Getting Started

  • Usually within a few days. To get started, schedule a free consultation by picking a time on my calendar, or send me an email and I’ll reply within two business days.

  • For the free consultation, just bring yourself and some basic information: what made you reach out, what state your books are in, what services you’re interested in, and any specific questions. It also helps to have an idea of what information you’d like your books to give you, but you don’t need a final answer, and we can figure it out together on the call. If you’re a new business, I just need to know where you are: still an idea, or launching this month? If you’re established, a general idea of your customer count and monthly transactions helps.

  • It’s a conversation of about 30 minutes, by Zoom or phone- whichever you prefer. You’ll tell me what made you reach out: a new business, taxes coming due, a letter from the IRS, or an accountant you’re not happy with. We’ll talk about what you want from your accounting: not just the services you need, but also what information you need your books to give you as a business owner. I’ll learn about your business’s particular concerns, and I’ll tell you about my background and what I can offer.

    Afterward I’ll email you a new client intake form. If you’d like to move forward, you can fill it out and I’ll respond with a quote. If not, that’s it: you won’t be added to any mailing list, hounded with phone calls, or pressured in any way.

  • Once you accept my quote and sign the engagement letter, we’ll meet for a longer conversation to build a plan. I want to understand how your business runs and how we can make your accounting useful to you. We’ll decide what I need from you to get started, what I need each month, how you prefer to send it, and which deliverables you want.

    From there, it depends on where you are. If you’re starting a new business, we’ll book an in-person or Zoom meeting to go over all the decisions you need help making. If your business is established, I can contact your previous accountant to arrange the handoff of your books. By the end, you’ll know exactly what I need from you, what you’ll get from me, and when. The goal is a setup that’s easy for you from the very first month.

  • A few things. First, I handle both your bookkeeping and your tax returns, so your numbers never get passed between people and nothing gets lost along the way. Second, I build your books to be useful, not just accurate, so you can see how your business is really doing and make decisions with real information. Third, you work with me directly: one person who knows your business, not a rotating team. I do all of the work myself, and I never outsource it, so your sensitive financial information stays with me. And behind all of it are 20 years of experience in accounting and tax.

Services

  • Owner-managed businesses are my specialty, and my favorite kind of client. Retail, service, construction, or anything in between. I work with sole proprietors, LLCs, partnerships, and S corporations. My clients range from startups that haven’t made their first sale to established companies with a team, multiple revenue streams, and over $1 million in revenue. What they share is an owner who’s closely involved in the business, and I love working directly with that owner to make their entrepreneurial dream a reality. I focus on businesses operating in a single state, which lets me give each client my full attention and know your business inside and out.

  • Whatever works best for you! I’m available by email, phone, text, or Zoom, and local clients can meet with me in person as needed. Some clients prefer to mail their documents, while others prefer my Secure Upload web portal. I can’t work in your office on a regular basis, but we can schedule a time for me to come see how your business runs. Bookkeeping is easiest to stay on top of when it’s painless, so we’ll work together to find the most convenient method.

  • Most catch-up projects go back to January 1 of the tax year we’re preparing for. Need to go further back? Let’s talk. I can often help with years of backlog, including overdue tax returns, and it comes down to what records exist: bank statements, credit card statements, and transaction history. Not sure what you have? Your bank can usually supply old statements, and we’ll sort out the rest together.

  • Every month, you get:

    • All of your accounts reconciled

    • Monthly financial statements: a profit and loss and a balance sheet

    • A summary of anything I noticed during the month, such as higher-than-usual spending in one area or customer invoices that are well overdue

    Depending on what your business needs, we can also add sales tax filings, payroll reports, A/R and A/P reports, or cash flow reports. We’ll decide together what’s worth having.

    And you can reach out with questions any time. I don’t bill by the hour for every email, because good books depend on you feeling free to ask.

  • However works best for you. I prepare personal and business tax returns, and I also help you plan during the year, including quarterly estimated payments, so tax time has fewer surprises. If your books are already in good shape, I can just prepare your return. If you have a tax preparer you like, I can get your books in order and hand them off, ready to file. Or I can do both: keep your books and prepare your return, so everything is in one place.

  • For my bookkeeping clients, yes, when the payroll is simple: an S-corp owner paying themselves, or a small number of salaried employees with standard paychecks. More complex payroll, like dozens of employees with different hourly rates, overtime, a mix of salaried and hourly staff, and benefits, is usually best handled by a company that does nothing but payroll. If that sounds like you, I know several good payroll companies and can point you to the right fit for your business.

  • Yes. Ongoing bookkeeping clients are billed monthly or quarterly, with no long-term commitment. You can cancel or change your level of service at any time, with no obligation. Everything you’ve already paid for is yours to keep, including your financial statements and tax returns.