‘dodge’ up their numbers (to gain finance etc).
What does my process look like?
First, we address the lifestyle our new clients imagined for themselves when they first went into business.
Then, we structure their business systems around those lifestyle goals, because what’s it all for if your personal happiness has to come second? This plan looks different for everyone, and will dictate how we work through the rest of the program.
Having the roadmap laid out like this helps my clients realise that everything is under control. Growing and scaling their business isn’t as overwhelming as they thought, and – hey look at that! – it’s actually achievable. They realise the poor decisions they made in the past will not affect their future after all.
Once we have their systems in place, we then ‘hone in’ on their area of expertise in order to specialise and increase the value to their customers – increasing the $$ in their bank.
Take your business to the next level with our ACCELERATE Program
What makes me the go-to expert for entrepreneurs?
My exposure to the accounting industry has been very unique.
While I began as a trainee in a family run, rural, general practice accounting firm, I quickly went on to work for Ernst & Young, one of the largest accounting firms in the world.
At Ernst & Young, I gained my Chartered Accountant Certificate and learned all about the excellence of best practice standards, systems and software automation. That experience also gave me a wide range of exposure to large scale commercial and government projects including Sydney Olympics.
Interesting enough, I also spent time as a forensic accountant with the Serious Fraud Office in London. There, I worked on large scale frauds where I not only learned how to identify unusual trends quickly, but also how to prevent fraud from happening within business.
Coming back to Australia, I became senior finance personnel within internationally renowned advertising agencies such as M&C Saatchi, Lowe Worldwide, Hothouse Digital and BWM.
These positions combined my skills as an accountant with the creative end of advertising. I learned the in’s and out’s of developing a brand strategy, and saw how their campaigns engaged customers to buy products and services.
It was during this time working for advertising agencies that I started helping small business owners directly.
While I was busy helping the ‘big guys’ make heaps of money, I noticed that our small business suppliers were continually providing me with incorrect data, making it difficult for me to process their payments.
To remedy the problem, I decided to invite our family run business suppliers in to receive financial coaching.
They and I absolutely loved it.
They’d immediately put my coaching into practice, and I could see what a difference it made in their business processes.
Those coaching sessions became the happiest part of my day. It was there in that little training room, during my fourth small business workshop, that the light bulb moment occurred.
I realised that my expertise was EXACTLY what these entrepreneurs needed to thrive in their businesses, and I could be doing it full time if I wanted to.
They needed me, and if I was perfectly honest with myself – I needed them too! I felt fulfilled in those workshops in a way I NEVER felt sitting behind the computer crunching numbers.
And thus, Catalyst Plus was born.
The 4 most important lessons I’ve learned (so far…)
Though the road I travelled down wasn’t exactly a straight & narrow one, it did teach me a LOT about business…
1. You can help everybody and do a crappy job, OR you can use your unique skillset to help people who need that specific skill set, and be the exact right person for the job.
For example, in 2018 we drove a massive part of our business towards growing individual tax returns. It was ‘quick’ money (high volume, low value – and very price competitive). We ended up with almost 200 new customers.
In 2019, after restructuring my business with highly qualified staff in the Philippines, I realised the majority of those individuals could be perfectly serviced by H&R block or the other local accountants or, in a DIY format. So, we ran a campaign to demonstrate this to them so we could focus on our business / investor only clients who needed my specific skill set.
2. When you’re sh!t scared with a decision you’re making, it’s probably the right decision.
The decisions I’ve made that have been calm and not stressful have always taken me to my end goal slower and sometimes, resulted in my doubling back.
Those decisions where I’ve lost sleep wondering – what happens if I don’t pull this off – have not only leap frogged me to where I wanted to go, but it has stretched me to learn, to grow and be a much better person in the long run.
3. You can only scale your business and create freedom for yourself if you systemise and automate.
Never hire a person when a computer can do the job for you! Small business have limited funds available to them. Technology that saves you time and money, and automates functions (eg chase outstanding debt) for you is valuable.
$50 a month for software that saves you a minimum of 2-3 hours per week of manual process is worth its weight in gold. You can’t just look at the dollar figure, you have to look at what the payoff is as well.
4. When your customers tell you their pain points and what they need from you, LISTEN!
You must meet them where they’re at, even if it’s not what you want to be doing.
When I lived in Sydney, my clients didn’t worry that I didn’t have my tax licence, because they knew and understood that my ‘zone of genius’ was commercial day to day and keeping their tax accountants honest.
When I moved to a regional town, nobody would hire me because I was the Accountant who didn’t do tax.
I resisted for 2 years because to me, the difference between what I do and what a ‘boring’ tax agent does is complete a form and deal with the ATO. Finally, I reinstated my tax licence. My business hasn’t looked back since. And I have hired somebody to complete the tax forms! 🙂
Take your business to the next level with our ACCELERATE Program
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