Helen Stenhouse reflects on how Professional Bookkeeping Service began, the changes she witnessed across more than four decades in bookkeeping, and the standards that shaped the business PBS is today.

When I began taking on bookkeeping work in 1983, I certainly wasn’t thinking 40 years ahead. I was focused on doing the work well, helping the clients in front of me and building a reputation I could stand behind.

I had already spent years working in banking and accounting firms, and I had developed a strong belief that bookkeeping should be treated as professional work. Business owners were relying on those records to make decisions, work with their accountants and meet their obligations.

That responsibility is a big part of me from the beginning.

Building the business around trust

One of the principles I came back to throughout my career was what I called “Currency with Accuracy.”

Financial information needed to be current, but it also needed to be right.

That standard shaped how I worked with clients, how I trained people and, at times, the decisions I made about the work I was prepared to accept.

There were situations where I was asked to do things I simply wasn’t comfortable putting my name to. Even when walking away was difficult commercially, I believed protecting the quality and integrity of the work had to come first.

Over time, that approach helped PBS build long-standing relationships with clients, accountants and others in the profession.

Those relationships are still one of the things I value most when I look back.

Watching the business grow

PBS started with a small number of clients and bookkeeping work I completed from home.

In 1985, I made the decision to leave my accounting firm and work for myself full-time. From there, the business grew alongside family life.

Chris arrived later that same year, three weeks earlier than expected, so in many ways the business and family grew together.

I employed my first part-time team member in 1988, and over the years PBS moved through different home offices before eventually moving into a dedicated office in Notting Hill.

By the time Leanne joined PBS in 2007, the business already looked very different from those early days.

What I remember most, though, is not the offices or the technology.

It is the people.

Some clients stayed with PBS for decades. Some team members spent a significant part of their careers with us. Those long relationships were a reminder that good bookkeeping was never just about numbers, it was also about trust.

PBS moved into its dedicated Notting Hill office in 2009, after years of operating from home.

Learning to let the business change

Technology changed enormously over the course of my career.

I worked with manual cash books, early accounting systems and software that would now seem incredibly basic.

I always tried to stay open to new technology when it genuinely improved the work, but Chris took that much further when he became more involved in PBS.

His approach to systems, automation and efficiency was different from mine.

At first, there were naturally things he wanted to do differently.

Over time, I came to see that this was important.

If PBS was going to continue beyond me, it could not stay exactly the same.

Chris needed to bring his own strengths to the business.

Leanne did too.

I had worked closely with Leanne for many years and saw the care, accuracy and attention to detail she brought to the work. She understood the standards I had built PBS around, but she also developed her own way of leading people and supporting clients.

Leanne has been part of the PBS story for many years. Today she leads the business alongside Chris as one of PBS’s Directors.

What I’m most proud to leave behind

My role began changing significantly in 2018, and over time Chris and Leanne took on more responsibility for the business.

I later returned to support them and continued working with some clients, with the final client I personally worked on finishing on 30 June 2025.

Stepping away from something you have spent so many years building is not always simple.

There are things Chris and Leanne do differently from the way I would have done them.

That is exactly as it should be.

Chris brings a strong focus on technology, systems and improvement. Leanne brings the accuracy, detail and bookkeeping experience she developed over many years working alongside me.

Together, they have made PBS their own.

For the clients, accountants and people who have known me through PBS over the years, I hope there is reassurance in knowing that the standards the business was built on are still very much part of it today.

The business has changed.

The way the work is delivered has changed.

But the responsibility behind it has not.

That is what I am most proud to leave behind.

And I have a great deal of confidence in Chris and Leanne as they continue to take PBS forward.

Professional Bookkeeping Service has supported Australian businesses since 1983. To learn more about Chris, Leanne and the PBS team today, visit the PBS website or get in touch.

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