The One Without The Overwhelm

TL;DR

Behind The Hustle: Kayla Maldonado

50% OFF - BSH Guidebook

In honor of Bookkeeper Appreciation Week, I would like to point you to The Bookkeeping Side Hustle Guidebook: Actionable Steps To Become A Virtual Bookkeeper Without The Overwhelm.

You will be able to get it for 50% off with code APPRECIATE.

Wait, before y’all move on, go make sure you are also registered for Bookkeeper Appreciation Week activities.

This guidebook of mine does two things:

1. It outlines the 4 steps that each of us must follow to be successful in starting a virtual bookkeeper business.

2. It is packed with clickable links to additional resources throughout the entire book, so that it functions like a very specific reference library to help you do each of the 4 steps.

Now, my book is no replacement for a coach who will be there alongside you, motivating you, correcting you, and edifying you as you step toward your goals.

But I am not a bookkeeping business coach. I am a bookkeeper who is working hard to build my own bookkeeping business…who also happens to be able to write down my ideas (I mean…you are reading a written newsletter at this exact moment, after all).

This guidebook is a resource that you have to work through on your own.

And by work, I mean WORK. Because building a bookkeeping business is definitely work. Hard, hard work (shame on anyone who makes you think otherwise).

But until you are ready to invest in a full course and coaching program, my book is available as a pretty darn robust launchpad for you.

You might also be interested to know that 0.0% of it was written by AI.

I mean, you can always just have a conversation with your favorite AI to tell you what steps to take to build a bookkeeping business.

You probably already have tried that, right? Of course you have.

But if that isn’t working out so well for you, then maybe something written by a human doing the exact thing and supporting her family while also getting to have a lot of time to do things she finds much more important might be something worth reading.

I also just updated the book this morning with 2 new links in the Step 1 chapter for those of you who are needing to start with the Debits & Credits stuff (a.k.a. the Accounting Fundamentals). And I did a major update to it at the end of 2025. So this is a very fresh resource.

I hope this resource helps you build the business of your dreams. Or turns you off completely from bookkeeping so you can pursue an industry that might be a better fit. Wouldn’t either outcome be a WIN for you???

Bang that graphic to get the book.

And if you are already neck deep in your bookkeeping business journey, please share this resource with a friend who you care about who you know needs to read it.

Deals Deals Deals

💰 Bookkeeping Side Hustle Guidebook on sale for 50% off with code APPRECIATE.

💰You are running out of time to get your discounted ticket to GrowCon in Utah this May. I will be there and would love to hang out! Particularly would love to go on a walk with you since I still like to get my 10k steps a day, even when (especially when) I am in a hotel. Use code KATE200 for $200 off your ticket price. Coupon code expires in just 3 days!

💰XeroCon is coming to Denver this summer. Tickets are 30% off for a limited time.

Please always send me any news of deals that you hear of that others might benefit from.

Be There or Be Square

Items with a “+” are hosted by me. All these events can be viewed and registered for in the DESCRIPTIONS of each event on the Bookkeeping Side Hustle Calendar.

📅 March 30 - April 3: Bookkeeper Appreciation Week. BILL is celebrating the work bookkeepers do every day, while sharing practical ideas for building healthier, more sustainable practices. Each day, you’ll receive curated content you can explore at your own pace. Sign up TODAY!

📅+April 2 Alternative Compensation Models For Bookkeeping. Jamie Campbell is presenting different ways to offer compensation for bookkeepers you want to hire. She believes her compensation model provides the right incentives to have a healthy, well-compensated, and well-incentivized team. Click HERE for the link to watch.

📅 May 4-6: GrowCon in Utah. THE Conference EXCLUSIVELY for OWNERS of Bookkeeping, Tax & Accounting Companies. Use code KATE200 for $200 off.

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Featured Posts

🌶️ I like to give credit where credit is due. And today that is to Double (formerly Keeper). I had no part in this post (and I don’t even use Double because it doesn’t integrate with FreshBooks), but this thread in our community Facebook group is an absolute love letter and gush-fest about how important Double is to these bookkeepers’ tech stack. Christine K., if you are reading this, I would love for you to comment here on Substack and let us know what you decided about whether you will keep Double.

• And if you are inspired to get started with Double, I’d sure be grateful if you use this referral link to get started. The occasional referral helps “keep the lights on” in the Bookkeeping Side Hustle Community.

🌶️ Kimberly M. wants to know how the introverts get clients.

🌶️ Irina J. asked about your plan B if you lose internet or power at your house. Scrappy, I-Will-Not-Be-Thwarted answers.

Help You Hustle

💪 This latest edition of Behind The Hustle features a firm owner who is a Xero-lover. Kayla Maldonado also talked about how she got the insurance broker she used to work for to pay for her bookkeeping training. Ding ding!

💪 If you’ve ever thought, “I know I am a great bookkeeper, but I’m not totally sure I know how to run the business,” Justine Lackey’s program called The Nest might be worth a look.

