Your outsourced finance department, led by a vCFO.
The Good Ledger runs the finance engine for founder-led businesses, professional practices and startups — from bookkeeping and payroll to cash-flow, reporting and CFO-level insight — so you can stop managing finance and start leading with it.
15–30 minutes with Brett to review your current setup and next steps.
One partner for bookkeeping, accounting, reporting and vCFO support.
Clear view of cash, margin and runway — not just a year-end tax bill.
A proven operating rhythm so everyone knows what happens when.
Flexible engagement: extend your bookkeeper or replace your entire finance team.
Who we’re built for
Whether you’re building a startup, running a professional practice or leading an established business, we run the finance function so you can focus on the work that matters.
Startups & Scaleups
Founder-led companies that need real numbers on burn, runway and growth — before they can justify a full-time CFO.
- You’re raising, hiring or scaling and need board-ready reporting.
- You want clear visibility on burn, runway and unit economics.
- You’ve outgrown ‘just a bookkeeper’ but aren’t ready for a full finance team.
Legal, Medical & Dental Practices
High-value, highly regulated practices that need predictable cash, healthy margins and less time managing finance staff.
- You’re a partner or principal who wants numbers you can trust at a glance.
- You’d rather not manage an internal finance team.
- You care about staff, utilisation and profitability, but the numbers feel messy.
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Established Businesses
Businesses that have outgrown a basic setup or are carrying an expensive finance team.
- You have a bookkeeper but no CFO-level guidance.
- You have a finance team that’s become costly overhead.
- You want one partner accountable for the full finance function.
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Two situations we see again and again.
Most of our clients fall into one of these two camps. If you recognise yourself here, you’re in the right place.
You have a bookkeeper but no CFO.
Problems:
- The books get reconciled, but no one is turning numbers into decisions.
- You don’t have a clear view of cash-flow, margin or runway.
- Board, partners or investors ask questions you can’t confidently answer.
- Month-end reports are inaccurate and always late.
Our solutions:
- We sit above your bookkeeper as your vCFO and finance department.
- We design reporting, forecasts and dashboards that answer real business questions.
- We create and run a finance operating rhythm so the right work gets done on time.
You have a finance team that’s become an expensive overhead.
Problems:
- You’re paying for multiple finance roles, but still don’t feel in control.
- Reports get produced, but they’re hard to interpret and slow to arrive.
- You’re not sure what everyone in the finance team is doing day-to-day.
- Constant staff turn around leading to expensive recruitment fees and staff onboarding and training.
Our solutions:
- We replace or streamline your internal team with a lean outsourced finance department.
- You get a single accountable partner, clear deliverables and predictable pricing
- We focus the function on insight, control and decision support — not busywork.
What we actually do for you.
We take responsibility for the full finance function — from transactions and payroll through to board packs and CFO-level guidance.
Booking & Accounting
- You’re raising, hiring or scaling and need board-ready reporting.
- You want clear visibility on burn, runway and unit economics.
- You’ve outgrown ‘just a bookkeeper’ but aren’t ready for a full finance team.
Reporting & Cash-Flow
- Monthly performance summaries in plain language.
- Cash-flow forecasting and runway visibility.
- Practice or business-specific metrics (e.g. utilisation, margin, chair time).
vCFO & Advisory
- Regular vCFO sessions with Brett to interpret the numbers
- Support with pricing, hiring, capital allocation and growth decisions.
- Board/partner meeting preparation and attendance, where needed.
The Good Ledger Finance Operating System.
Behind every calm, in-control business is a simple, consistent rhythm. We install and run a finance operating system so your team knows exactly what happens daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually — and who owns it.
Daily
- Key transactions processed and reconciled.
- Cash position monitored.
- Critical issues flagged early.
Weekly
- Bank reconciliations up to date.
- Short cash check-ins and variance flags.
- Any practice-specific metrics refreshed.
