Cash flow is the circulation system of your business. On the surface, your bank balance may look healthy, but rising payroll, late receivables, or thin reserves can tell a different story. Learn how to spot red flags early and keep your cash flow strong.

Why the Time is Now for a Bookkeeper

Quarter Four is Your Pulse Check

Quarter four is the busiest—and often the most important—season for your business. Holiday sales, year-end expenses, bonuses, and tax planning all come together at once. Heading into this quarter without clear books is like heading into a doctor’s office without vitals—you’re making critical decisions without the data you need.

A bookkeeper gives you that pulse check, so you know where your business stands before stepping into the final stretch of the year.

The Cost of Waiting

Here’s what the numbers show: almost 60% of small business owners admit they don’t feel confident managing their own accounting (source). Add to that the sobering fact that 82% of small businesses fail because of cash flow problems (SCORE).

Without clean, reliable books, many businesses are flying blind—especially heading into Q4 when expenses, taxes, and revenue need tight oversight. Waiting until January to “clean things up” only adds stress, costs more, and leaves room for missed opportunities.

Clarity for Growth

Just like in healthcare, prevention is better than treatment. Regular bookkeeping keeps your financial “vitals” stable and gives you the clarity to: - Spot hidden expenses before year-end. - Make confident growth decisions for 2026. - Enter tax season prepared, not panicked.

Even if you’ve skipped a few “checkups,” it’s never too late to get back on track. A cleanup or catch-up now means smoother reporting, fewer surprises, and better planning for the year ahead.

Finish the Year Strong

Quarter four is the time to check the pulse of your business. Clean, accurate books give you clarity, confidence, and peace of mind—so you can focus on running your business, not chasing receipts.

Even if you’re behind and need a cleanup or a catch-up, no problem—we can take care of that. The time is now to partner with a bookkeeper.

Schedule your free evaluation of books today.

“Bookkeeping Tips with a clinical twist: where gut instinct meets financial diagnosis.” — Claire Brizwell

What Does a Bookkeeper Do?

A Clinical Twist on a Vital Role in Your Business

Running a business is a lot like caring for a patient. Without regular monitoring, preventative care, and accurate records, serious problems can go unnoticed until it’s too late. Just as clinicians track vitals and manage care plans, bookkeepers track your financial health—keeping your business stable, compliant, and positioned to grow.

Here’s what a bookkeeper really does—explained with a clinical perspective.

1. Recording Transactions = Charting Vitals

Every sale, expense, and payment tells part of your financial story. Just like documenting blood pressure, pulse, and temperature, bookkeepers record each transaction to maintain a complete financial chart.

Growth takeaway: Accurate transaction records not only give you the true picture of your finances—helping you price services, plan budgets, and reinvest profits—but they also give you peace of mind knowing nothing is missed or overlooked.

2. Reconciling Accounts = Reviewing Lab Results

A lab result is only valuable when it’s viewed in the context of the full clinical picture. On its own, it can be misleading—but when matched to the patient’s plan and prognosis, it becomes powerful.

Growth takeaway: Not only do reconciled accounts build trust with banks and investors—making it easier to secure credit and funding to grow your business—but they also give you peace of mind, providing a clear financial picture with accurate cash flow and true profit. And that clarity is powerful.

3. Organizing Expenses = An Accurate Health History

A right diagnosis can’t be made without an accurate health history. Current vitals matter, but it’s the complete record—labs, notes, and past assessments—that provides context. Just as medical records are organized so clinicians know where to find labs, history, and results, bookkeepers provide the same value by organizing expenses into categories.

Growth takeaway: Clean, organized expenses not only reveal where your money truly goes—helping you cut waste and redirect funds into marketing, hiring, or scaling—but they also provide peace of mind, knowing your records are accurate and compliant.

4. Preparing & Analyzing Reports = Gathering a Detailed Health Assessment

Before a physician can diagnose and treat, they rely on a detailed and accurate health assessment—lab results, vitals, clinical data, and a patient interview all gathered together. Bookkeepers do something similar. They don’t just prepare reports—they analyze them, helping you understand what the numbers are saying.

Owners help fill in details such as clarifying what a receipt was for, identifying whether a purchase was personal or business, or confirming the purpose of a transaction. That partnership ensures nothing gets overlooked, and the books reflect both accuracy and context.

Together, we can provide the optimal foundation for long-term financial growth and success.

5. Keeping You Tax-Ready = Preventative Care

Skipping checkups often leads to emergencies. The same happens in business: without ongoing bookkeeping, tax time becomes a scramble. In fact, 60% of accountants say they spend too much time correcting client mistakes and handling manual tasks (The Accountant, 2023): https://www.theaccountant-online.com/news/dext-60-of-accountants-spend-too-much-time-on-manual-tasks/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Growth takeaway: Staying tax-ready not only avoids fines and builds credibility with lenders, investors, and partners—but it also provides peace of mind, knowing you won’t face year-end surprises or stressful audits.

