I promise, you’re not the worst I’ve seen
“I’m a complete disaster”
“I’m so sorry my books are in this state”
“This must be the worst you’ve ever seen”
False
DO NOT APOLOGIZE
You are not even close, trust me
So many of my bookkeeping consults start out with some version of these statements. I hear it almost every time. But I have yet to find someone’s bookkeeping in such a state of disarray that it can’t be sorted out. And before you say “but you haven’t seen MINE” I can assure you that I’ve seen something like it and it’s never as bad as you think.
So please, take a deep breath and let’s dig into why you shouldn’t fear handing your books to me.
First, and by far the most important, I WILL NOT JUDGE YOU! I will not make fun of you. I will not ask you what you could possibly have been thinking. I will not question why on earth you are even in business if you can’t keep your books straight. You do not need to have an MBA to run your own business, I firmly believe this. What you need is to understand where your strengths lie and where you should outsource.
Ask me any question, even if you think it’s dumb. I assure you it’s not a dumb question and I will not make you feel dumb for asking. What I will do is explain it to you in simple terms, no accounting jargon necessary.
“I’m so sorry my books are in this state”
“This must be the worst you’ve ever seen”
False
DO NOT APOLOGIZE
You are not even close, trust me
So many of my bookkeeping consults start out with some version of these statements. I hear it almost every time. But I have yet to find someone’s bookkeeping in such a state of disarray that it can’t be sorted out. And before you say “but you haven’t seen MINE” I can assure you that I’ve seen something like it and it’s never as bad as you think.
So please, take a deep breath and let’s dig into why you shouldn’t fear handing your books to me.
First, and by far the most important, I WILL NOT JUDGE YOU! I will not make fun of you. I will not ask you what you could possibly have been thinking. I will not question why on earth you are even in business if you can’t keep your books straight. You do not need to have an MBA to run your own business, I firmly believe this. What you need is to understand where your strengths lie and where you should outsource.
Ask me any question, even if you think it’s dumb. I assure you it’s not a dumb question and I will not make you feel dumb for asking. What I will do is explain it to you in simple terms, no accounting jargon necessary.
I also will not judge you for the amount of money you’re making (or not making), or for how much you’re spending. It is my goal to not only get your books on track but to also help you make more money. So we will dig into what you’re making and spending, but it will be a judgment free zone. I’m here to help you track your money and point out where we might be able to make improvements (kindly of course, no “my accountant said I can’t buy that” here).
Your books are not the worst I’ve ever seen, I promise you. Don’t forget, I studied accounting for 5 years, I crushed the CPA exam, and I worked in corporate accounting for 11 years. I know this stuff, I know what’s supposed to be happening, I can absolutely sort it out. I totally get that you feel overwhelmed by your bookkeeping, especially when it seems like your software has a mind of its own (I swear, sometimes it does). But that’s when you hand it to a professional!
I actually LOVE digging into software, trying to figure out what is happening behind the scenes. Seriously, I am the queen of “let’s click it and track down what it does”. I will not stop until I figure out what happened and how to fix it…it’s an OBSESSION. All that to say, your books are not going to be the worst I’ve seen (which is a bummer, I love a good challenge!) so hand them on over!
Your books are not the worst I’ve ever seen, I promise you. Don’t forget, I studied accounting for 5 years, I crushed the CPA exam, and I worked in corporate accounting for 11 years. I know this stuff, I know what’s supposed to be happening, I can absolutely sort it out. I totally get that you feel overwhelmed by your bookkeeping, especially when it seems like your software has a mind of its own (I swear, sometimes it does). But that’s when you hand it to a professional!
I actually LOVE digging into software, trying to figure out what is happening behind the scenes. Seriously, I am the queen of “let’s click it and track down what it does”. I will not stop until I figure out what happened and how to fix it…it’s an OBSESSION. All that to say, your books are not going to be the worst I’ve seen (which is a bummer, I love a good challenge!) so hand them on over!
One last thing I want to say…if you’re working with someone (tax professional, accountant, or anyone else really) and they make you feel like crap about your business then please FIRE them! You don’t need to deal with that. I had a client a few years ago who filed a tax extension only because she didn’t want to deal with her tax pro asking her about why she wasn’t making money (her books were done MONTHS before this since we were working together). You guys, I was seeing RED when she told me this! How infuriating! In the end I was able to explain why he was asking the questions he was asking, but without the judgment and shame, and she left our call in much better spirits.
If you leave with nothing else from this, leave with the permission to only work with money folks who don’t make you feel like crap and are willing to explain everything in simple terms.
I promise your books are not the worst I’ve seen…yes, I am talking to you.
If you leave with nothing else from this, leave with the permission to only work with money folks who don’t make you feel like crap and are willing to explain everything in simple terms.
I promise your books are not the worst I’ve seen…yes, I am talking to you.
