So many small business owners put off seeking the bookkeeping help they need because they are worried about the consultation. We get it, booking a consult can be a little intimidating. It feels heavy and scary and uncertain. They are nervous about sharing their financial details, they don’t know what kind of interrogation and judgment might be involved, and most of all they are anticipating the “hard sell”. Here is a quick rundown of exactly what goes into the process:

One surprising aspect about being a bookkeeper is that shame and embarrassment are a regular point of conversation with potential (and sometimes even current) clients. We definitely find ourselves slipping into the role of counselor and advisor in a real and intimate way for clients and "might become" clients. When you dig deeper, the embarrassment makes sense because we all hold a lot of weird feelings around money and budgets and financial topics in general. It’s common to feel like there’s a competition for success that you are somehow losing because you haven’t hit the same milestones at the same rate your parents or grandparents did. Sometimes it may seem like all of your peers are “doing better” financially than you are–less debt, more savings, better planning.

When it comes to non-profits, they wear their values on their sleeve, so to speak. What you may not have considered, is that all of the other organizations you do business with–vendors, clients, financial institutions–all have their own values, causes & agendas that may not be in line with yours. Not all businesses (especially large ones) are very transparent about their leanings. How do you find out which side their bread is buttered? Here are a few resources that have done a deep dive into the data that tells you who is in line with your values in the ways that are important to you.

There are a million ways to support a cause you feel passionate about. Obviously you can donate cash or show up and volunteer, but there are so many other meaningful ways to contribute to your favorite non profit organization. Here are a few of our favorites:

Late nights, early mornings, long weekends…you work HARD to earn your dollars. So when it comes to giving some of it away, how do you know you are sending your hard earned dollars to the right place? It’s important to us (and likely everyone else) that the money we donate goes to organizations that will maximize it for the most good. Here are a few things to consider: