By Addison Parker – Partner at Fortis Accounting Solutions
Jordan Miller owns a growing marketing agency in the Seattle area. When she started the business, she kept things simple with a spreadsheet. For the first year and a half it was fine. But once she hired her first two employees, revenue picked up quickly, and the system began falling apart.
Jordan went through her fair share of trial and error trying to fix it. She first doubled down on spreadsheets, adding more columns and tabs. That quickly became overwhelming and error-prone.
Next, she signed up for a popular online accounting tool on her own. She spent a weekend trying to set it up but soon realized she had categories mixed up and transactions all over the place. It ended up creating more work than it saved.
She then tried working with a freelance bookkeeper she found online. While they knew the software, they lacked a fundamental understanding of her specific industry and the nuances of U.S. business culture. Additionally, the time zone differences made communication difficult; not to mention the challenge of finding a freelancer abroad who was familiar with Washington’s specific B&O tax and local licensing requirements.
After these experiences, Jordan decided to get professional help to build a proper system from the ground up. Working together with our team at Fortis Accounting Solutions, she learned what actually makes a bookkeeping system sustainable for a busy owner.
The process started with choosing the right software. After reviewing her needs, they compared QuickBooks Online and Xero. They ultimately went with QuickBooks because of its strong invoicing tools and easy bank connections that matched her workflow.
Then came a thoughtful setup phase. They built a clean chart of accounts that reflected how her agency operates. They didn’t try to fit her in a one-size-fits-all plan. Finally, they connected all her accounts and properly migrated her past data, not a comma out of place.
One of the most valuable parts was establishing simple daily and weekly habits. Jordan now reviews new transactions a few times a week instead of letting them pile up. She blocks 25 minutes every Monday morning to reconcile and categorize. These small, consistent steps keep her books current without taking over her schedule.
They also focused on correct expense categorization. Having clear rules for client expenses, software subscriptions, and marketing costs gave her much better visibility into which projects were truly profitable.
Jordan now has accurate, timely financial information that helps her make better decisions. She spends far less time on admin work and no longer dreads pulling reports when she needs them.
Stories like Jordan’s show that getting your bookkeeping system right does not have to be stressful or complicated when you approach it the right way. She even convinced her sister to drop the spreadsheets in her busy flower shop.
Outsourced Accounting for Growing Businesses
Our mission is to equip business owners and decision makers with the information that they need to make great decisions for themselves and their employees. As fellow small business owners, we know how busy things can be and how helpful it is to be able to feel confident in your finances when making important decisions.
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