How Ashlyn Writes Beat the Bookkeeping Drama

Ever wondered what really goes down when you work with a bookkeeper? Or what kind of transformation you can expect from having a little accounting help on your side? Whether you’re a business coach, a course creator, a graphic designer, or a copywriter extraordinaire, a bookkeeper can 100% help you out!

Thinking about hiring your own bookkeeper for your business? Not sure if now is the time, or how it may play out? 

I sat down with friend and long-time client, Ashlyn Carter, owner of Ashlyn Writes, to talk about what business was like after hiring our team. If you want the full version, check out the video below or scroll on to catch the notes. 

Spoiler alert: It was so much better!!

Meet Ashlyn Writes

Ashlyn Carter is an amazing copywriter, to say the least. She’s worked with clients all over the spectrum, and is SO GOOD at turning ideas into words that sell! Ashlyn Writes, as her business is called, has two main ways to help people do that — with a 1:1 agency, and online courses/curriculum. 

From sales pages to launch copy, Ashlyn believes that not knowing what to say shouldn’t hold business owners back.

If you want to learn more about Ashlyn Writes, you can check her out here, or stay up to date with her on the ‘gram!

And of course, we’ve got to talk about copywriting. Ashlyn is so good at what she does that it’d be a miss not to give her the floor for a sec to talk about her craft of copywriting (and how you can apply some of that wisdom to your business as well to help you grow!). 

So I asked… “What’s something you’d love people to know about copywriting?”

Her response: 

“First, you need to be good enough at it to be dangerous. 

It’s like Shark Tank — they need to know their numbers and be in the CEO seat. They need to know everything about their business and be able to articulate it. It’s the same thing for online businesses.

You need to know enough to be equipped to do that, even if you don’t LOVE copywriting. You need to be educated enough to nose out hooks and angles.”

How bookkeeping helps during a time of growth

Obviously, as you do learn enough to be dangerous, your business grows. And with that added growth comes more finances to track.

When your business goes to new heights, it can be exciting, but also overwhelming when you’re trying to do everything, just like Ashlyn was. And hiring a bookkeeper? It may not be able to solve all your problems, but it sure can help with a lot of them!

“I knew I was ready to hire a bookkeeper when I was spending more time doing my financials than what it paid out to be. In the end, it wasn’t worth my hourly wage.

At first, I really had no idea how to price myself or do my books. I just punched in receipts in a very basic Google Spreadsheet every Friday. Then, when that reached the point of taking up half a day, I knew it was time to get some help.

Those few hours each week made a difference because I was able to focus on bigger-picture financial decisions like my pricing strategy. I had enough of a base understanding to be dangerous, to know what was going on, but at that point, it was time to move on and let someone help me out.”

How hiring a bookkeeper changes your business for the better

Now, I bet you’re wondering about how it all panned out after hiring MDB to help her out. Obviously, she had more time on her plate to take care of CEO-level things, but what, exactly did that translate to?

I know a few hours each week doesn’t sound like a lot, but Y’ALL, it can really help so much!

“Overall, hiring you helped me so much with the way I did launches, managed my team, and business in general.

I don’t love numbers, but I do like marketing math. That ROI type of data. I love seeing what goes in and how it comes out. I love knowing how everything shakes out for the bottom line. And having a bookkeeper has helped me do that.

A bookkeeper doesn’t skimp out on ANYTHING. They see every last detail of those numbers. As a business owner, it’s really easy to fall into the trap of thinking we can do it all without missing a beat, but that’s not always true, especially as you level up

A bookkeeper will go through your finances with a fine-toothed comb. And they will do it much faster and better than you can. And y’all [at MDB] have an adaptive process that considers it all. It’s like having a partner to help you peel back the cover of what’s really going on to see what’s missing.”

So…is hiring a bookkeeper really worth it?

To wrap things up, I asked her if hiring a bookkeeper was really worth it, and what advice she’d offer to people who are still unsure:

“You have to know what your hourly rate/wage as a CEO is. No matter what it’s being spent on, how much do you make per hour?

When you consider how long it takes you to do your books yourself, that adds up fast, and can end up costing you more than just hiring a bookkeeper would. The thing is, a bookkeeper like you is so much more efficient with it that it balances out.

Also, you don’t really serve your business best with your hourly rate if it’s spent crunching numbers when you could be doing something else that helps you grow. Once you get to that point where you know you need help, it’s time to outsource that.”

Ready to hire your own bookkeeping help?

If you’re feeling encouraged or inspired now to get your books in order, you know we’re here to help! My team and I would love to be your go-to gals for all things bookkeeping. 

Because when you’ve got a pulse on the financial part of your business, anything is possible. And we’re here to help you do just that!