No Se Habla Taxes

Melissa Armstrong, CPA
  • 5.0 (36)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Welcome to No Se Habla Taxes—the podcast where real talk meets real numbers. I’m Melissa: CPA, fractional controller, solo practice owner, and your no-fluff financial translator. Every other week, I get brutally honest about what it’s really like doing my own bookkeeping (yes, even the meltdowns) so you don’t have to learn the hard way. If you’re an early-stage founder, creative entrepreneur, or service-based solopreneur doing your own books in QuickBooks Online, or avoiding them entirely, this show is for you. No Se Habla Taxes is part confessional, part crash course, and 100% judgment-free. We’ll tackle bookkeeping basics, DIY accounting tips, tax-time readiness, and the mindset shifts that actually move the needle in your business. Because while no se habla taxes… yet… we're about to change that, one reconciled bank statement at a time. Let’s dive in.

Episodes

  1. 11/12/2025

    Year-End Panic Mode

    Welcome to No Se Habla Taxes—the podcast where a CPA does her own bookkeeping and occasionally procrastinates just like the rest of you.  I’m Melissa Armstrong: fractional controller, solo practice owner, and financial translator for founders who’d rather binge Netflix than reconcile a bank statement.  And today’s episode? Ohhh boy. I have a confession...  ✋🏼 The Confession  I always tell my clients: stay on top of your books, do your monthly closes, don’t fall behind.  Welp.  I fell behind.  Like... months behind.  Between client projects, life chaos, and general “I’ll get to it later” energy, I opened QuickBooks in November only to realize I hadn’t reconciled a single account since July.  Cue the panic. Dozens of uncategorized transactions. A PayPal balance that looked... sus. An Amazon charge that could’ve been printer ink or cap food.  Oh—and did I mention I’m a CPA?  🧠 The Real Talk  Falling behind doesn’t make you a bad business owner—it makes you human.  But when months pile up:  🔍 Your memory fades 😰 Your stress spikes 💸 Your decisions get fuzzy That’s when Year-End Panic Mode hits—and that’s what we’re unpacking today.  💡 This Episode Includes:  My very real bookkeeping meltdown (it’s fine, everything’s fine) 6 practical steps to get caught up without spiraling A shoutout to my network (hi, Amanda from Element Eight!) How to stop the chaos and start fresh—today ✅ Free Resource: The Catch-Up Checklist  Feeling the pressure of year-end catch-up? I’ve got you. Grab my free Catch-Up Checklist—the exact steps I used to dig out of my bookkeeping mess.  📥 Download it here  🎧 If This Sounds Familiar...  You’re not lazy. You’re building something. Sometimes the back end gets messy.  Let’s clean it up—without shame, without overwhelm, and with coffee (and maybe a croissant).  Subscribe to No Se Habla Taxes wherever you listen, and remember:   Stay scrappy, stay smart, and don’t let your Amazon orders haunt you in April.  Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/ Coaching Program Waitlist: https://steadyhandaccounting.myflodesk.com/ofgzp2o7tc

    9 min

  2. 10/29/2025

    The Subscription Graveyard

    Welcome back to No Se Habla Taxes — the podcast where a CPA does her own bookkeeping... and finds financial skeletons in her closet.  I’m Melissa Armstrong: fractional controller, solo practice owner, and your favorite financial translator for founders who’d rather invest in growth than leak money on duplicate apps.  And today? I’m here with a confession that might sound familiar...  💀 I discovered a subscription graveyard lurking in my books — two Canva accounts, duplicate Zoom charges, a forgotten Dropbox, and more.  It started as a simple month-end review in QuickBooks Online… and ended in a digital horror story.  In this episode, I walk you through:  ✨ How I realized I was paying twice for the same tools   ✨ Why these “just $15” charges quietly wreck your budget   ✨ A simple, CPA-approved audit method to catch and cancel the chaos   ✨ The real cost of cluttered expenses — beyond the dollars  You’ll also meet my incredible VA, Nicole Leon of El Leon Virtual Assistants, who helps founders get out of the weeds with emotionally intelligent support. (Trust me, she’s a lifesaver.)  And yes — I’m giving you a step-by-step system to run your own Subscription Audit, including:  📌 How to pull and categorize your charges   📌 Spotting duplicates like a financial detective   📌 Ruthlessly cutting the noise   📌 Setting a quarterly reminder so it never happens again  💡 Bonus Tip: I even shout out a virtual card trick that makes cancelling sneaky subscriptions a breeze.  If you’ve ever said “It’s only $15, what’s the big deal?” — this one’s for you.  🎧 Listen now to clean up your own subscription graveyard.   📥 Grab my free Subscription Audit Checklist here.   💬 DM me or tag me if this episode helped you cancel just one zombie charge.  Until next time — stay scrappy, stay smart, and cancel that extra Canva account.  Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/ Coaching Program Waitlist: https://steadyhandaccounting.myflodesk.com/ofgzp2o7tc