Monthly
- Books closed to an agreed timetable.
- Monthly performance summary delivered.
- vCFO review session to discuss results and next steps.
You don’t need to manage this. We do.
You just need to show up to the right conversations with the right numbers in front of you.
How we work together.
Our process is designed to be straightforward for busy founders, principals and owners. Here’s how we go from first conversation to a fully running finance department.
Clarity Call
You meet with Brett for 15–30 minutes to walk through your current setup, challenges and goals. We’ll ask a few focused questions and share initial observations on where we can help.
Finance Health Check
We review your accounting system, reports, payroll, cash-flow and any existing finance staff or suppliers. You receive a plain-English summary of what’s working, what’s missing, and the risks we see.
Good Ledger Plan
We design an outsourced finance department tailored to your business: scope, level of vCFO involvement, operating rhythm and pricing. You’ll see exactly what we’ll take on and what you can stop worrying about.
Run & Refine
We take over the day-to-day, implement the operating system, and start delivering clean numbers and clear insights each month. As your business evolves, we adjust scope and focus so finance keeps up with reality.
Choose the level of finance department you need.
Every business is different, but most of our clients fit comfortably into one of these tiers. We’ll confirm the right plan after your Finance Health Check.
Legal & dental practices: compliance-ready finance ops.
- Transactions processed & classified (within agreed volumes).
- Bank + balance sheet reconciliations; general ledger kept accurate.
- Payroll + BAS support (super + PAYG; excludes tax-agent lodgement).
- Month-end close incl. accruals, adjustments, and trust/clearing accounts (where applicable).
- Monthly management reporting (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow + practice/partner views).
- Audit & regulatory readiness support (Australian Taxation Office, payroll tax, super, trust, Medicare) within scope.
Built for practices with trust/clearing complexity and higher compliance expectations.
For simpler setups or early-stage teams.
- Bookkeeping and payroll handled to an agreed schedule.
- Basic monthly reporting and cash snapshot.
- Compliance-ready data for your tax agent.
- Email access for ad-hoc finance questions.
Early-stage startups, smaller practices, or businesses just moving off DIY spreadsheets.
Basic bookkeeping: tidy, reliable, month after month.
- Supplier invoices and receipts captured via Hubdoc or Dext.
- Routine transactions processed and classified (within agreed monthly volumes).
- Monthly bank reconciliations, plus key balance sheet reconciliations.
- Payroll and BAS support (super and PAYG; excludes tax-agent lodgement).
- Month-end close with standard accruals and balance sheet review.
- Basic monthly reporting (P&L and balance sheet).
- Optional add-on: regular vCFO sessions (additional cost; consult required).
For established small businesses that want clean books and a consistent monthly rhythm.
Your full finance department, outsourced.
- Everything in Basic Bookkeeping
- Higher-touch vCFO involvement (e.g. board/partner meeting attendance).
- Support for lender, investor or regulator relationships.
- Transition and handover from your existing team or providers.
- Custom reporting packs for partners, boards or investors.
Growing practices and businesses that want a complete finance function without internal hires.
Custom scopes available for multi-entity and group structures.
Results for founders, principals and owners.
From startups to specialist practices, our clients stay with us because finance stops being a headache and starts being an advantage.
businesses supported across Australia.
of revenue and capital overseen.
years of combined finance and vCFO experience.
Meet Brett and The Good Ledger team.
Brett Rubin has spent [X] years helping founders, principals and owners get control of their numbers — as an accountant, vCFO and operator. He’s worked with startups, law firms, medical and dental practices and established businesses that all share the same frustration: finance feels harder than it should.
The Good Ledger exists to change that. Brett leads every engagement as vCFO, supported by a team that runs the day-to-day finance engine so your numbers are always clear, current and decision-ready.
- Plain language, no jargon.
- Structure and rhythm over chaos and last-minute scrambles.
- Numbers as a decision tool, not just a compliance requirement.