Choosing the Right Bookkeeping Software

Being a bookkeeper is hard work, and each day is filled with a lot of decisions. As an employee, you have to decide: How to record transactions When to file returns How to present the latest numbers And on, and on As a freelancer or business owner, you have even more decisions to make. What […]

Moving to a 4 Day Work Week

Some of you may be thinking that I have drastically misunderstood the Tim Ferriss book. Yes, I know his book was about a 4-Hour Workweek. But even Tim will remind everyone that it wasn’t really about aiming for 4 hours. Anyway, I digress. If you browse through the blog here, you’ll find a huge gap […]

Hiring a Bookkeeper: When is a Contractor Cheaper Than An Employee?

Many of us are working for ourselves and doing all of the work. As Michael Gerber says in the book The E-Myth Revisited until we hire people to do some of that work, we don’t own a business; we own a job. Personally, I’m fine if Michael tells me I own a job, as I […]

3 Benefits to Bookkeeper Certification

Almost six years ago, I wrote about bookkeepers getting certified. I gave it another read, and mostly agree with what I said before. My thoughts were more focused on whether I should be a “certified bookkeeper” of some type. To quickly recap, being a bookkeeper in Canada doesn’t require a specific degree or certification. I […]

How To Create A Budget For Your Bookkeeping Clients

I’ve spoken before about the tasks that small business owners associate with bookkeepers. These tasks include things like: Bank reconciliations Payroll Simple financial statements As bookkeepers, we can do a lot more to help our clients. In some cases, the business owner just isn’t interested in anything beyond the basics. They see bookkeeping as a […]

Meetings for Introverts: Part Three

If you’re just joining us, I’m in the middle of a series about meetings for the introverted and/or socially anxious among us. To recap, I’m trying to solve three concerns you may have before joining a meeting. I’m going to run into some technical issues that will be embarrassing. I’ll get asked a question that […]

Meetings for Introverts: Part Two

Hands up if you have to take a break after each meeting. I don’t mean run and get another coffee before the next one starts. I mean, go outside or stare into the corner of your office for 10 minutes to rid yourself of the stress. Just me? If you read the last post, you’ll […]

Meetings For Introverts: Part One

Many of us are getting asked to join more remote meetings. Gone are the days when the bookkeeper was tucked away in a back corner of the office, rarely to be seen. Even if the volume hasn’t changed, you might be struggling with running them from your home office. For some of us, meetings and […]

2 Ways to Grow Your Bookkeeping Business

There are 2 basic directions to grow your business. Ok, a third if you count “straight into the ground.” The first two are good options, but one is likely a better fit for you and your business. Which option have you chosen?

What Is A Bookkeeper, and Why Does It Matter?

No, I’m not going to start with Webster’s definition. It isn’t that kind of post. I’ve been a bookkeeper for a long time. Before that, people have been calling themselves bookkeepers for generations. What I’m trying to say is this isn’t a new profession. It should be reasonably easy to describe. However, that hasn’t been […]