Simple bookkeeping with personal support.

Unfortunately, no. There are three reasons: 1) I’m not set up to work with multiple currencies. 2) Non-US banks typically don’t have the bookkeeping features I need. 3) I’m not familiar with reporting requirements in other countries.

Unfortunately, no. Businesses oriented toward physical product sales require a different type and complexity of bookkeeping. Let’s Do the Books’ ideal client is a coach who offers one-on-one coaching along with other simple offerings (maybe a course or a group coaching program — that kind of thing).

You’ll pay $1 at registration so I have your information in my billing system. Once I review your intake form and confirm you’re a fit for the service, you’ll pay a one-time $300 fee that covers all the support I give during the onboarding process as well as up to 12 months of “catch-up” bookkeeping. (Ask me how you can get up to half your onboarding fee waived.)

Your first ongoing charge will be on the 10th of the month after you join the service. I’ll calculate your previous month’s revenue and then charge the card on file 3% of that amount. Play with the Flexible Pricing Calculator (above) to make this crystal clear.

Yes. If you’re a coach with a simple set of business bank accounts and up to a few hundred transactions per month, with a few contractors supporting you…you’re the person I’ve built this business around. I’m excited to support you.

If you’re running a business with thousands of transactions, a dozen bank accounts and payment processors, a growing group of employees and contractors, and lots of different offerings…I’m happy to refer you to a trusted colleague. If you’re not sure whether you’re a fit, fill out the intake form on the sign-up page and I’ll let you know.

Yes, although it won’t be Quickbooks or Xero, both of which are overkill (and overpriced) for my ideal client. I use a fantastic tool called YNAB to manage my clients’ bookkeeping. It’s inexpensive (about $100 per year) and just right for your business (and mine).

Nope. I’ll set up your account for you and then run things month to month. (Note: you’ll pay around $100 per year for YNAB–not to me–directly to them).

No, but it is a top priority in the onboarding process. I completely understand what it’s like to have all your business transactions spread across a bunch of personal bank accounts and credit cards (I’ve been there), but as soon as possible my clients need to have business banking set up and all transactions happening in those accounts. This is the foundation of a successful bookkeeping relationship.

I don’t comment on the “deductibility” of any expense. I defer to your tax professional as the final authority on whether an expense “counts.” My job is to help you track everything so you and your tax pro can make easy adjustments based on your specific tax strategy. 

My rule of thumb is: use a business bank account (or credit card) for any purchase you’re making with the intent to grow and support your business. 

If your tax pro ends up saying certain expenses don’t “count,” I’ll adjust your business financials accordingly. No big deal.

I’ve categorized hundreds of thousands of transactions for coaches, so I find it pretty easy to categorize your expenses and income. But I also confirm my work with you each month in one short email exchange. That way you (and I) know everything is as close to perfect as possible.

In the early part of January I’ll complete your bookkeeping for the year, package up your reports and send them to you. You’ll forward them to your tax professional. If they have any questions, you can connect them with me. Smooth.

Yes, I’ll be using YNAB to maintain your business financials going forward. But, no, you won’t need to migrate your data over. As long as your previous accounting software offers a data export (and all of them do), you can export and safely store/archive your historical data in the event you need to refer to it later.

I’ll package up your data in a simple spreadsheet, which will make it easy for your new bookkeeper to import it into Quickbooks, Xero, and many other accounting tools. Or you can simply store your data and make a clean start with your new bookkeeper in the platform of their choosing.

(Of course I hope you’ll stay. My longest-running client started working with me over a decade ago. I’m proud of that.)

Yes. Although most accounts are used to Quickbooks, the reports I provide will do the job. (At least they have for the last 10+ years.) If your accountant wants to make small adjustments to how I present the information, I’m happy to do it. This has rarely been necessary.

Check out this happy message I got from a client:

“Just met with my CPA to go over some tax things. He said he had no critique at all with how my financials were sent to him for taxes this year. He also said $200 pers month is a steal for this quality of work.” – Jennie L

I run my monthly bookkeeping support in small “sprints”. All transaction imports, report generation and most email support happen in the first 5-7 business days of month. In the time between these “sprints”, support is “quiet” (but not “silent”). You’re welcome to send messages anytime. If your need is urgent, I’ll get back to you right away. If it’s not urgent, we may catch up during the next sprint. 

As I write this, the month is two-thirds over and I’ve had just two client requests since the sprint ended. I’m always happy to hear from you, but thanks to our smooth monthly workflow, you won’t have many reasons to email me.

If you’re still not sure I’m a fit, click here to go to the home page and sign up for the multi-part “getting to know Let’s Do the Books” email series. If you’re confident this is the right service for you, you can go to the sign-up page, fill out the intake form, and expect to hear back from me.