What happens when the conversation about business stops being about how much money you make and starts being about how much you actually keep?

In this episode of Without a Brief, I’m joined by Despina Cleanthous, accountant, business advisor and founder of LC Accountants, for a very wide-ranging conversation about money, business, women, power and some of the financial realities we probably need to talk about more.

We get into Despina’s unexpected move from music into accounting, the culture of debt, financial literacy and why generating revenue doesn’t necessarily mean you have a financially healthy business. We talk about cash flow, pricing for actual profit, the role accountants should be playing beyond compliance and why so many small business owners are building businesses without really understanding what their numbers are telling them.

But, as usual, the conversation goes well beyond the numbers.

We talk about women and financial independence, who holds financial decision-making power, gender expectations in business, the Australian tall poppy problem, questionable online business advice, personal branding, becoming visible online and the strange experience of learning to put your own face and voice behind a business.

We also get into motherhood, ambition and the expectation that women somehow need to perfectly balance all of it.

It’s a conversation about making money, yes. But more than that, it’s about understanding it, keeping it, making decisions with it and building a business that actually supports the life you’re trying to create.

Despina Cleanthous
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/despinacleanthous/
Business: LC Accountants
Role: Director, Tax & Business Advisor
Based in: Darwin, Northern Territory
Website: https://lcaccountants.com.au/
Personal website: https://despinacleanthous.com.au/

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Background
• 00:47 Transition to Business and Career
• 01:40 Transition from Music to Accounting
• 02:23 Academic and Business Journey
• 03:05 Challenges of Business Success
• 04:28 Societal Attitudes and Financial Conditioning
• 05:22 The Impact of Financial Decisions
• 07:17 The Concept of Tall Poppy Syndrome
• 09:22 Financial Challenges and Societal Impact
• 11:16 Empowerment and Women in Business
• 12:14 Women's Role in Finance and Business
• 13:35 Conclusion and Insights
• 31:01 Women in Financial Decision-Making
• 32:23 Balanced Approach to Business
• 33:51 Journey of Personal Branding
• 34:25 Evolution of Content Creation
• 52:42 Development of a Tech Company
• 59:28 The Importance of Cash Flow
• 01:00:26 Pricing, Expenses, and Profitability
• 01:06:10 Mindset and Work-Life Balance
• 01:13:16 Challenges and Rewards of Entrepreneurship