Figures Matter

For many small business owners, bookkeeping is last thing they want to think about and the first thing that causes them grief. Finding a bookkeeper who actually understands your business, not just your ledger, is rarer than most people expect. Figures Matter, a Fyshwick-based bookkeeping and advisory firm, was built around exactly that gap.

Founders Lavisha Bhatia and husband Dinesh have accounting in their DNA – literally. “All my family members, everybody’s an accountant or a bookkeeper,” she said. “I’ve been brought up in an accounting world, to be honest. And then I got married to one as well [laughs].” 

Before striking out on their own, the pair spent years across corporate sectors, working through engineering, construction, banking, and financial services. They launched Phoenix Accountants and Advisors in Western Australia, and in the mid 2010s, acquired Figures Matter to make their mark in Canberra. 

Eleven years on, working as a couple, what could easily have been a risky domestic experiment became one of the business’s quiet strengths. “I thought at first it’s just not possible for us to work together,” Lavisha recalls. “But I must say it’s one of the most successful decisions I’ve ever made. We coincide very well. We understand each other, and we understand what the clients want and what the staff want too.”

Xero Bookkeeping Specialists with Over 50 Years of Combined Experience

Figures Matter is a Xero Gold Partner and Certified Advisor, ACT/NSW Bookkeeping Partner of the Year for 2016, and a national finalist again at the 2022 Xero Awards. 

Even so, Lavisha is quick to point out that the software tool you choose to use is only the starting point. “We love Xero and MYOB and QuickBooks,” she explained, “but what’s most important is to get guidance on what you actually need to help you run your business effectively.” And they don’t just suggest, they help you implement too.

The focus stretches well beyond the chart of accounts. A payroll job running 300 employees a week, for instance, prompted the team to recommend and set up an entirely different platform better suited to the volume. The service menu covers everything from BAS and IAS lodgement through to inventory management, cloud migrations, onsite bookkeeping support, and one-on-one Xero training. 

“It’s not just data entry in and out. It’s more personal, it’s more connected about your  business growth.”
— Lavisha Bhatia

Lavisha is direct about what to look for when choosing a bookkeeper. Check their registration as a BAS or tax agent, she says, read the reviews, and above all, sit down and talk to them first. 

Figures Matter offers an initial consultation free of charge, and backs its work with a money-back guarantee underpinned by an internal quality control process.

A Practice Growing on Three Fronts

Figures Matter is not standing still. In September last year, the team acquired a third practice, adding another base of clients to the existing Canberra and WA operations. 

Clients who have worked with the team describe a practice where attention to detail is matched by genuine accessibility, a firm where bookkeeping feels straightforward rather than stressful and where the relationship lasts well beyond the quarterly BAS. 

One long-term client wrote that she drove past the Canberra sign more than two years ago and has not looked back, citing the team’s craft, warmth, and expertise. 

Away from the desk, Lavisha is quick to puncture the bean-counter cliché. “I love to be out socialising,” she said. “I’m totally different from what you would expect an accountant to be like.” It’s clear Lavisha loves to get to know and help her clients, and the rave reviews speak for themselves.

If your books need attention or your current bookkeeper is not giving you the advice your business actually needs, Figures Matter is welcoming new inquiries. Reach out to Lavisha, Dinesh, and the team for a no-obligation conversation about what they can do for you.