    8 min

  3. 10/15/2025

    Bank Feed Betrayal

    🎙️ Episode: Bank Feeds Betrayal  Welcome to No Se Habla Taxes—the podcast where a CPA does her own bookkeeping and sometimes gets betrayed by QuickBooks itself.  I’m Melissa Armstrong, fractional controller, solo practice owner, and financial translator for founders who’d rather wrestle with client work than with their bank feeds.  And today’s confession?   I trusted QuickBooks’ little green “Add” button a little too much… and for three whole months, it lied to me.  ✨ Adobe as meals & entertainment.   ✨ Zoom living under telephone expense.   ✨ Contractor payments sitting in Ask My Accountant.  On the surface? My books looked tidy.   In reality? They were misleading, messy, and costing me clarity.  In this episode, I’ll share:  🚨 Why blindly trusting bank feeds is dangerous for your business 🧐 How miscategorized expenses distort your P&L (and your decisions) 💡 Five practical fixes: rules, memos, reconciliations, and more 🛑 Why “QuickBooks told me to” isn’t a valid IRS defense Plus—you’ll meet Marta Spirk, a speaking coach and TEDx speaker helping women entrepreneurs turn their business into a stage for authentic visibility.  If you’ve ever hit “Add” in QuickBooks just to get it over with, this episode is for you. Clean books mean clean decisions—and messy books cost you more than time.  🎧 Listen in for today’s confession, a few hard-earned lessons, and tips to stop your bank feed from betraying you.  📥 Want my free Bank Feed Cleanup Cheat Sheet? Grab it here  👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to No Se Habla Taxes wherever you listen, and stay scrappy, stay smart, and double check those Adobe charges.  Www.martaspirk.com Www.instagram.com/martaspirk Www.youtube.com/martaspirk Www.linkedin.com/in/marta-spirk    Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/ Coaching Program Waitlist: https://steadyhandaccounting.myflodesk.com/ofgzp2o7tc

    9 min

  4. 10/01/2025

    Budgeting with Feelings: How FOMO Blew Up My Budget

    Welcome to No Se Habla Taxes, the podcast where I—a CPA and fractional controller—do my own bookkeeping and confess my way through the chaos so you don’t have to feel alone in yours.  In this episode, I get very real about budgeting—specifically, the emotional kind. Not the kind that lives in a pristine spreadsheet, but the one that has to account for things like impulse buys, last-minute trips, and yes, a serious case of professional FOMO.  Here’s what you’ll hear:  💸 The story of how I budgeted for one conference… and ended up attending two   📉 Why the problem wasn’t the money—but the scramble afterward   🧠 How emotional spending shows up in business (hello, “treat yourself” tax write-offs)   🛠️ My 3-step approach to building a solopreneur-friendly budget that actually works   💰 Why every founder needs a “FOMO Fund”—and how to set one up  👥 Plus, in our new segment From My Network, I’m shouting out the brilliant Lori Young—offer strategist and holistic business coach. Don’t miss her Offer Confidence Toolkit!  🎁 Freebie Alert: Want a solopreneur-friendly budget template? Grab my Budgeting Starter Kit via the link in the show notes.  📣 CTA:   If this episode made you feel seen, hit subscribe, share it with a fellow business owner, and leave a review. And remember—budgeting isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being honest. Future You will thank you.  🎧 Subscribe to No Se Habla Taxes wherever you listen.  🔗 Budgeting Starter Kit  The Offer Confidence Toolkit is your go-to gut check for your offer…with a major upgrade. Now featuring an AI-powered tool + downloadable checklist, this dynamic duo walks you through 10 intentional questions to uncover whether your offer is truly aligned, marketable, and ready to sell, or where it needs a quick tune-up. https://www.onamissionbrands.com/offer-checklist   Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/ Coaching Program Waitlist: https://steadyhandaccounting.myflodesk.com/ofgzp2o7tc

    9 min

  5. 09/17/2025

    “Your Business is Not Your ATM: How I Pay Myself (and Why It Matters)”

