How We Got Here
Five years ago, we noticed people struggling with the same budget every month. Summer brought cooling costs, winter meant heating bills, holidays created spending spikes. Yet most financial advice treated every month like January.
The Founding Question
Rodrick Flemming and I were comparing notes over coffee about why our personal budgets kept failing. We'd stick to plans for two months, then summer hit and everything fell apart. That's when it clicked — we were using static systems for dynamic situations.
First Workshop Series
We ran three pilot workshops in Mackay, teaching seasonal budget frameworks to twenty-six locals. The feedback wasn't just positive — it was specific. People finally had tools that matched their actual spending patterns, not some theoretical average.
Digital Expansion
Lockdowns pushed us online faster than planned. Turned out remote learning worked better for busy schedules anyway. We refined our approach based on hundreds of participant questions and real budget scenarios from across Queensland.
Recognition and Growth
Word spread through financial advisor networks. Our seasonal adjustment methods started appearing in regional banking conversations. We expanded our program offerings while staying focused on practical, applicable learning that fits real households.
Where We Stand Now
Today we're preparing autumn 2025 programs focused on emerging financial patterns from shifting economic conditions. We're still based in Mackay, still focused on seasonal realities, and still learning from every person who takes our courses.
What We Actually Teach
Our programs focus on building adaptable financial skills rather than following rigid formulas that break down when circumstances shift.
Expense Pattern Recognition
Learn to identify spending cycles in your own life. Most people have three to five major seasonal expense categories they've never consciously tracked. We help you spot them and plan accordingly.
Buffer Zone Planning
Traditional emergency funds sit unused most of the year. We teach strategic buffer placement for predictable seasonal spikes — money that works during high-expense months instead of gathering dust.
Income Fluctuation Management
Whether you're in tourism, agriculture, or retail, seasonal income variation is real. Our methods help smooth out the peaks and valleys so you're not scrambling in slow months.
The People Behind tavolsilvaiqelo
We're not financial celebrities or theory-focused academics. Just two people who got tired of budgets that didn't match reality and decided to do something about it.
Rodrick Flemming
Co-Founder & Program Director
Spent twelve years in regional banking before realizing most financial education missed the seasonal point entirely. Now designs curriculum that accounts for Queensland's actual living patterns. Still drinks too much coffee and still believes spreadsheets can be interesting.
Cassian Thorpe
Co-Founder & Lead Instructor
Former small business owner who learned seasonal budgeting the hard way through three years of tourism industry ups and downs. Brings practical experience from actually living the financial cycles we teach. Known for turning complex concepts into straightforward action steps.
Our Teaching Philosophy
We believe financial education should prepare people for actual conditions, not ideal scenarios. That means acknowledging complexity while keeping methods simple enough to use consistently.
Reality-Based Learning
Every example comes from real participant situations. We don't do hypothetical case studies or perfectly balanced sample budgets that no one actually lives with.
Adaptation Over Perfection
Your budget will never be perfect, and that's fine. We focus on building adjustment skills so you can respond to changes rather than abandoning your plan when life shifts.
Long-Term Perspective
Seasonal budgeting takes at least a full year to implement properly. Our programs reflect that timeline. Quick fixes don't work because financial patterns emerge slowly.
Looking Ahead to 2026
We're developing new modules around climate-adapted budgeting and evolving work patterns. Economic conditions keep shifting, which means our methods need to evolve too. Our autumn 2025 pilot program launches in September, with full rollout planned for early 2026.
Get in Touch