Do people pick this career on purpose? Most of the time, YES! I get the same response any time someone asks what I do and I tell them I am in the accounting and/or bookkeeping field - a blank stare that screams, “Why would anyone want to do such a boring job?” Well, I’ll tell you. Bookkeeping is perfect for someone that loves numbers*. And I am not talking about math. Math is boring! I am talking about those that see numbers anywhere, a license plate, a phone number, the cost of something, anything with numbers, and can make something out of it. I’ll never forget our old license plate from 20 years ago. KP8108. Why? Because I deemed it Kaopectate. Ya know. The tummy medicine?
Anyhoo, I see things within numbers all the time. I always have. I have a favorite number (24), I have the time I see on the clock every day without fail (10:32), and multiple other things.
“What the heck does that have to do with bookkeeping?” you might be asking yourself. No idea! All I know is that when I speak with other bookkeepers and accountants, they all have similar experiences. The math mostly matters not. The softwares available today pretty much do it for us. So why do bookkeepers exist? Because softwares are not able to decipher certain transactions automatically. They can’t learn the story of the business, the owner’s motivations, goals, and dreams. That is for the bookkeeper/accountaant to learn and apply it to the books.
You might ask yourself, how is this fulfilling? I would say most bookkeepers and accountants are introverts. We like to be stuck in a room with our spreadsheets and not be bothered. It is the perfect job for someone that does not crave human interaction and wants to focus on details, details, DETAILS! I will literally lose sleep over one penny that is not balancing. Of course, then I realize it is because excel isn’t rounding, but at least I figure it out!
For me, it is the best thing I could ask for. Everything is able to be done remotely. Business owners are involved in their books, and I know I am giving my clients the best presentation of their business’s performance to help them determine their next moves. Knowing I help business owners achieve something – obtaining a bank loan, providing for their family, purchasing other businesses, etc., satisfies me in a way only a bookkeeper/accountant can understand!
Most people don’t think much of bookkeepers. But without us, how would the financial statements be prepared accurately? How would businesses be able to present their business status to boards, banks, or themselves for fundraising, planning, and forecasting? How would an owner know where they stood financially? It would not be possible.
Then of course, you have those that think bookkeeping is an easy way to make money and do it from home. And it is easy. But you truly do need to have an understanding of how things affect the books. Otherwise, it can turn into a real disaster trying to “fix” things. One entry creates another entry on the back end and before you know it, you have a trail of items entered twice, backwards, with the wrong dates, etc. How do I know this? No, I haven’t done it. But I sure have cleaned up after people who have! Side note - this is a great way to make extra money!
I remember being that person, fresh after earning my Bachelor’s in Accounting, just begging someone, anyone, to let me take a stab at their books. Now, I understand why that barrier was hard to break. Now this begs the question, how did I break that barrier? Who finally let me in their books to get that experience? What happened after the degree and how did I get to be a CFO? How did I go from that to owning my own business offering bookkeeping, accounting, and CFO services that I love to do? Well, that will be in the next blog.
Remember, let a bookkeeper/accountant (me) handle your books so you can handle your business!
*Please remember that everyone's experiences are different. You can be a great bookkeeper even if you aren't always drawn to numbers. This is my own experience and the experiences of those I personally know that are in the bookkeeping and accounting world.