You Can’t Out-Earn Disorganized Finances—And You Don’t Need To Do the Books Yourself
You’re great at the work: replacing a panel, roughing a bathroom, framing a dormer, troubleshooting a no-cool call. But bookkeeping? That’s not billable time—and it’s not why you started your business.
If you’ve been trying to DIY the books after hours, here’s the truth: hiring a bookkeeper usually costs less than doing it yourself—in dollars, stress, and lost opportunities.
Why DIY Bookkeeping Backfires in the Trades
1) Bad inputs = bad decisions
Guessing on job costs, mixing materials and fuel on one card, forgetting to bill a change order—DIY books often miss the details that actually decide profit.
2) Busy months hide bigger leaks
When revenue jumps, so do materials, subs, fuel, and payroll. Without clean books, expenses run ahead of income and your “busy” month nets pennies.
3) Taxes & compliance aren’t forgiving
Sales tax, 1099s for subs, payroll filings—one late or wrong filing and you’re paying penalties instead of paying yourself.
4) You’re the most expensive “bookkeeper” you could hire
If you bill at $110/hour and spend 8–10 hours a month fighting with the books, that’s $880–$1,100 of owner time—and the books still aren’t audit-clean or job-costed.
What a Good Bookkeeper Does (That DIY Rarely Keeps Up With)
- Real job costing: every receipt, sub bill, and hour tied to a job so you know which work actually makes money.
- Invoice discipline: change orders captured, invoices sent fast, reminders automated, money collected.
- AP control: bills in one place, scheduled on purpose (not “whenever”), early-pay discounts when it makes sense.
- Monthly close: bank/credit cards reconciled, weird spikes flagged, owner report delivered.
- Tax-ready books: clean chart of accounts for trades, proper 1099 tracking, support for your CPA.
- Tooling that fits the field: bank feeds, receipt capture in the truck, payments right on the invoice.
The Simple Math (A Quick Reality Check)
Your DIY month
- 9 hours of owner time × $110/hr = $990 opportunity cost
- Missed/late invoicing leak (2% on $45k revenue) = $900
- Subscriptions you don’t use = $60
Total DIY cost ≈ $1,950/month (and you’re tired)
With a bookkeeper (“Just the Books” style)
- Professional bookkeeping (typical for a small trades shop): $450–$900/month depending on volume/complexity
- Faster invoicing/collections saves even 1% on $45k = $450 back
- You recover ~9 owner hours to sell/produce = $990 back
Net effect: Books cost less than DIY when you count cash collected and time you get back—and your numbers are trustworthy.
(Numbers are examples; we price by transaction volume/complexity.)
“I’m Too Small” and Other Common Objections
- “I only have a couple of guys.”
Perfect time to nail pricing and margins before you scale the problems. Clean books early = easier growth. - “My spouse handles it.”
Awesome—let’s move the grunt work (data entry, recon, 1099s) off their plate and leave only high-level review. Saves time and keeps peace at home. - “I had a bookkeeper before and it wasn’t helpful.”
You need trade-aware bookkeeping: job costing, change-order capture, materials/fuel/tools broken out, field-friendly tools. Not generic “office” books.
What It Looks Like to Work With Me
Week 1: Set Up & Clean Up
- Tune your chart of accounts for trades (materials, subs, rentals, dump fees, small tools, warranty/redo).
- Connect bank feeds, receipt capture, and payments.
- Clean up back months if needed.
Every Week
- Reconcile feeds, tag receipts to jobs, post bills, and send invoices/change orders.
- Light AR nudge so you get paid faster.
Every Month
- Close the books and send a plain-English Owner Report: revenue, gross margin, labor %, materials %, overhead, cash, AR/AP, and any red flags.
- Optional 15-minute check-in if you want to talk through pricing or trends.
If you prefer zero meetings, my “Just the Books” option keeps everything accurate without adding calls. Want more guidance? Add reports or a short monthly review.
What You’ll Notice Within 60 Days
- Pricing confidence (no more guessing).
- Smoother cash (invoices out, money in, bills planned).
- Less admin drag (you’re not doing receipts at 10 p.m.).
- Cleaner taxes (no scramble, fewer fees).
Quick Self-Check: Is It Time to Hand This Off?
- You’re 2+ months behind on reconciliations
- Change orders live on text threads and never hit invoices
- You don’t know which jobs are actually profitable
- Tax time = panic time
- You spend Sundays doing “paperwork” and still feel behind
If you checked even two, it’s time.
Ready to stop DIY’ing the books?
I work with small trade businesses all the time—plumbers, sparkies, carpenters, HVAC. I’ll get your books clean, keep them current, and give you the numbers you need to make good calls.
See the services we offer here.
Next step: Book a quick Consultation Call. We’ll look at where things stand and map the simplest plan—whether that’s Just the Books or a package with reports and light check-ins.