Every business seems to have one. The keeper of the financial keys. The person who knows the systems, the passwords, the filing logic and how the numbers actually come together behind the scenes. Good bookkeepers often work quietly in the background, keeping everything running smoothly. Over time they become the holder of knowledge that sits nowhere else, the one person who knows exactly where everything is. Know this feeling?
When everything sits with one person
Like the ring in Lord of the Rings, those financial keys can start to feel a bit like “my precious.” The logins, the reconciliations, the reporting process, the small habits and workarounds that make everything flow. When everything sits with one person it works beautifully day to day. But if that person suddenly needs to step away, even temporarily, the business can find itself staring at the Doors of Moria.
The finance team approach
That’s why more businesses are thinking differently about how they structure their finance function. Rather than relying on a single key holder, they build a key ring — a small, trusted team who understand the systems, the reporting and the rhythm of the business. Knowledge is shared, continuity is built in, and if one person is unavailable the work simply continues, and everyone gets a holiday!
We often work alongside internal accounts people in exactly this way. Sometimes we handle specific pieces of the finance function, sometimes we simply become part of the wider team who understands the business. Either way, the goal is simple: making sure the financial keys aren’t held by just one person, but by a team that keeps everything moving smoothly. It’s like a key, except around here, we like to call it a hub!
How it works
Read more about how the finance team approach works here: