Small business bookkeeping · by industry
Bookkeeping built around how your business actually earns
Every trade has a place where the books go wrong first — job costs that never reach a job, a payout that hides a dozen fees, a deposit that is not income yet. These pages say what that place is in your line of work, and what we do about it.
The monthly work is similar everywhere: record what happened, reconcile it, and report it in a form you can act on. What changes from one industry to the next is which details decide whether the numbers mean anything — and those details are usually the difference between books that are merely tidy and books that tell you something.
If your industry is not listed, it does not mean we cannot help. It means we have not written the page yet. Tell us what you do and we will talk about how your books should work.
Industries we keep books for
Construction & trades
Costs tracked by job, so you can see which work actually paid.
Restaurants & cafés
Daily sales, tips and supplier invoices recorded so the month reconciles.
Retail shops & boutiques
Inventory purchases, card settlements and merchant fees kept straight.
Salons, barbershops & spas
Payroll, booth rent and product sales recorded and reconciled monthly.
Real estate agents & brokerages
Commission splits, referral fees and per-transaction costs tracked.
Consultants & professional services
Retainers, project billing and unbilled time recorded properly.
Property management & rentals
Per-property books, deposits held correctly, owner statements that tie out.
E-commerce & online sellers
Marketplace payouts unpicked into sales, fees, refunds and shipping.
Health & wellness practices
Insurance reimbursements, patient payments and provider pay reconciled.
Nonprofits & ministries
Restricted gifts and grants tracked, with board-ready reporting.
Trucking & owner-operators
Settlements, fuel records and cost per mile tracked properly.
Landscaping & lawn care
Seasonal cash flow, route profitability and crew labor tracked.
Cleaning & janitorial
Recurring contracts, per-client margin and supply costs tracked.
Auto repair shops
Parts and labor margin separated, with technician and warranty tracking.
What stays the same, whatever the trade
Accounts reconciled to their statements every month. Income and expenses categorized consistently, so one month can be compared with the last. A profit and loss and a balance sheet you can read without a translator. Records kept in a state your CPA can work from without reconstructing the year.
Behind that sits three decades of business, consulting, technology and systems work — which mostly shows up as an interest in why the books got messy in the first place, and in fixing the process rather than recategorizing the symptoms.
Start with a conversation
Let's look at your books together
Tell us about your church or business and where your bookkeeping stands. Carey will follow up to arrange a consultation, and you'll receive a written scope before any work begins.