Bookkeeping | Accounting | Wise, Wizardly Advice
for coaches, consultants and creatives
I’m the guy you call when you absolutely, positively hate doing the books
I wasn’t always owned by cat(s) (as I am now). That’s me and Smokey, our current cat, in the picture. He chases me onto the couch in the afternoons for nap time. I don’t have much of a choice in the matter. If you’re owned by a cat, you know what I mean.
12 noon, Friday afternoon a couple of weeks ago. Time to come out of the sunniest basement in Thornhill to deal with the Pooh-style rumbly in my tumbly. The one slice of leftover frozen pizza was a good beginning – but wasn’t enough. So I grabbed the Big Giant Pasta Pot and a few minutes later had enough macaroni for lunch (and a few more meals).
A couple of weeks ago, I screwed up. Big time. I forgot to file the T4 for one of my clients. (For my American readers, that’s the Canadian version of the W2).
“I think we’re lost. I’m going to turn left here. It’s not the street on Google Maps, but I think I missed that one”. Yes we were lost – no strike that – we were having an adventure – in Hamilton (ON) a few months back.
Yes, I’m a CPA. Got the framed certificate and everything. No, I don’t do taxes. It’s a clear strategic and practical decision that I made when I started my practice. Like Tevye says “Sounds, crazy, no?”
Everyone’s talking about AI. And some people are saying that accountants and bookkeepers should be terrified of AI. 5 years or so ago….Intuit’s QBO and other cloud-based accounting software introduced what they called “Artificial Intelligence” (AI) into their software. The gurus and thought leaders in my industry freaked out.
“I can’t believe they said that”, Gail said. “That’s just so wrong!”. We were in the car, headed for Walmart to pick up some ice cream for Gail’s birthday cake. Earlier that day I had read an email. I was gobsmacked when I got to the end.
“Secret Agent Man, Secret Agent Man They've given you a number and taken away your name” That song kept on rolling around in my head as I sat down to write. Want to know why?
“I feel like such a phony! A total imposter!”, she cried. “And it’s so scary and frustrating!’ If my eyebrows could’ve gone any higher, they’d be above my hairline. I looked like an anime character having a freakout. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard something like that (and not the last) but never with such passion.
“Oy! I ache all over”, I said to myself. Of course, that was after shovelling 25cm+ of snow off my driveway last week.
Want to know what the QuickDiagnostic looks at? Here’s just a few of the items:
We hop on the telephone for a 45-minute, complimentary, no-obligation “Getting to Know You” consultation. I’ll ask you a whole bunch of questions to evaluate where you are now, where you want to go, and what you expect to get out of us working together. And yes, you’ll also have time to ask me questions.
If we do decide that we’re a good fit, we’ll schedule the next step. If we’re not a good fit (now) that’s OK. (It happens—better to figure that out now!)