About
Ruth Felmingham started her career in the business world straight out of high school, initially working in a small office at a powder coating factory. This experience allowed her to develop a wide range of essential skills, including reception, invoicing, payroll, tax management, manual bookkeeping, and staff recruitment. Attending night school, Ruth completed a diploma in Accounting & Business Studies while gaining hands-on experience in all aspects of running a business office.
Her next position, working as a personal assistant and office manager for a construction company, expanded her knowledge even further. Ruth managed complex bookkeeping tasks unique to the construction industry, such as redundancy payments, subcontractor reconciliations, and project costing, while also overseeing the directors’ various personal ventures. During this time, she was asked by small contractors and business associates to manage their books on the side—this is how Figureworks Bookkeeping was born.
As Figureworks grew, Ruth balanced raising her two children with contracting work for a family-run heating and cooling business, where she learned advanced accounting software and inventory control. Her contracting experience continued with an accounting firm, where she gained deep insights into tax return preparation and financial reporting. This also opened her eyes to the common mistakes businesses made with bookkeeping, often leading to high accounting fees due to disorganised records.
In 2000, Ruth fully dedicated herself to running Figureworks Bookkeeping, specialising in educating clients on best bookkeeping practices. Over the years, Ruth has built Figureworks into a thriving family business, with her children, Chloe and Cody, joining the team. Together, they provide expert bookkeeping services to clients across Australia and internationally.
Today, Figureworks Bookkeeping is renowned for its expertise in Xero, having been one of the early adopters of the software. Ruth and her team specialise in streamlining financial processes, ensuring clients’ books are clean, organised, and ready for their accountants—saving time and reducing accounting fees.