The Real Thiel

What The Real Thiel does

The Real Thiel is an Australian sole proprietorship accounting practice founded in 2016 by Lauren Thiel, a chartered accountant and registered tax agent operating out of Adelaide. The firm delivers tax preparation, BAS/IAS lodgements, ongoing bookkeeping, and business coaching services targeted exclusively at creative-industry small business owners — photographers, performers, designers, writers, and artists — across Australia. Lauren Thiel is registered with the Tax Practitioners Board under registrations 26037293 and 26066466, and the practice operates under an approved Professional Standards Legislation scheme.

The product portfolio combines professional services with digital education. Core service lines include Tax & Accounting and Business Coaching (Xero setup, training, and personalized budgeting). The Knowledge Bank functions as a digital resource hub hosting workshops, templates, infographics, and e-books, while Real Money Talks is a monthly workshop series covering superannuation, budgeting, and tax-saving topics tailored to creative professionals. Underlying technology is assembled entirely from third-party SaaS: Kajabi powers the website, course hosting, and member area; Xero is the recommended client accounting and payroll platform and is also used for client training; Stripe handles payment processing; and Zapier is recommended to clients for workflow automation.

Revenue derives from two streams: (1) quote-based professional services for tax, accounting, and coaching engagements, and (2) unit-priced digital products, with Real Money Talks sessions sold at A$18 each and downloadable templates and e-books offered à la carte. The go-to-market motion is sales-led with a heavy content-marketing layer — an educational blog covering tax deductions, superannuation changes, and sole trader-to-Pty Ltd transitions serves as the primary top-of-funnel acquisition channel, supplemented by an email newsletter, Instagram (~500 followers), and a Facebook client community offering discount codes. The business is fully bootstrapped with no external funding, ownership is concentrated in the founder, and total headcount is 1–10 including remote administrative support.

Name

The Real Thiel

Legal name

Lauren Paige Thiel

Website

https://therealthiel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Real Thiel is an Adelaide-based sole proprietorship founded by chartered accountant Lauren Thiel that provides tax, accounting, business coaching, and digital education services exclusively to creative small business owners across Australia, operating through a Kajabi-hosted platform and Xero-enabled client engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Accounting and Tax Services

akta.pro primary industry

Small Business & Self-Employment Personal Finance (Income, Expenses, Cash Reserves) (EDAAAJAL)

Keywords

• Small business accounting
• Creative industry taxation
• Business coaching services
• Registered tax agent
• Financial education workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Adelaide

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Tax & Accounting Services: Professional accounting and tax services provided to creative small business clients including tax returns, BAS, business coaching, and Xero setup/training.
2. Digital Products & Courses: Online workshop series (Real Money Talks) sold for $18 AUD per session; e-books and downloadable templates available through the store.
3. Knowledge Bank Membership: Members area with vlogs, presentations and education services. Products must be paid upfront using valid credit card (Visa or MasterCard accepted).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Real Thiel is a chartered-accountant-led practice providing tax and accounting services, business coaching (including Xero setup and training), and an online Knowledge Bank of workshops, templates, and educational content. Its core focus is serving creative small business owners across Australia, combining compliance work with financial education and strategy support.

Product overview

The Real Thiel is an accounting firm specializing in tax and accounting services for creative small business owners. The firm offers a three-pronged service model: Tax & Accounting services (core offering), Business Coaching (Xero setup and training, strategy, budgeting), and a Knowledge Bank (online workshops, templates, and educational resources). Their Real Money Talks branded workshop series is delivered monthly via Kajabi, with topics including superannuation, tax savings, and budgeting. Products are offered as individual courses (Super September, How To Save For Tax, Budgeting series) and free resources (Bills & Expenses Tracking PDF, e-book).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tax & Accounting Services Tax and accounting services provided to creative small business owners, including tax preparation, BAS/IAS lodgements, and ongoing accounting support tailored to the arts and creative industries.
• Business Coaching
• Knowledge Bank
• Real Money Talks
• Bills & Expenses Tracking PDF

Quantifiable outcome

• Complete transformation of photography business financial management

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• XerocoreTechnology or IntegrationXero is the recommended accounting software for clients. The Real Thiel provides Xero setup and training services as part of their business coaching offerings. The firm helps clients configure and use Xero for bookkeeping and payroll.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe is used as the payment gateway for processing credit card and debit card payments (Visa and MasterCard) for digital products and services on the Kajabi platform.
• KajabicoreTechnology or IntegrationKajabi is the platform used for hosting the website, online courses, member areas, and digital product delivery including the Real Money Talks video series and Knowledge Bank membership content.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Bench: Tech-enabled bookkeeping service for small businesses in North America, pairing clients with a dedicated bookkeeper supported by software. Directly comparable to The Real Thiel's combination of dedicated human bookkeeping/tax services with digital tools for SMBs, though larger and broader in target market.
• Huckleberry: Online bookkeeping and accounting service for SMBs combining dedicated bookkeepers with a software platform. Comparable in business model (human bookkeepers + technology) and target customer (owner-operated small businesses), though broader in vertical focus than the creative-industry niche.
• Bean Ninjas: Australian cloud bookkeeping firm specializing in Xero-based services for online businesses and content creators. Most directly comparable peer given shared geography (Australia), shared Xero stack, and overlapping client base of online/creative SMBs.
• Found: Banking, bookkeeping, and tax services tailored for self-employed individuals and small businesses, with a self-serve app plus accountant support. Directly comparable to The Real Thiel in serving owner-operated creative/freelance businesses with integrated banking, tax, and bookkeeping.
• Pilot: Specialized accounting and bookkeeping for startups, e-commerce, and creative/services SMBs, combining human accountants with software. Directly comparable to The Real Thiel in the SMB-focused accounting-plus-advisory model, though serving venture-backed and high-growth clients.

Broad incumbents

• 1-800Accountant: Large US-based virtual accounting and tax advisory firm serving SMBs across many verticals. Comparable in delivering accounting, tax, and advisory services to small businesses but operates at much larger scale and serves a broader, non-vertical-specific client base.

Emerging players

• Botkeeper: AI-augmented bookkeeping service combining machine learning with human accountants for SMBs. Comparable as a small-business bookkeeping/tax service model, with technology-enabled efficiency competing for the same low-end SMB compliance work that The Real Thiel also performs.

Regional players

• BlueRock: Melbourne-based Australian accounting, tax, and advisory firm serving SMBs, professionals, and creatives. Comparable as an Australian accounting firm targeting creative/small business clients, though larger in scale and broader in service offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheRealThiel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-real-thiel

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Real Thiel