Does this resonate?
In a world where many of us feel uncertain, adrift, and isolated, Honestly Bookkeeping wants to provide a safe harbor for our clients. The lack of financial education in school means most business owners either need the confidence and tools to figure out financial management by themselves or they need the support of a professional. We are these professionals. We believe everyone deserves the feeling of financial security.
We do this everyday by helping owners with a portfolio of businesses to stabilize, strengthen, and create sustaining financial systems.
Through this approach we make sure our clients have the bookkeeping support necessary to create foundational and forward thinking processes & systems, allowing them to make informed decisions about the business(es).
The focus on systems and processes creates consistency in the client experience, which then creates consistency for the nervous system, which in turn creates a sense of security and consistency within the individual.
By focusing on foundational and forward-thinking processes, we are creating confidence that the basics are covered, while also being proactive instead of reactive (where a reactive state keeps the nervous system in a state of uncertainty and lack of safety).
The focus on using the bookkeeping to make informed decisions for the business again moves to a proactive space; this creates the experience of being capable and seeing how to affect meaningful change within the business. This in turn creates the feeling of safety because the owner is active instead of the acted upon.
Who shouldn't work with Honestly Bookkeeping?
If "hustle, grind, execute" is your mantra.
If you don’t have clear boundaries for yourself or blame others for circumstances.
If you don't believe you are worthy.
You let your perfectionism get in the way of meeting required deadlines (but we all know being-detail oriented is still important for bookkeeping excellence).
Gary V, Tony Robbins, or “Guru”s are your influencers.
Who is a good fit?
Reading this description gives you excited shivers.
You've been in bookkeeping (specifically; not including other accounting related roles) for at least 3 years.
You do what you say you will and don’t view “difficult” conversations as confrontation.
You can be honest with yourself about hard truths.
Systems, mutual agreement, and co-operative workshopping are your jam.
You understand how your actions impact the whole business, from client experience to profit margin, and want all parties to succeed.
Honestly Bookkeeping Culture In a Nutshell
At Honestly Bookkeeping, we prioritize creating an environment where:
Our team members feel secure and safe at work. We’re all able to work flexibly, autonomously, and know we can turn to each other for support.
Our clients feel comfortable and able to be intimate and vulnerable with us about their financial needs.
Team Practices
Culture isn’t something we just talk about. It’s something each team member, stewarded by the Owner, plays a role in actively creating and upholding.
We do it by putting our values into practice every day. Here’s how we do it.
Show up with a heck-yes attitude
We're willing to engage and explore options and find solutions to address challenges that we face in our work day-to-day.
We seek out all possible solutions and propose a recommended path forward. For example, if a client comes to us with a situation we haven’t dealt with before, we tell them we’ll do our research, see what’s possible, and propose multiple options for next steps.
We’re open to listening and happy to hear feedback from clients and fellow team members. Whether it's feedback, input, or an ask for help from someone else, we assume positive intent in every interaction. We respond with an open-mind and attitude.
We don’t bury our heads in the sand. If problems or challenges arise or we’re feeling confused or unsure, we don’t pretend it isn’t happening, say, or do nothing. We don’t brush clients, team members, or our own concerns aside. We proactively raise concerns and address issues when they are small.
Be honest with each other
We have integrity and are accountable to our actions.
Our clients and team members can trust us because we’re very transparent. We let you know what to expect and we follow through on it, making us trustworthy.
We take ownership over our work. For example, if we make a mistake, we'll own it and do our best to address it.
We're not going to lie to you. We're not going to lie to our team members, to our clients, or others. We don't have any shady business practices and we won't evade the law.
Stay on top of security
We create a space where clients feel safe and comfortable having very personal and intimate financial discussions.
We're very affirming. We help our clients combat some of the negative self-talk they might have around money. We always hear them out when they have something to share or say. We say truthful phrases like: you’re doing alright, or your situation is totally okay (or going to be okay) to reassure our clients.
We treat your data securely. We care about your cybersecurity, and we protect your data to the best of our ability. We follow security procedures: HIPAA compliance, GDPR and any other data privacy laws, and we honor our non-disclosure agreements.
We're not careless with your data or feelings. We don't dismiss concerns, we don't take a laissez-faire approach to finances, and we're not going to sweep things under the rug.
Create a supportive service experience
We provide a clear, guided, experience for our clients when they are working with us—from how we communicate to how we deliver work.
We create clarity for our clients. For example: we give super specific instructions when we ask them to do something for us.
We look for ways to guide our clients. For example: if we can't do something we point them in the right direction of someone who can or what they should look into.
We don't let our clients worry or wonder if we're on top of our work. We make sure to keep our clients updated, that clients know the status of the work, and we're responsive to emails. They are not left in the dark.