Kayleigh Graham is the Head of Partnerships & Growth at Telleroo, which helps you automate bulk payments without using bank services.
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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
Sure! I began my career at NatWest, starting as a commercial banking apprentice at just 17 and leaving a few years later having worked with a wide variety of businesses from local dairy farmers to the top 20 housing associations across the country.
During my time there I had the opportunity to work for one of the NatWest subsidiaries and it was there I gained a real appreciation for the start up/fintech world. Since then I’ve been working with accountants to help them introduce new service lines to their business and ultimately provide more services to SMEs across the UK.
I now head up Partnerships & Growth for Telleroo. We automate supplier and payroll payments for accountants, bookkeepers, VCFOs and their clients through our bulk payments hub. Meaning no more bank mandates, no more keying in payment data and no more spending hours on accounts payable every month.
2) What does a day in your life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
Telleroo is completely remote and so honestly, each day is different! I love the flexibility that remote working has – some days I’m up early, head to the gym and then come home to get on with the day. Other days I have a lay in, start the day slowly with a cup of tea and read a book, it really just depends how I feel.
I use calendly to manage appointments/meetings and so on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the bulk of my work day is typically spent in meetings. These could be with accountants, discussing our offering, roadmap and getting feedback, or with other service providers discussing potential partnerships and the value we can bring to our respective audiences.
Monday and Friday are typically then spent following up with people, in a state of ‘deep work’ creating content, or meeting with the team internally to discuss things.
3) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
For me it’s about making sure that I listen to my mind and body and create a schedule around that. Some days I need to work late to make sure that I can have an easier time the following day, sometimes it’s finishing early to get out for a walk before it’s dark.
Over time I’ve gotten to know myself better and I know when I have high energy and when I don’t so now I work with those things instead of against them – there’s no point in me having a meeting to pitch a new partnership at 4.30 on a Friday!
4) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?
I’ve gotten back into the gym and that’s been fantastic. Previously it’s always been about how I look, this time it’s been about how my mind and body feels and I’ve never been more motivated, it’s crazy!
I’m also reading lots of fiction again – for a long time I was only reading business/self help books and I’d forgotten how much I love fiction books and how much they spark my imagination and creativity.
Also – take your vitamins!
5) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?
Brene Brown – Daring Greatly is an incredible book and I highly recommend her podcast too!
I also love the TED business podcast for short, sharp insights on a whole plethora of topics.
Digi-tools in the accrual world is my go to for an accounting industry specific podcast though.
6) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?
Lucy Cohen, founder of Mazuma Accountants or Heather Elkington, Director of Operations at Go Proposal by Sage.
7) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
Don’t get too caught up in trying to achieve the perfect balance. Some days you’ll get it just right, others you’ll work too much, other days you’ll rest too much. Take the long term view and think about where and how you want to spend your time overall – then plan from there!
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