Newsletter - December 2023

Congratulations – you’ve made it to the end of 2023 🍾



A couple more weeks of balancing last-minute client work with Christmas shopping (and the millions of other things on your to-do list), and you’ll be ready for a well-deserved break!



But we know some of you are already probably thinking about what comes next and how you can set yourself up for success in 2024.



To help set you on the right path, we've gathered our best resources, asked the experts, and added some awesome new Rounded features – making it even easier to see where your business stands, and what you need to do next. 


In this newsletter:

• Our dashboard just got an upgrade! We dive into our new look and features.

• Rounded Wrapped – What you got up to in 2023

• Rachel’s List partnership renewed– A sneak peek at some of the awesome content you can look forward to in 2024!

• Holiday closure dates – Our customer support team will be taking a well-deserved rest this Christmas. See our availability and plan ahead. 

• What you need to do in January to set up your business for a successful year from Lauren Thiel, the Accountant for Creatives.

• From the Rounded community – How to tackle overdue invoices.

• The Ultimate Rounded Roundup – All the best Rounded content of 2023 so you can catch up on your reading and get ready for 2024.

• Final Masterclasses of 2023 – Learn how to best use Rounded's new features and get a head start on organising your finances for next year. 

Enjoy!

— The Rounded Team

P.S: We’ll be taking a break from the newsletter in January, but we’ll be back with more great content in February.

💄 Dashboard Makeover

If you’ve logged into Rounded recently, you might have noticed a few changes...

But the Dashboard doesn't just look better – you'll get much better insights too!

👉 Compare data with more granularity and break down income and expenses across different periods. You'll be able to get as detailed as you like.

👉 The tax calculator is much more accurate, considering your Medicare Levy and any PAYG contributions. (For those of you making super contributions – that's next on our list!)

👉You can now set revenue or profit goals to keep yourself accountable rather than just gross income.

👉Use our new keyboard shortcuts to create invoices, add expenses, and start time tracking even faster!

💡 Rounded Wrapped

Here's what you got up to this year as a community!

🤝 Rachel's List partnership extended to 2024

In 2023, we entered into our first formal partnership with Rachel’s List – the premium online community for Australian freelance journalists, copywriters and content creators.

We’re delighted to announce that we’ve extended the partnership for 2024!

Rounded’s ongoing support will include:

• Sponsorship of The Content Byte podcast

• Partner and Major Sponsor of The Content Byte Summit

• Exclusive perks for all Rachel’s List Gold Members

If you’re a Gold Member, watch out for more details in the Gold Member group. If you’re not a gold member, what are you waiting for?!

🎄 Rounded Holiday Closure: Dec 23rd - Jan 1st

After a super busy year, the Rounded team will be taking a break to recharge – including our Customer Support Superstars.

Our in-app live chat will be unavailable from December 23rd - January 1. We’ll still be monitoring critical app performance and security during this time.

Michelle and Roxanne will be back bright and early on January 2, ready to answer any questions you have!

📍 Tip of the Month with Lauren Thiel, the Accountant for Creatives

January is the perfect time to reflect on the last 6 months of the financial year 🤔

• Review your actuals vs budget

• Adjust your forecasts for the next 6 months

• Set some goals that excite you!

Check out more advice from Lauren here.

📈 November Poll Results: How do you deal with overdue invoices?

Got some invoices you need to chase up before the holidays? We asked for your best tips in our last newsletter, and you didn’t disappoint!

Julia from Julia Blair Virtual Business Support automates her approach and uses Rounded’s reminders so no invoices slip through the cracks:

I have automated reminders set up to go to clients, and use the notifications from Rounded to remind me to follow up verbally and by email if there's no action after they are sent.

And when all else fails, there’s always the approach that Lachlan, Small Business Coach and Director of Leader Guide, takes:

Send in the mafia 🔫

Want more tips? Check out our guide for getting paid on time every time, with advice from experienced freelancers.

🧠 The Ultimate Rounded Round-Up

In case you missed it (or just want to reread), we’ve selected some of our best content from 2023 to get you inspired for 2024.

Starting with our huge library of Freelancer Advice from all the way back in February!

It’s a great resource, so if you haven’t checked it out yet, or need a refresh, you can read it here 👇

Here’s some of our other favourites:

• How to deal with toxic client behaviour with Bek Lambert from the Freelance Jungle. This was part of our Hug A Freelancer initiative back in June, dedicated to helping freelancers and clients build better working relationships.

• Another great piece from Hug A Freelancer Month on creating rapport with clients.

• Expert tips for running a successful VA business with Ingrid Bayer, Founder of the VA Institute

• Expert tips for running a successful translation business from a translator with 20+ years experience

• How to grow your business with email marketing with Lindy Alexander of Freelancer’s Year

• What you can claim on tax as a freelancer or sole trader (Always a helpful refresh!)

• How to navigate a slow economy from Rounded co-founder Nick Beames

• How to run your business your way with Rachel Green of Shine Copy

🗞️ Get your business featured in our next newsletter

Our monthly newsletter goes out to 9,000+ freelancers and sole traders across Australia. Apply to be our next Featured Customer here.

Cover Photo by David Clode on Unsplash