Bookkeeping & back office

Numbers you can actually look at.

Bookkeeping that is three months behind is not a filing problem, it is a decision problem. You cannot tell whether a slow month is a blip or a pattern. We keep the books current so the answer is always there when you need it.

How it works

Bookkeeping, month by month.

The same four things every month, on a schedule, so nothing accumulates into a crisis in April.

01

Categorize

Every transaction coded consistently, so the same expense does not land in three different places.

02

Reconcile

Every account matched against the statement. This is the step most people skip and most errors hide in.

03

Chase

Unpaid invoices followed up on a schedule, because that is money you already earned.

04

Report

A profit and loss, a balance sheet, and a short note in plain language about anything worth a look.

Why it matters

Behind books make every decision a guess.

Nobody enjoys this work, which is exactly why it slides. It does not get lighter by waiting, and the cost is not really the catch-up bill. It is the six months you spent guessing.

Monthly
reconciliation, not a scramble the week before a deadline
Every
account matched to its statement, which is the step usually skipped
$0
new software you need to buy, in almost every case
Plain
language summaries, not a report you file without reading
The usual state of things

It never gets lighter by waiting.

This is the work that gets pushed to the weekend, then to next month, then to whenever the accountant asks. None of it is unusual and none of it is a reason to be embarrassed.

What we usually find
  • Several months of transactions sitting uncategorized in one long list
  • Accounts that have never actually been reconciled against a statement
  • The same expense coded three different ways across the year
  • Invoices sent months ago that nobody has followed up on
  • Personal and business spending mixed in the same account
  • A profit figure the owner does not believe and therefore ignores
What you get instead
  • Every transaction categorized, consistently, month after month
  • Every account reconciled and tied to its statement
  • A chart of accounts that reflects how you actually think about the business
  • Invoice reminders that go out on a schedule without you deciding to send them
  • A clean handoff to your accountant, which usually lowers their bill
  • Numbers current enough to make a decision on this week
The AI question

AI categorizes. It doesn't notice.

Bookkeeping software has had automatic categorization for years and it keeps improving. That is genuinely good, and it is not the same as your books being right.

What the software does well

  • Categorizes recurring, obvious transactions accurately
  • Learns your patterns and gets faster over time
  • Pulls bank feeds in automatically
  • Flags likely duplicates for review
  • Removes most of the tedious data entry

What still needs a person

  • Noticing that a payment you expected never arrived
  • Knowing which coding decisions actually matter to your business and which do not
  • Catching a category that is technically plausible and completely wrong
  • Reconciling when the feed and the statement disagree
  • Telling you a number looks off before it becomes a problem

Automatic categorization is not reconciliation. Most people find that out in April.

Why the boring monthly step is the one that matters
Work it out

What a catch-up would take.

A rough estimate before you have to say the number out loud to anyone. No judgment attached, this is more common than you think.

Count from the last month you would call genuinely finished.
Card charges, deposits, transfers. An estimate is fine.
Estimated catch-up
$3,000
Around 35 hours across 6 months.

Staying current afterwards is $350 a month.
months × (transactions × 0.02 + accounts × 0.5) × tidiness × $85
Want a real quote instead?
Send this over and we will come back with a firm number, or tell you it is smaller than the estimate suggests.
No newsletter, no sequence you didn't ask for. One email with your estimate.

This is a rough estimate from four inputs, so treat it as a range rather than a quote. Real catch-ups are often faster than the number above once we look, because the volume that matters is usually smaller than it feels. We give you a firm figure before starting anything.

Who it's for

Built for owner-operators.

If the books are the thing you keep meaning to sit down with on a Sunday, hand them over. This is the work that most reliably gets pushed and most reliably costs something.

We work with small independent businesses across North County San Diego, the Temecula Valley, and Colorado's Front Range.

  • Anyone months behind and dreading the catch-up
  • Businesses whose accountant only sees the books once a year
  • Trades and contractors with receipts in a glovebox
  • Shops and studios with real transaction volume
  • Anyone with invoices out that nobody is chasing
  • Businesses about to apply for finance and needing clean numbers
Scope

What we do, and what we don't.

Worth being completely clear about this before you call, because the line matters and plenty of firms are vague about it.

