If you’ve been in the bookkeeping world for more than five minutes, you’ll know we’re big on CPD. Webinars, tax updates, payroll refreshers, more webinars… and look, they’re important. They keep us sharp, compliant, and ready to rescue clients from their latest “I just pressed something and now it’s gone” moment.
But lately I’ve been thinking about the other skills — the ones that aren’t technically bookkeeping at all, yet somehow make our work easier, more joyful, and a whole lot more human.
Case in point: I recently spent a morning at the State Library doing a travel and food writing workshop with the Queensland Writers Centre. Yes, a bookkeeping practice owner at a food‑writing workshop. Stay with me.
Picture this: good coffee, river views, a room full of enthusiastic non‑professional writers, and a whole lot of laughter as we shared stories about the way we write, why we write, and how we find our voice. We learnt how to pitch ideas, what makes a story sing, and how to write in a way that feels unmistakably “you”.
And honestly? It was magic.
I’ve always loved writing travel blogs when we go away — originally as a “proof of life” for the kids (“Yes, we’re alive. Yes, we’re eating gelato. No, we haven’t been kidnapped.”). But over time it’s become a little creative ritual I adore. And the more I’ve written for fun, the easier my professional writing has become. Emails flow faster. Blogs feel lighter. Client communication is clearer. My voice feels more… me.
It turns out that learning something completely outside your industry can sneakily make you better at your job.
So, it got me thinking:
What other non‑bookkeeping skills could make small business life easier, more fun, or just a little more sparkly?
Here are a few I think every business owner should try at least once:
🌟 1. Improv or Acting Classes
Hear me out. Improv teaches you to think on your feet, communicate clearly, and not panic when someone throws you a curveball — which is basically every client meeting ever.
🌟 2. Photography or Smartphone Content Workshops
Because sometimes you need a good photo for socials, a client proposal, or your website… and sometimes you just want to take a picture of your dog that isn’t blurry.
🌟 3. Public Speaking or Voice Coaching
For when you need to run workshops, present to clients, or simply sound confident when you say, “No, you cannot claim your dog as a business expense.”
🌟 4. Meditation or Breathwork
Because small business life is… a lot. A calmer brain = better decisions. And it will help you through the manic month of July.
🌟5. Cooking Classes
Not business‑related at all — but joy is fuel, and a well‑fed bookkeeper is a powerful force.
🌟 6. Dance, Surfing, Pottery, or Anything That Gets You Out of Your Head
Because creativity doesn’t live in a spreadsheet. It lives in movement, play, and doing things that make you feel alive.
🌊 The Big Takeaway
CPD is important — but so is learning for the sheer joy of it.
The more we stretch ourselves outside our industry, the more confident, creative, and resilient we become inside it.
So go take the class.
Try the thing.
Write the story.
Drink the coffee and stare at the river for a bit.
Your business (and your brain) will thank you.
Stay cool and hit the beach!