    If you’ve ever found yourself transferring money from your business account to your personal one “just this once,” this episode is for you.  I get this question all the time—“How do I pay myself from my business the right way?” And honestly? It’s one of the most misunderstood parts of being a solopreneur.  In this episode of No Se Habla Taxes, I’m walking you through:  ✨ Why your business account is not your personal piggy bank  ✨ The real danger of treating your biz like your backup wallet  ✨ How I (a single-member LLC) pay myself consistently and cleanly every month  ✨ The system I use in QuickBooks Online to automate my owner distributions—without the chaos  And because I love a good workflow, I’ve got a free step-by-step guide for you:  📥 Download “How I Pay Myself Like a Pro” here: https://steadyhandaccounting.myflodesk.com/xf47l1ku5f  So if you’re ready to stop playing ATM roulette with your business account and start paying yourself like the grown-up CEO you are, this episode is your permission slip.  👀 Want more behind-the-scenes confessionals and clean bookkeeping systems?  👉 Subscribe to No Se Habla Taxes wherever you listen, and follow me for updates on my upcoming DIY bookkeeping mentorship program.  Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/ Coaching Program Waitlist: https://steadyhandaccounting.myflodesk.com/ofgzp2o7tc

    6 min

  6. 09/03/2025

    "Distributions, Temptations, and That Sneaky Credit Card Clock"

    In this episode of No Se Habla Taxes, I’m confessing something that every solo business owner has probably thought about: giving yourself a raise the moment new money hits the bank.  But before I could celebrate my new client wins with a little extra payout, I had to pump the brakes and take a hard look at what’s actually smart for my business right now.  We’re talking about:  💸 Why I pay myself via distributions (not salary) as a single-member LLC 🧾 How that 0% interest credit card I’ve been floating is about to turn into a pumpkin 💰 The unglamorous magic of setting aside cash for taxes and emergencies 🙅🏽‍♀️ Why “just because you can” doesn’t mean “you should” — especially when it comes to paying yourself This isn’t about being stingy. It’s about making intentional money moves as the CEO of your business—even if you’re the only one on payroll.  ✨ Bonus reality check: If you’re not saving at least 25% of your net income for taxes… this one’s for you.  📥 Subscribe to No Se Habla Taxes and get more behind-the-scenes financial confessions, smart bookkeeping tips, and permission to not have it all figured out.  Until next time: watch that credit card clock, save your receipts, and pay yourself like the boss you are.  Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/ Coaching Program Waitlist: https://steadyhandaccounting.myflodesk.com/ofgzp2o7tc

    6 min

  7. 08/20/2025

    “Autopay or Bust: How I Stopped Chasing Invoices”

    In this episode of No Se Habla Taxes, I’m spilling the tea on how I set up my business so I never have to chase another invoice again. Yes, even as a solo CPA doing my own books.  I’m walking you through:  💸 Why every client—project-based or monthly—signs an agreement with autopay built in  📅 How predictable cash flow has saved my sanity (and maybe my rent)  🤔 Common objections from service providers (and how to lovingly dismantle them)  🚫 The messy consequences of “send now, pay later” billing  ✅ What tools I use to automate payments and protect my peace  If you’ve ever waited too long to get paid—or avoided setting up systems because you didn’t want to “seem pushy”—this one’s for you.  You’re not too small for structure. You’re smart enough to build it.  🎧 Subscribe to No Se Habla Taxes wherever you get your podcasts.  Until next time—secure the bag, automate the process, and keep your receipts.  Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/ Coaching Program Waitlist: https://steadyhandaccounting.myflodesk.com/ofgzp2o7tc

    6 min

  8. 08/06/2025

    The App That Fixed My Billing Chaos (and Might Save Yours Too)

    In this episode of No Se Habla Taxes, I’m sharing the billing fix I didn’t know I needed—until I hit a wall with clunky invoices, awkward follow-ups, and manually tacked-on credit card fees.  Fresh off the Bridging the Gap conference here in Denver (yes, I only pulled it off because it was local), I got exactly what I came for: tool recommendations from smart, scrappy peers who get it.  The standout? Anchor—an all-in-one platform for proposals, engagement letters, and seamless payments.  I tried it. It worked.  The first invoice was scheduled and paid automatically.  No chasing. No duplicate invoices for card fees. Just clean, modern billing.  And the best part? It’s not just for CPAs—it’s for YOU.  If you’re a service-based solopreneur still emailing random PDFs and hoping for the best, this tool will change your cash flow life.  In this episode, I cover:  The real reason I went to an accounting conference in year one Why Anchor solved my payment headaches How automation can protect your time and your sanity The one-liner that’ll make you stop sending PDFs for good 💸 Want $50 to try Anchor? Click my referral link (https://join.sayanchor.com/D6iBrT)  and get a $50 credit applied to your account when you sign up. Modern billing has entered the chat.  🔗 Resources Mentioned:  Anchor: https://join.sayanchor.com/D6iBrT  Bridging the Gap Conference: https://www.btgconference.com/ 🎧 Subscribe & Review Love what you're hearing? Subscribe to No Se Habla Taxes and leave a quick review—it helps other solopreneurs find their way out of bookkeeping chaos too.  Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/ Coaching Program Waitlist: https://steadyhandaccounting.myflodesk.com/ofgzp2o7tc