6. Time = Protecting Your Most Limited Resource

In healthcare, every minute matters. The same is true in business. Owners who try to manage their own books often find the process draining. Bookkeepers give that time back.

The time drain is real:
- Small business owners spend an average of 20 hours per month on bookkeeping (SCORE, 2025): https://www.score.org/resource/blog-post/financial-tasks-time-sink-small-business-owners?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- Many report spending 3–6 hours per week reconciling tasks (Consult Vera, 2025): https://consultvera.com/small-business-bookkeeping-stats/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- Nearly 60% of accountants also report time wasted correcting errors (The Accountant, 2023): https://www.theaccountant-online.com/news/dext-60-of-accountants-spend-too-much-time-on-manual-tasks/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Growth takeaway: By partnering with a bookkeeper, you not only save dozens of hours each month—you also gain peace of mind, knowing your time is being invested in moving your business forward, not stuck cleaning up the books.

Clinical Perspective & Statistics

Just like preventative medicine reduces hospitalizations, preventative bookkeeping reduces business failures. Research shows 82% of businesses fail due to poor cash flow management (SCORE / U.S. Bank): https://www.score.org/resource/blog-post/82-percent-business-failures-cash-flow?utm_source=chatgpt.com

With timely reconciliations, organized records, and proactive reporting, bookkeepers stabilize cash flow, keep you compliant, and position you for growth.

Conclusion

What does a bookkeeper do? More than just crunch numbers. A bookkeeper:
- Keeps your books stable by recording and reconciling daily activity
- Ensures you’re compliant with tax rules and payroll requirements
- Positions you to grow by providing clarity and insights that guide smarter decisions

Just as you care for your body, you can also care for your business by partnering with a bookkeeper. Beyond the numbers, being your bookkeeper is about building a relationship and walking this journey together—helping you stay on track, find peace of mind, and achieve lasting financial success.

“Bookkeeping Tips with a clinical twist: where gut instinct meets financial diagnosis.” — Claire Brizwell

It What is a Bookkeeper?

In medicine, patients often ask, “What’s the difference between a nurse and a doctor?” In business, people ask a similar question: “What’s the difference between a bookkeeper and an accountant?”

As a nurse-turned-bookkeeper, I see the roles clearly—and I’m here to explain what a bookkeeper is and why they are so important.

They are like the financial record-keepers, making sure every penny is accounted for. The unsung heroes who ensure your business’s financial health.

What a Bookkeeper Does

-Maintaining Ledgers ensuring all transactions are recorded properly

- Records daily financial transactions (income, expenses, invoices, payments)

- Keeps accounts organized and up-to-date

- Reconciles bank and credit card statements

-Payroll Processing (employee salaries and wages)

- Prepares financial reports s(P&L, Balance Statement) so you can see the “pulse” of your business at any time

Bookkeeper vs Accountant (CPA)

- Bookkeeper: Maintains accurate, timely records

- Accountant/CPA: Analyzes records, prepares tax filings, and gives higher-level financial advice - Together, they’re a team—but without clean books, the CPA can’t do their job well

Why Businesses Need a Bookkeeper

Just like patients rely on vital signs, businesses rely on accurate books. Without them, decisions get riskier, stress levels rise, and growth slows down. A bookkeeper keeps things running smoothly, so your CPA and your business can thrive. With out organized, accurate bookkeeping you could not have:

-An Accurate Financial Picture

-Informed Decision-Making

-Compliance with Regulations

-Time Savings

-Peace of Mind

Final Thoughts

My goal as your bookkeeper is more than balancing numbers—it’s about building trust, tailoring support to your unique business, and setting the stage for long-term success.

Want to learn more? Follow Claire’s Bookkeeping Tips with a Clinical Twist each week on LinkedIn, and for help with your books contact Lisa at BrizBookkeepers.com.

“Bookkeeping Tips with a clinical twist: where gut instinct meets financial diagnosis.” — Claire Brizwell

Meet Claire Brizwell—a nurse turned bookkeeper who brings decades of clinical experience into the world of numbers. Just as strong vitals matter in healthcare, steady financials matter in business. Claire Brizwell brings her nursing background and bookkeeping expertise to help businesses stay financially healthy. Each week she shares practical insights to simplify your books, reduce stress, and give you confidence in your numbers.

Through Claire’s Tips, you’ll find:

• -Practical bookkeeping advice written in plain English

• -Insights shaped by real-world healthcare and business experience

• -Guidance to keep your books clean, accurate, and decision-ready

Claire’s calm, steady approach helps business owners move from financial confusion to financial confidence.

Follow along each week for simple strategies to keep your business financially healthy.