What we handle
  • Categorizing and coding every transaction, consistently
  • Reconciling bank, card, and merchant accounts against statements
  • Invoicing and accounts receivable follow-up
  • Catch-up work on books that have fallen behind
  • Monthly profit and loss, balance sheet, and a plain-language summary
  • Cleaning up a chart of accounts that grew without a plan
  • Process documentation, so the work does not live in one person's head
What we do not do
  • We are bookkeepers, not CPAs. We do not prepare or file tax returns.
  • We do not give tax, investment, or legal advice, and we will say when a question needs your accountant.
  • We do not sign off or audit financial statements.
  • We do not run payroll tax filings, though we work alongside whoever does.
  • We do not tell you what your numbers mean for your tax position. That is your CPA's job and they are better at it.

Most of our bookkeeping clients keep their accountant and use us for the monthly work in between. Accountants tend to prefer that arrangement, because clean books make their job faster and their invoice to you smaller.

Pricing

Two ways to work with us.

Hourly for catch-up work, because the volume varies too much to price blind. A flat monthly rate once you are current.

Catch-Up

$85
per hour, estimate first

Getting back to current. We look at the volume and give you a firm estimate before starting, so the number cannot run away.

Book a call

Monthly Bookkeeping

$350
per month, 4 hours

Categorization, reconciliation of every account, invoice follow-up, and a monthly report with a plain-language note. Cancel anytime.

Book a call

Monthly Retainer

$1,200
15 hours a month

Books plus the rest of the back office: invoicing, vendor admin, process documentation, and systems work.

Book a call

Higher transaction volume is quoted on scope rather than squeezed into four hours. Full pricing is on the pricing page.

Questions

The things people actually ask.

Are you accountants or CPAs?
No. We are bookkeepers. We keep your records accurate and current so your accountant has clean books to work from. We do not file returns, sign off financial statements, or give tax advice, and we will tell you when a question needs your CPA instead.
My books are months behind. Is that a problem?
It is common and it is fixable. The cost is that you cannot see what the business is doing, and it turns into a scramble at tax time. Catch-up work is quoted separately from ongoing bookkeeping because the volume varies enormously.
What does bookkeeping actually include?
Categorizing every transaction, reconciling each account against its statement, chasing unpaid invoices, and giving you a monthly summary you can actually read. The point is that your numbers stay current enough to make a decision on this week, not merely correct once a year.
Which software do you work in?
QuickBooks most often, plus Xero and Wave. We work in whatever you already pay for rather than moving you. If your setup genuinely cannot do the job we will say so, but that is rarer than software companies would like you to think.
How much does bookkeeping cost?
Ongoing bookkeeping is $350 a month for four hours, which covers most small businesses with moderate volume. Higher volume is quoted on scope. Catch-up work is $85 an hour, and we give you an estimate before starting any of it.
Can you chase my unpaid invoices?
Yes, and it is usually the fastest money on the list. Invoice follow-up is money you have already earned and simply have not collected. We set up the reminders so it happens on a schedule instead of when you finally get annoyed enough.
Will you find things my last bookkeeper missed?
Sometimes, and we say so plainly when we do. Uncategorized transactions, duplicated entries, and accounts that were never properly reconciled are the usual ones. We are not interested in blaming anybody who came before us, only in making the current picture accurate and keeping it that way.
Can AI just do my bookkeeping now?
It categorizes well and gets better every year. What it does not do is notice that a payment never arrived, that a category is wrong in a way that matters, or that something looks off. Those judgments are the reason a person is still involved.
What do I actually get each month?
Reconciled accounts, a profit and loss, a balance sheet, and a short plain-language note on anything worth your attention. If a number moved in a way we cannot explain, we tell you about it rather than quietly filing it somewhere and hoping you do not ask.
Do I have to switch away from my accountant?
Not at all, and we would rather you did not. Most of our clients keep their accountant and use us for the monthly work in between. Accountants generally prefer that arrangement, because clean books make their job faster and their invoice to you smaller.

Hand the books over.

Send us the details and we'll tell you roughly what a catch-up looks like, with no lecture about how far behind you are.

Prefer to talk? Call 442-291-9337 or book a free call →