Back to Blog

How to Spruce Up Your Xero Invoices and Get Paid Faster

Alright, team, let’s get real for a second. Your invoices? They’re not just some boring admin chore—you’re sending out little payment magnets that shout, "Hey, pay me now!" But sloppy invoices? Oh, they’ll slow your cash flow down faster than a snail in molasses. Let’s give your Xero invoices a glow-up, so they not only look slick but also make it super easy for clients to hit that "pay now" button. Here’s how to make them chef’s kiss perfect....

Can the Right Colours Make or Break Your Brand?

When you think about your favourite brands, what pops into your head? Is it their unforgettable logo, their catchy tagline—or maybe, just maybe—their colours? Yep, those seemingly simple hues are doing way more work than you might think. Colour psychology—the study of how colours sway our emotions, choices, and even behaviour—is like a secret weapon for brands. It’s how they tell stories, stir emotions, and build trust without saying a single word.Think colours are just for making thin...

Varntige Client & Partners Evening: Celebrating the Franchise Launch!

Earlier this year, something truly special happened at our Varntige HQ in Te Awamutu. We rolled out the red carpet (okay, maybe it was metaphorical, but the vibe was there!) for an incredible evening to celebrate an amazing milestone: The official launch of Varntige Franchising. It was a night filled with laughter, connection, and a few happy tears as we toasted to our journey and the exciting road ahead....

Recap of the NZQBA Bookkeepers Conference 2024

This year’s NZQBA Bookkeepers Conference in Auckland was nothing short of a revitalizing experience. It was all about stepping up, owning our skills, and taking care of ourselves—without any of the usual guilt that comes from juggling work, life, and everything in between....

Varntige, The VA Firm franchising around NZ with owners Troy Hillard and Chantelle Good

The idea of franchising Varntige was born out of a powerful conversation about two years ago. At the time, Chantelle Good (our founder) met with Troy, a franchise expert introduced to her by Tim Pearson. Troy shared insights about his experiences, and that conversation planted a seed. It sparked a thought: why aren’t Virtual Assistants franchising?For a year, this idea sat on the back burner. But as Varntige continued to grow, it became increasingly clear that our model was perfect for franchi...

Are Monthly Bank Reconciliations a Must for my Business?

...long story short–yes!– so let’s chat about one of the unsung heroes of keeping your books in ship-shape: the monthly bank reconciliation! Don’t let the fancy name scare you off; it’s really just about making sure your bank balance and your accounting software are best friends and in perfect sync.Now, thanks to accounting gems like Xero, managing your business finances has transformed from a messy heap of paper trails to a smooth, streamlined digital process. You can even get your ba...

How to Safeguard Your Business Against Fraudulent Bank Account Changes

In today’s business environment, protecting your finances is more important than ever. Recently, there's been an increase in fraudulent emails where hackers hijack supplier email accounts, send fake invoices, and change bank account details. These emails often appear legitimate—they come from the correct email address and feature the same products and services you would usually receive. The only difference is the bank account number. It's easy to be fooled, it happens to the best of us! Worr...

How to Create Quality Content Online

In today's fast-paced digital world, creating quality content is more important than ever—but it doesn’t have to be hard. Whether you're a business owner, a freelancer, or just starting your online journey, having a strategy in place to craft engaging content is key. And guess what? We’ve got the steps laid out for you, making the whole process smooth, efficient, and totally doable....

Charities Update - Annual Reporting, Changes and Requirements (Part Two)

Along with the reporting changes covered in Part One there are some other changes to be aware of. These come from the changes to the Charities Act 2005 and relate more to operational requirements rather than financial and reporting....

Charities Update - Annual Reporting, Changes and Requirements (Part One)

At Varntige we love supporting charities and not-for-profit entities – whether that be through sponsorship and our community days or assisting organisations with managing their administration and bookkeeping needs. Anything to help keep these wonderful organisations running.As part of this it is important to keep up to date with the ever changing reporting and legislative requirements for registered charities....

Xero Roadshow Recap - August 2024

I was lucky enough to get the chance to attend the recent Xero Roadshow event in Hamilton with Sonja. An afternoon out of the office was just what we needed, combined with a chance to get a sneak peek at some of Xero’s future plans, sounded like the perfect afternoon.Here’s a kind of mind-boggling fact to get you started: “4 million bills are processed in Xero in New Zealand every month, totaling more than $11 Billion.”As the roadshow is focused on Xero Partners (us Accountants and Bookk...

You need a what file?! The business owners guide to Image files.

This will be a breakdown of the image files you might be asked for by your signage writer, your designer, your marketer or anyone else!To start we need to talk about the difference between a Vector file and a Raster file. I have people ask me all the time, “I need a Vector file of my logo for the signwriter, what is that?” A vector is rendered by a computer using a mathematic formula. You can resize, rescale, and  reshape vectors infinitely without losing any&nb...

