Hey Reader, It's been a long week over here! My younger daughter tested positive for influenza A on Sunday, so we've spent every day since trying to keep the medically complex kid healthy (so far so good! Fingers crossed!). On top of that, I've been slammed with issuing 1099s for my bookkeeping clients & hunting down missing W9s. Side note: if you're a small business owner working with contractors or service providers, ask for a W9 before you issue the first payment. Their wanting to get paid...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, Now that you've had a chance to breathe in the new year... are you ready to think about making 2025 a better money year? I know there are a lot of factors out of our control that make a "great money year" seem unlikely, so I'm just asking you to do your best. I'm very much not a New Year's Resolution person anymore. I used to be, but never living up to my resolutions got discouraging. Now, I find a word to focus on for my personal & business lives and try to incorporate it into...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, We're almost done with 2024, so I thought it would be fun to jump on the "year-end wrap-up" bandwagon and share my most popular things and recommendations! ⭐ 2024 in Numbers ⭐ January 1 subscribers: 656 vs. December 27 subscribers: 1,020 (thanks to bundle participation!) January monthly bookkeeping clients: 32 vs. December monthly bookkeeping clients: 40 2023 VIP Bookkeeping Weeks completed: 0 vs. 2023 VIP Bookkeeping Weeks completed: 5 (I'm so in love with this new bookkeeping...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, When I'm working, I need some background noise so you can usually find me streaming something while I'm on my laptop. Lately, I've been binging Modern Family, but I'm almost, unfortunately, finished with that series. Watching a long-running show in such a short time really makes it obvious how quickly time flies. In fact, 2025 is just around the corner. Seriously. I've having a hard time believing it, but the calendar has confirmed. So I'm wondering... is your business ready for...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, I'm sitting in my eerily quiet house, writing to you. Both of my kids are at school, my husband took both dogs out of town, and the cat is in hiding. I've worked from home for over 10 years & it's been months since I've been so alone. It's kinda creepy honestly. Thanks for letting me be in your inbox, btw. I love writing to you and hope over time, I can really get to know you and your business journey better. And speaking of journey…I want to share some of the reasons that I've...
6 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, It’s officially spooky season in my part of the world, and that means retail stores are skipping Halloween in favor of getting Christmas decor out. Personally, I'm stepping back to really enjoy this season with my girls. My 9-year-old has strong feelings about her costume (a mermaid) for the first time & is using her AAC device to communicate them (proud mom moment!), while my 5-year-old is ALL IN on pumpkins, ghosts & witches. Each evening between dinner & bedtime, she's spent...
6 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, Are you sick of me talking about bookkeeping yet? If you are, I assume you either (1) have an amazing bookkeeper onboard already or (2) are pushing down at least one excuse for not having bookkeeping help. Curious about the top excuses I see for business owners not engaging a bookkeeper? Them: I'm not comfortable handing over financial control Me: That's cool, I wouldn't be either. When you hire a bookkeeper, you're not giving up control; you're adding a trained professional to...
7 months ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, You know I'm a virtual bookkeeper, right? Well, when I onboard new bookkeeping clients, they're either really confident about their books & looking for extra support or time-savings, or they're convinced they've messed everything up & they're desperate for help. Usually, the "mess" isn't really that bad and I can fix things up easily... but it's normal to feel anxious or hesitant about seeking help with bookkeeping. Business owners... fear handing over any amount of financial...
7 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, You've heard the quote "the customer is always right," right? (Yes, I know the whole quote is "the customer is always right in matters of taste" but no one actually says that) Sometimes the customer actually is right, sometimes they're wrong but you (the business owner) need to humor them, and sometimes they're wrong and you hold the line. And... sometimes you compromise and everyone wins. In addition to Balanced FI & my virtual bookkeeping firm, my husband and I rent our travel...
8 months ago • 2 min read