S&B Private
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Outsourced accounting services

Qualified accountants who work as part of your team

Offshore accountants who work as part of your team

An easier way to build the accounting team you need

An easier way to build the accounting team you need

  • Built and run by practising accountants
  • Employed and managed by us, directed by you
  • Dedicated exclusively to your team
  • Trained to Australian standards
  • Month-to-month, no lock-in

Talk to our founders

David Buff, co-founder Wei Shiek, co-founder
David Buff, IPA & Wei Shiek, CA, CTAQualified accountants based in Melbourne

We only use these details to arrange your call with David or Wei. Privacy policy

Thank you.

Your enquiry is with our founders.
Expect a call or email within one business day.

Companies we've worked with

PGP Consulting Karakinos & Co Core dna Global Citizen Mindset Health Bluestone Lane Avon Graphics Forever New Kingfield

"S&B Private has been such a strong partner to us over the past few years. They are our Australian finance function."

Simon Moss — Co-Founder/COO, Global Citizen

"S&B Private has provided us with reliable financial data and cashflow management, allowing us to focus on growing our business."

Sam Saltis — Founder/CEO, Core dna

"The relationship commenced in 2019 and is a true business partnership. The S&B Private team have been a driving force behind our new and improved business information tools and accounting processes."

Marc Lelli — GM, Datalink Technologies

Trained to a standard that matches a local hire

Our outsourced accounting services put a qualified accountant inside your team, employed and trained by us. Our offshore accounting services put a qualified accountant from our Colombo office inside your team, employed and trained by us. S&B Private was founded on the belief that talented accountants, regardless of their location, could be trained and developed to a standard comparable to or exceeding that of their Australian-based counterparts.

"Driven by our frustrations with the quality of accounting talent in Australia, we opened our own office in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2018."

David Buff & Wei Shiek · Co-founders, S&B Private
How it works
1

Brief us on the role

A discovery call with a founder about the work you need covered: compliance, bookkeeping, management accounts, or a mix. Together we define a full-time seat in your accounting firm or finance team.

2

Meet your accountant

Candidates are shortlisted by qualified accountants and vetted by the founders themselves. You choose who starts. If nobody's the right fit then nobody starts, and once someone does you're covered by the replacement guarantee.

3

They join your team

Your new full-time team member works in your systems (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks, NetSuite) and answers to you. We manage performance, development and continuity behind the scenes.

Client stories

Who we work with

Accounting practices and businesses that run their own finance team. Here's what that has looked like for four of them.

GQ Residences

Build-to-rent property, Melbourne

Receipting, payables, reconciliations and management reporting grew with every building that came online. A dedicated team member in Sri Lanka works inside GQ's Melbourne finance team, in Yardi. When she moved off the account, her replacement was trained through a structured handover, with no disruption to GQ's finance work.

"They're easy to work with, responsive, and that makes it feel much more seamless than managing a distant outsourced team."Keshini Miller, Senior Finance Manager, GQ Residences
Read the case study

Datalink Technologies

GPS tracking and radio, client since 2019

After their long-standing accountant left, a dedicated accountant moved Datalink from MYOB to Xero and set up direct debit for recurring revenue. The day-to-day is theirs too: receivables, payables and general bookkeeping.

Read the case study

Core dna

CMS and eCommerce software

When their accountant moved on, a full-time team member started with a review of Core dna's Xero setup and chart of accounts. They now handle receivables, payables, payroll and the KPI reporting the owners use.

Read the case study

Global Citizen

International not-for-profit, Australian operation

We moved them from QuickBooks Desktop to Xero. Their dedicated accountant keeps ATO and ACNC lodgements on time and prepares the month-end accounts and board reports the CEO and CFO take to board meetings.

Read the case study
What we take care of

You direct the work. We handle everything else.

Not a BPO

What you're comparing us against

Two operating models get sold as outsourcedoffshore accounting. The differences show up fast once someone is doing your work.

Pooled, task-based outsourcingS&B Private
Who does the workPooled teams shared across clientsProfessionals dedicated exclusively to your team
Who directs the workTheir team leader, to their processYou do. They sit in your team and follow your workflow
TrainingGeneric process trainingAustralian tax and compliance curriculum, built and run by qualified accountants
Systems & securityTheir portal, their workflowYour software and workflows, on secure IT managed by a Melbourne-based provider and aligned to the Essential 8
CommitmentLong lock-in contractsMonth to month, plus a replacement guarantee
Questions

What clients ask us first

Where is the team based, and who's accountable?
Your outsourced accountants areYour offshore accountants are based in Sri Lanka, 4.5–5.5 hours behind eastern Australia, so their day overlaps most of yours. Your team member sits in your team and takes direction from you day to day. Behind that, S&B employs and manages them. Our co-founders, David Buff (IPA) and Wei Shiek (CA, CTA), are both qualified accountants based in Melbourne, so the people you deal with understand the work.
How is our data kept secure?
Our IT is managed by a trusted provider based in Melbourne, with security aligned to the Essential 8 cyber threat mitigation strategies, including encryption, regular security audits and comprehensive backups. Your team member works inside that managed environment, in your systems.
What does it cost?
By partnering with S&B Private you avoid the overheads that come with an additional local team member: payroll costs, recruitment, technical training, onboarding, staff welfare and office space. Our founders will give you exact pricing for your situation on the call.
What if it's not working out?
Tell the founder you brief with, which is what that relationship is for. We manage performance, and our replacement guarantee means that if the fit isn't right we replace the role from our trained team. And we don't lock you into long-term contracts: a long contract quietly puts the burden of management back on you, and a provider who needs you tied in is usually one who's handing the managing back.

We've solved the accounting talent challenge
so you don't have to.

Book a call