The Nest focuses on things like pricing, systems, and building a more sustainable firm. She also recently sold her own firm, so there is a lot of wisdom and hard knocks that come with building a business that is sellable.

It’s one of those resources aimed at helping you move from doing the work to actually running a business AND knowing (and charging for) your value.

You can check out all the details here. But the program starts next week! So you better move if it is what you need! Note: There’s also a 7-day guarantee if you want to try it out first.

💪 Bookkeeping Business Accelerator by Serena Shoup is geared up for their spring cohort. There are 3 more days left to get the bonuses she is offering. Check out all that is included here. Notably, she is one of the few coaches out there that has technical content on Xero inside her program. Oh boy, that gets my motor running. Lots of QBO users are a part of her programs, too, but Serena herself also runs a Xero-focused firm.

Jobs

💼 A job was added to the Job Guide! Don’t forget to add you #jobopps to the Facebook group!

Don’t forget the standing opps on my Find A Freelance Job article. 1099 and W-2 opps.

My Family Circus (44F, 40M, 14M, 12F, 11M)

🎪Fortunately/Unfortunately

One of our tricks for keeping kids occupied, especially at restaurants, is a game that we titled Fortunately/Unfortunately.

This game is recommended for ages from toddler up to 99.

There really is only one rule.

You go around the circle of people and start to tell a story as a group. The first person says the word “fortunately” and then starts to share whatever idea they have for the beginning of a story for a few sentences

Then the next person says the word “unfortunately” and continues with whatever their mind comes up with for a few more sentences.

And on and on until things get boring. Or until the story takes its natural turn towards the end. Often in our family it was where some critical person in the story dies. 💀

Here is just a taste of what it could be like…

Fortunately, Mr. Jehosaphat did not miss the bus in New York City as he was trying to be early to a very important meeting about his latest invention that he was sure was going to make him very rich.

Unfortunately, he made two very big mistakes as he rushed out the door of his hotel room. He forgot his prototype of the nanobots that were going to save all the world’s honey bees AND he forgot to put on his belt!

Fortunately, there was a young college kid about his size on the bus who was willing to sell him his own belt for $40. Mr. Jehosaphat had two $20s in his pocket because his father always taught him to keep a little cash in his wallet.

Unfortunately, the guy he bought the belt from fell down in front of him as they both were getting off the bus because his pants started to fall off because he had no belt! He busted his forehead wide open and blood was gushing everywhere on the aisle of the bus. Spurt! Spurt! Spurt! Gasp! Gag! Scream! Everyone on the bus knew that Mr. Jehosaphat was the reason the college guy was hurt because they heard the negotiations for the belt, so they were all giving him the stink eye to help the poor belt-less chap.

Fortunately, …

And so on and so forth for as long as the group can go.

Try it and let me know how it goes.

Kate Builds In Public

🎢 I give you updates about my business every other Saturday, but I have had very few work days in the last 2 weeks. So I don’t have a lot to report (and haven’t brought home that much new revenue to speak of ☹️).

• 2 weeks ago we were in New Mexico visiting my in-laws and skiing with friends for spring break week.

• I substitute taught for 6th grade science on this past Monday.

• And, in my new job as middle school softball coach, we had a tournament on Thursday and Friday. So those were only a couple of hours of (bookkeeping) work on those days (softball coaching is work…such great work).

🎢 I do have very momentous thing to share. If you’ve been following the Bookkeeping Side Hustle Community for any length of time, you know that I sell a membership to business clients called my FreshBooks Office Hours.

I’ve been selling that service for almost 4 years now. But the problem is, the meetings are on Tuesday afternoons, come rain or shine. I have been very strict with myself about not missing them. I usually reschedule them if I have to miss. I think I’ve only truly canceled one and it was between Christmas and New Year’s this past year.

So here’s what happened. I have a specific written goal for 2026 that would find some way for these weekly meetings to still occur without me.

And I did it.

I have a great relationship with a contractor who works for me on some FreshBooks cleanup projects and on some monthly clients. She is smart. Confident. Able to think on her feet. And not scared to say “I don’t know” if she doesn’t know something. (Which are all the traits that you need to have if you ever want to sell something like my FreshBooks Office Hours group where you could be asked any question about accounting or about a bookkeeping software with no prep time).

Well, while I was riding up the mountain on a ski lift, she hosted the meeting! Do y’all know how huge that feels!

My new Digital Operations Assistant was there to support her as host of the zoom meeting and to record any notes about things I need to follow up on.

Some folks might wag their finger at me for having taken 4 years to not be a slave to these Tuesday afternoon meetings. But hey, better late than never.

If you have any questions about this little story, comment below or hit reply.

From The Vault

⚡It has been 8 months since the FIRST Behind The Hustle interview - which ones have you watched? Thank you Lynsi Ingram for kicking us off!

Classifieds (Clickable)

Keep hustling!

Kate

-Chief Hustler-

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