Why we recommend ActiveCURVE Coaching

At the end of 2023 I was lucky enough to be one of few, to be asked to attend a Coaching session in Hamilton. Often when you get the opportunity to attend a coaching session that is FREE - you might be left thinking what am I rolling into...I'm happy to say I was more than pleasantly surprised. In fact so much so, that we have since implemented 5 key strategies taught in this one session by Robin Olivier. Of course I can't give those away - you'll need to go attend one of his sessions yourself.I...

7 Reasons why hiring a Website Designer is worth every pixel

If you are a business owner working towards an online presence, the question may arise "Should I DIY my website?" With the new platforms available, it is definitely an option right? Maybe save some money, learn a new skill. However, there may be a little more that goes into website design then you think.Whether you're a startup entrepreneur or a seasoned business owner, the decision to invest in a professionally designed website versus opting for a DIY approach can significantly impact your onli...

A quick branding update for Gibson Electrical

Updating your branding doesn't have to be scary... Change and growth is GOOD! Embrace growth in your business and share it visually through your branding and website design. We are not the same person we were 20, 10, 5 years ago and chances are your business has had a similar growth. 🌱 🪴 🌳  Don't be scared to update your website or invest in the visual impact of your branding. Your branding is the first impression of your company and should represent YOU as a company - it should pr...

How much does a website cost?

We chat with a lot of clients wanting a website and the leading question from them all is generally the same: "How much does a website cost?"We know that many of you are on the hunt for a good deal when it comes to building your website. After all, who doesn't want to save some coin? But we're here to tell you that cutting corners and opting for a cheaper website could end up costing you in the long run....

Varntige Lift Up: Community Day 2023 - Te Awamutu Toy Library

Varntige's Lift Up Community Day 2023 was where our company helped the Te Awamutu Toy Library. For a full day, we closed our office doors and dedicated our time to help them with their inventory management, inputting toys into their system, and cleaning and styling the library.Check our our video about the day:...

A Brand isn't just a Logo

Often people get stuck in the idea that a brand is all about the business’s logo. The logo is just one aspect that fits under your business's whole brand identity. You should be able to cover up your logo and still be able to identify the company by the look and feel your brand identity creates. This includes things such as your brand's tone of voice, slogans, brand and marketing look and feel, design assets and more. For a business to create a successful brand you must establish your bra...

Why we choose Rocketspark to build our websites

Are you a business owner struggling to find the right website builder? Look no further than Rocketspark! As a Rocketspark Gold Partner,  we can confidently say that this platform has been the solution to all of our website building problems.First and foremost, Rocketspark websites are beautiful. We understand the importance of having a website that not only functions well but also looks visually appealing. That's why we love that Rocketspark offers custom website design that is built from s...

Let's chat about Chat GPT

Unless you have been under a rock, I am sure you have heard about the AI tool Chat GPT. If you haven’t heard about it, let me explain. ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence program that can understand and generate human-like responses to text-based inputs. It's used for chatbots, language translation, and other applications. It's been trained on a vast amount of data from the internet, allowing it to understand and generate responses on a wide range of topics. …and if you want to l...

Why Varntige are 100% Xero for their Bookkeeping Services

When Varntige started in 2015 (then named The Good P.A) they serviced both MYOB and Xero Accounting Software clients. However, Chantelle quickly came to realise that time is a limited resource and she wanted Varntige team to be the very best at what they do. So, she decided to Niche and offer bookkeeping services in only Xero. This meant staff could spend their training time each month keeping up to date with only the one Software. Allowing them to have the time to keep up with all the upda...

Case Study from Gavin Bodey of BodeySpark Electrical

Gavin Bodey is a family man who prides himself on being great at what he does as a “sparky” electrical inspector for his business BodeySpark Electrical.Gavin was feeling the pressure of running his business. The stress of the amount of work that he was juggling alongside being a husband and father was keeping him up at night and paralysing himself with worry about getting things done in time.Through the trade, another electrician who had been in a similar position recommended the help of Var...

Cashflow tips for small business

Are you struggling with cashflow? Are you worrying all month if you’re going to receive the money for work that has already been done - sometimes from up to 60 days ago! Some of our leading financial advisors are advising NZ to wake up and join the 21st century, it is time to change some basic invoicing procedures. Xero Studies have shown that poor cash flow is to blame for 82% of businesses that fail. So the aim is to turn your receivables into cash as quickly as possible.So, what can you do?...

Christmas Giveaway! 🎄🎁

GIVEAWAY!! GIVEAWAY!! GIVEAWAY!! 🎉🎁🎄🎉🎁🎄🎉🎁🎄🎉🎁🎄 We are celebrating Christmas with a delish The Pressie Box Gift Tin GIVEAWAY!...

Help! My Xero balance doesn't match my bank balance, how do I fix it?

So your bank balance doesn't match your Xero balance - don't cry yet. Let's help you fix it!  In our last blog we talked about the monthly checks you can do in Xero to make sure your Xero account stays tidy. Today we're going to take a more in depth look at one of these items. Making sure your Xero balance matches your bank balance. You can refer to our last blog to read about where we start this off 'Monthly check you should be doing in Xero'. So your bank balance doesn't match your X...