    5 min

  9. 07/23/2025

    “Why I Stopped Dodging Credit Card Fees (and You Might Too)”

    I Refused to Accept Credit Cards—and Slowed Down My Cashflow In this episode of No Se Habla Taxes, I’m coming clean about a hill I used to die on: refusing to accept credit card payments from clients. Yep, I said no to the easiest way to get paid—because I didn’t want to eat the 2.9% fee. I told myself I was protecting my margins. I was wrong. Here’s the truth: every time I resisted credit card payments, I made it harder for clients to pay me. And that friction? It cost me in ways I didn’t expect—slower cashflow, delayed invoices, and lost time. Tune in for: 💳 My full confession and what finally changed my mind  🔄 The cashflow lesson I learned while paying my own vendor 📈 How to build credit card fees into your pricing (without eating the cost) 🧾 Options for passing down fees or setting minimums 📊 Tools that make it easy (like QuickBooks Online and Stripe) If you’ve been dodging credit card fees like they’re financial quicksand, this one’s for you. Spoiler: the real risk is slowing your money down to avoid a minor fee. 🎧 Don’t forget to subscribe, and send this episode to a fellow founder who still only takes checks (bless their heart). 💌 Want more real talk about DIY bookkeeping? I’ve got a newsletter and a bookkeeping bootcamp launching soon. Stay tuned! Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/ Coaching Program Waitlist: https://steadyhandaccounting.myflodesk.com/ofgzp2o7tc

    5 min

  10. 07/09/2025

    Oops! That was personal - Cleaning Up Comingled Expenses

    Welcome to No Se Habla Taxes—the podcast where a CPA does her own bookkeeping, spills all the beans… and then counts them. I’m Melissa Armstrong, your fractional controller and financial translator, here to share the real talk behind the receipts. In this episode, I’m confessing a classic bookkeeping blunder: using my business card for personal expenses. Yep—Target runs, Amazon orders, late-night DoorDash (for "business stamina," of course)… I’ve done it all. And like many early-stage founders, I told myself I’d “fix it later.” Plot twist: I did. But not before my P&L looked like it had a double life. Listen in as I walk you through: Why mixing personal and business expenses is more than just messy—it’s riskyThe legal and tax implications of commingling funds (hi, corporate veil 👋)The exact step-by-step process to clean up your books and prevent future slip-upsHow separating your money Marie Kondo–style can save your sanity and your strategy💡 If your business card is pulling double duty for client lunches and cat food, this episode is your friendly (and slightly sassy) intervention. 🎧 Like what you hear? Hit subscribe, leave a review, and share this with a fellow founder who’s still Venmoing their way through bookkeeping limbo. ✨ And don’t forget—my DIY bookkeeping mentorship program is launching this fall. Subscribe for more updates, more confessions, and fewer uncategorized transactions. Let's connect! LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongmelissacpa/ Website: https://steadyhandaccounting.com/ Coaching Program Waitlist: https://steadyhandaccounting.myflodesk.com/ofgzp2o7tc

    7 min
  • 10 Episodes

5
out of 5
36 Ratings

About

Welcome to No Se Habla Taxes—the podcast where real talk meets real numbers. I’m Melissa: CPA, fractional controller, solo practice owner, and your no-fluff financial translator. Every other week, I get brutally honest about what it’s really like doing my own bookkeeping (yes, even the meltdowns) so you don’t have to learn the hard way. If you’re an early-stage founder, creative entrepreneur, or service-based solopreneur doing your own books in QuickBooks Online, or avoiding them entirely, this show is for you. No Se Habla Taxes is part confessional, part crash course, and 100% judgment-free. We’ll tackle bookkeeping basics, DIY accounting tips, tax-time readiness, and the mindset shifts that actually move the needle in your business. Because while no se habla taxes… yet… we're about to change that, one reconciled bank statement at a time. Let’s dive in.

Information

  • Creator
    Melissa Armstrong, CPA
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Melissa Armstrong
  • Show Website
    No Se Habla Taxes