Welcome to the Boomtown blog. Most posts here are about bookkeeping, QuickBooks, and the parts of running a small business that nobody warned you about. I write for self-employed folks who want their books to make sense without becoming an accountant in the process.
5 Things People Get Wrong About Business Travel Deductions
Business travel deductions are widely misunderstood, and getting them wrong can cost you real money. Here are five of the most common myths, plus what the IRS actually requires.
What to Expect When You Hire Boomtown as Your Bookkeeper
Most bookkeeping websites are pretty vague about what the work actually looks like. Here's what working with Boomtown involves in real terms, from the first month through the ongoing monthly rhythm.
3 Bookkeeping Habits That Make Your Business Easier to Run
Three concrete bookkeeping habits that make your business easier to run, your client experience cleaner, and your day-to-day operations less stressful.
3 More QuickBooks Reports Worth Running Every Month
Your P&L and Balance Sheet do most of the monthly heavy lifting, but a few other reports earn their keep too. Here are three QuickBooks Online reports worth pulling each month, what they show, and how to use them.
Why You Should Reconcile Your Bank Accounts Every Month
If there's one bookkeeping habit I won't budge on, it's monthly reconciliation. Here's why, and what happens when people put it off.
How to Give Your Bookkeeper Access to QuickBooks Online
When you hire a bookkeeper, one of the first things they'll ask for is access to your QuickBooks Online file. Here's how to set that up, and the security concerns worth knowing about first.
How to Use the Audit Log in QuickBooks Online
The QuickBooks Online Audit Log is one of the most useful features most users never look at. Here's how to find it, what it shows, and the real situations where it'll save you.
A Step-by-Step Month-End Bookkeeping Routine for Small Businesses
Closing out your books each month is one of the highest-leverage habits in a small business. Here's a step-by-step routine you can actually follow, plus what to do if you've fallen behind.
How to Read Your P&L and Use It to Plan Your Year
Your Profit & Loss statement is the report you'll look at most often as a small business owner. Here's how to read it, what to actually look for, and how to use what you find to plan your year.
How I Cleaned Up Two Years of Bookkeeping for a Yoga Studio
A real case study of cleaning up two years of bookkeeping backlog at a yoga studio: three common problems, the fixes, and what changed afterward.
Year-End Bookkeeping Checklist for Small Business Owners
A practical year-end bookkeeping checklist for small business owners, with notes on what to skip if it doesn't apply to you.
3 Common Bookkeeping Mistakes Small Business Owners Make
The three bookkeeping mistakes I see most often, why they cause real headaches at tax time and beyond, and what to do instead.
3 Practical Tips for DIY Bookkeeping
If you're handling your own bookkeeping, these three tips will save you real time and prevent some of the most common DIY headaches.
6 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Bookkeeper
A discovery call with a bookkeeper is a lot more useful when you know what to ask. Here are six questions worth bringing to the conversation, what to listen for in the answers, and how I answer each one.
Spreadsheets vs QuickBooks: Which Does Your Small Business Actually Need?
Should you track your bookkeeping in a spreadsheet or move to bookkeeping software? An honest comparison, including the situations where each one is genuinely the right call.
When Should You Hire a Bookkeeper for Your Small Business?
Wondering if it's time to hire a bookkeeper? Here are three honest signals worth paying attention to, plus when DIY is still the right call.
How to Create and Send Client Invoices in QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online's invoicing is solid if you need it, but it's not automatically the right tool for every business. Here's how to create and send invoices in QBO, plus when it's the right fit.
How to Use Bank Rules in QuickBooks Online (Without Messing Up Your Books)
Bank rules are one of the biggest time-savers in QuickBooks Online, and also one of the most common places I see DIY bookkeeping go sideways. Here's how to set them up in a way that actually helps.