The client

Jo-Anne Mac Millan is the founder and Managing Director of Hummingbird Mentoring, a consultancy that supports coaches and consultants in building and running their businesses online, helping them turn big ideas into an easily managed online business through courses, memberships and certificate programmes.

Jo-Anne is an experienced coach and mentor, confident and capable outside of finance, but with a long-standing discomfort around numbers.

The situation before Sakura

From the outside, the business was doing well: clients served, work delivered to a high standard, and a founder deeply committed to building something sustainable. Behind that, though, finance was a persistent source of stress. Early experiences with accounting had left Jo-Anne feeling anxious and quietly embarrassed about not "getting it" the way she felt she should. Balance sheets, VAT and financial reports didn't bring clarity, they brought tension.

Previous experiences with accountants had reinforced the idea that finance was something to endure rather than use. As the business grew, that discomfort became more of a problem: financial conversations were avoided where possible, and decisions were made with limited confidence, not from a lack of ability, but because the numbers felt like a black hole. On top of that, Jo-Anne was navigating a period of personal and professional transition, so even the idea of changing accountant felt like one more thing to carry.

What happened

The introduction to Sakura came through a business network rather than a sales process. What stood out early wasn't technical detail or credentials, it was tone: the first conversation felt human, calm and unhurried. Rather than opening with systems, reports or compliance obligations, the focus was on understanding Jo-Anne, her concerns, and the role finance could realistically play in supporting her rather than overwhelming her.

Sakura's light-hearted line about helping business owners "love their accountant" sounded playful at first. In practice, it reflected something more meaningful: a commitment to removing fear, judgement and unnecessary complexity from how business owners experience their finances.

What changed after working with Sakura

From the outset, onboarding felt noticeably different, clearer, more supportive, more respectful of what Jo-Anne already knew. Rather than assuming knowledge or rushing to implement software and talk at her, the Sakura team worked alongside her.

Over the following months, finance stopped being a technical subject to keep up with and became a practical way of understanding what was actually happening inside the business. Concepts were explained in plain English, at a manageable pace, with room to ask questions and revisit topics without embarrassment. For the first time, Jo-Anne could engage with her numbers without feeling exposed.

As that understanding grew, her relationship with finance changed with it. Reports could be opened. Conversations could be held. Questions could be asked. With consistent bookkeeping, clearer structure and better visibility, decisions stopped relying purely on instinct, Jo-Anne could see where the business stood, how it got there, and what options were available going forward.

Perhaps the biggest shift was internal: Jo-Anne no longer describes herself as "bad with money." The financials became less about personal deficiency and more about having the right structure, for the first time, a financial backbone underneath the business.

Why this matters for other SME owners

Jo-Anne's experience isn't unusual. Plenty of capable, intelligent business owners feel fearful or uncomfortable around finance when they really don't need to. They have their own superpowers, in law, in plumbing, in marketing, in mentoring, just not necessarily in accountancy. Sakura's role isn't simply to "do the accounts", it's to change how business owners experience finance altogether, so it becomes the backbone of the business, a tool for good decisions, and something that frees them up to focus on the parts of the business only they can do.

Frequently asked questions

Why do so many small business owners feel anxious about their financials?

It's rarely about intelligence or capability. It usually comes down to unfamiliarity, past experiences where finance felt judgemental or overly technical, and a lack of plain-English explanation. Once numbers are explained in context, rather than assumed as prior knowledge, that anxiety tends to ease quickly.

What does day-to-day bookkeeping and accountancy support actually look like?

In practice, it's consistent bookkeeping, clear reporting you can actually read, and someone available to explain what the numbers mean for your decisions, not just file returns on time.

Can an accountant really change how you feel about your numbers, not just do the accounts?

Yes, when the relationship is built around explanation rather than assumption. Once a business owner understands their own numbers, the anxiety around them tends to be replaced by a sense of control.

Take the next step

Are you in a similar position, or have the sense that your financials could be doing more to help you run your business, rather than holding you back? Book a call with Sakura.