At QiBalance Bookkeeping, ‘human first’ isn’t just something we say about our clients
/It’s how we treat our team.
Celebrating Growth from Within: Geraldine’s Journey from Scientist to Certified Bookkeeper
At QiBalance Bookkeeping, we talk a lot about ‘humans first’ - not just in how we serve our clients, but in how we support our team. Today, we’re putting that value into practice by celebrating a very special milestone for one of our own: Geraldine MANDIN, who recently achieved her Certificate IV in Bookkeeping and Accounting.
This is more than a qualification. It’s the culmination of a courageous career transition, years of self-directed learning, and a deep, natural talent for understanding how businesses work.
From the Lab to the Ledger
When we first heard about Geraldine, she was working in a scientific corporate environment. Her role was beginning to shift away from pure science and into the world of admin and operational support.
As part of that shift, she started taking on responsibility for stores and inventory, using Xero and inventory tools to manage the numbers behind the scenes. It was here that something important surfaced: she found herself genuinely interested in bookkeeping.
A mutual friend mentioned her to me, knowing the kind of work we do with businesses. My only reservation was her travel commitments, and the potential return to France to live.
Once I knew Geraldine was back in Perth and planning on staying, my interest was peeked once again! I wasn’t hiring at the time, and filed the thought for later…
A Well-Timed Phone Call
Fast forward about a year.
I was just about to post a job description for a bookkeeping role on Facebook when I paused and thought: ‘I’ll just give her a call, we can chat, as her situation may have changed.’
So I did.
By that time, Geraldine had already stepped fully into the bookkeeping world, working as a bookkeeper in another organisation. She loved the work itself, but the environment wasn’t the right fit. She was actively looking for a way to continue in bookkeeping, but somewhere that aligned better with her values and aspirations.
I sent her the job description with a simple invitation: ‘Have a look - I won’t put this on Facebook until you’ve seen it.’
Her response was immediate:
‘I want the job.’
Proving the Fit
Of course, wanting the role is only the first step. From there, we moved into an interview and I hired Geraldine on the spot!
What stood out straight away was how naturally she sees into businesses. Even before any formal qualification, she had:
Taught herself Xero
Taken on complex inventory and stores responsibilities
Developed an intuitive understanding of how numbers tell a business story
We brought her onto the team - and she has been proving that decision right ever since.
Turning Natural Talent into Formal Expertise
Although Geraldine was largely self-taught, she didn’t stop there.
Once she joined us, she made the decision to formalise her skills and enrolled in a Certificate IV in Bookkeeping and Accounting. This meant:
Working full time
Studying and completing assignments
Continually asking questions, seeking clarification, and deepening her understanding
Bringing what she learned back into the team
She has now successfully completed and obtained her certification.
This is no small achievement. Juggling a full-time role alongside study requires:
Discipline
Curiosity
Resilience
A real commitment to the profession
We’ve watched her grow from a talented, self-taught bookkeeper into a qualified professional with both the technical knowledge and the real-world experience to match.
Growing One Person, Lifting the Whole Team
What makes Geraldine so special is not just how she grows personally, but how she helps everyone around her grow too.
Whenever she learns something new in her course, she:
Brings it back to the team
Shares insights and new perspectives
Sparks conversations and curiosity
You can feel the ripple effect. Her learning makes all of us more interested in what’s happening in industry training, in how registered training organisations are shaping the next generation of bookkeepers, and in how we can continue to lift our own standards.
She embodies the value we hold dear: human’s first.
She cares about the work, she cares about the team, and she cares about doing things well.
Geraldine has her clients sharply in focus and is always improving workflow and suggesting ways to give them back time. At QiBalance Bookkeeping we offer end-to-end bookkeeping services to 7-figure business owners who trust our work, and Geraldine has mastered this by providing insight and support. A large payroll client recently said that Gerladine “is a blessing in disguise, and she is in plain sight!”
Why This Matters to Us
We often celebrate client wins - and we always will. But this story is a reminder that our internal wins are just as important.
We believe in backing potential, not just polished resumes.
We believe in supporting people who are brave enough to change direction.
We believe that when one person on the team levels up, everyone benefits.
Geraldine’s journey from scientist to certified bookkeeper is a powerful example of what can happen when:
Someone is willing to follow their interest, even if it means changing careers
A workplace is willing to see beyond a job title and invest in the person
Natural ability is combined with formal training and ongoing support
A Heartfelt Congratulations
To Geraldine:
We are so proud of you.
You’ve shown what’s possible when curiosity, courage, and commitment come together. You’ve worked incredibly hard to earn your Certificate IV in Bookkeeping and Accounting, all while contributing fully to the team.
You are a wonderful employee, a valued colleague, and an important part of our story as a business. We can’t wait to see you continue to go from strength to strength.
Here’s to many more milestones ahead - and to celebrating the humans behind the numbers.
If you’re a business owner who values people as much as performance, and you’d like to work with a team that lives ‘human first’ both internally and externally, we’d love to talk.
