Bookkeeping Made Simple

Donna Harris
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship

How do you use bookkeeping and accounting to grow your business? Are your reports such that you have no idea what they mean? When you need to crunch numbers, do you die a little inside? This podcast is meant to help entrepreneurs become powerful business leaders. We believe that excellence and entrepreneurship is the ultimate rebellion.

  1. 2d ago

    Twenty-Five Years — September 11, 2026 | Books & Backbone

    Today is September 11th — the 25th anniversary. This is not a regular episode. No framework, no financial concepts. Just a brief reflection on what this day means — the before and the after, what ordinary mornings are worth, and what it means to keep building something in a country that absorbs hard things and continues. Back to regular content tomorrow. Donna Harris, MBA, MAccCEO, Bookkeeping Made Simple LLCmysimplebookkeeping.com

  2. 2d ago

    How to Actually Read Your Cash Flow Before Q4 | Books & Backbone

    Q4 has cash flow dynamics that other quarters don't. Holiday inventory gaps. December slow-pays. Year-end bonus payroll. Annual expense clusters. Q4 tax reserves. None of them are surprises — if you're looking at the forecast before October arrives. In this solo episode of Books & Backbone, Donna Harris walks through what makes Q4 specifically challenging from a cash flow perspective and exactly how to use the 13-week rolling forecast to see the pressure points before they arrive. She covers the inventory gap, the December receivables cliff, why Q4 requires more conservative assumptions about when clients will pay, and the specific action sequence when the forecast shows a tight spot coming. Q4 cash flow problems don't surprise businesses that are watching. They surprise businesses that aren't. Donna Harris, MBA, MAccCEO, Bookkeeping Made Simple LLCmysimplebookkeeping.com | 801-692-0032

  3. 4d ago

    Title: What Your Year-to-Date Numbers Are Actually Telling You | Books and Backbone

    Your year-to-date financials contain eight months of information about what's really happening inside your business. The question is: are you actually reading what they're telling you? In this episode of Books & Backbone, Donna Harris explains how to look beyond the totals on your financial statements and start reading the story behind the numbers. Revenue may be growing while margins are shrinking. Your P&L may show a profit while cash continues to decline. Expenses may be increasing for very good reasons — or quietly eating away at profitability. Donna walks through the revenue trends, margin changes, cash flow patterns, expense trends, and unusual numbers business owners should be examining before Q4 begins. You'll also learn why comparing numbers month to month can reveal things a year-to-date total can't, how percentages can expose changes that dollar amounts hide, and why a number that doesn't make sense deserves investigation rather than an explanation you simply assume is correct. A P&L is an output, not the work. The usefulness of any financial report depends on whether the bookkeeping behind it is reliable. And September matters because there's still time to act. In April, you're mostly explaining what happened. In September, you can still change what happens next. Ready to find out whether your financial picture is reliable? Book a free 20-minute Financial Clarity Call: https://mysimplebookkeeping.com/contact More from Bookkeeping Made Simple:Website: https://mysimplebookkeeping.comBlog — From Broke to Bankable: https://mysimplebookkeeping.com/from-broke-to-bankablePhone: 801-692-0032 Donna Harris, MBA, MAcc is the CEO of Bookkeeping Made Simple LLC and host of Books & Backbone — the podcast for small business owners who want clean books, real clarity, and the financial foundation to build something that lasts.

  4. 5d ago

    What should you know about your business finances before Q4 starts?

    What should you know about your business finances before Q4 starts? In this episode of Books & Backbone, Donna Harris breaks down four things every business owner should understand before October 1: • Actual cash position• Year-to-date gross margin• Accounts receivable aging• Expense trends Revenue alone doesn’t tell you whether your business is financially healthy. Sales can increase while margins fall. Your bank balance can look healthy even when much of that cash is already committed. And a large accounts receivable balance doesn’t necessarily mean all of that money is collectible — or even that the report is accurate. Donna explains how these four areas work together to tell the real story of your business, what to look for in your year-to-date numbers, and why September is the time to identify problems rather than waiting until year-end. Because a P&L is an output, not the work. Reliable financial reports depend on reliable bookkeeping behind them. December is too late to discover what happened to your business this year. Ready to find out whether your financial picture is reliable? Book a free 20-minute Financial Clarity Call: https://mysimplebookkeeping.com/contact More from Bookkeeping Made Simple:Website: https://mysimplebookkeeping.comBlog — From Broke to Bankable: https://mysimplebookkeeping.com/from-broke-to-bankablePhone: 801-692-0032 Donna Harris, MBA, MAcc is the CEO of Bookkeeping Made Simple LLC and host of Books & Backbone — the podcast for small business owners who want clean books, real clarity, and the financial foundation to build something that lasts.

  5. Sep 4

    Why September Is the Most Important Month for Your Business Finances | Books and Backbone

    Why does September matter so much to your business finances? Because you finally have enough information to see how the year is really going — while still having enough time to do something about it. In this episode of Books & Backbone, Donna explains why September is the ideal window for reviewing your financial position before Q4. You'll learn what to look for on your Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, and Accounts Receivable Aging report; how to forecast the rest of the year; why waiting until December limits your options; and how reliable books make better tax, cash flow, pricing, spending, and operational decisions possible. September isn't an arbitrary deadline. It's a window between knowing enough and still having time to act. And if your books aren't current enough to tell you where your business is headed, getting them caught up should be your first Q4 priority. Schedule a Financial Clarity Call with Bookkeeping Made Simple:mysimplebookkeeping.com/contact Website: mysimplebookkeeping.comPhone: 801-692-0032 Books & Backbone is brought to you by Bookkeeping Made Simple.

  6. Sep 3

    What Reconciliation Actually Is — And Why It's Not Automated | Books and Backbone

    Bank feeds aren't reconciliation. Automatic downloads, transaction matching, bank rules, and AI can make bookkeeping much more efficient. But reconciliation is something different: it's the process of verifying your accounting records against independent evidence. In this episode of Books & Backbone, Donna explains what reconciliation actually is, what happens when the books don't agree with the bank statement, and why even a seemingly insignificant discrepancy deserves attention. You'll also learn why getting a reconciliation to zero isn't necessarily enough, why credit cards need to be reconciled too, and why an account can reconcile perfectly while the underlying accounting is still wrong. You don't need to reconcile your own accounts. But you should know whether the person handling your books is actually doing it. Not sure whether your books accurately reflect your business? Schedule a Financial Clarity Call with Bookkeeping Made Simple. Schedule a call: mysimplebookkeeping.com/contactWebsite: mysimplebookkeeping.comPhone: 801-692-0032 Books & Backbone is brought to you by Bookkeeping Made Simple.

  7. Sep 2

    Do You Know Your Books Are Right — Or Do You Just Assume? | Books and Backbone

    Do you know your books are right — or have you simply been assuming they are? Hiring a bookkeeper should mean you don’t have to become an accounting expert. But completed books aren’t necessarily accurate books. In this episode of Books & Backbone, Donna walks through five signs that your financial records may deserve a closer look, including unusual bank balances, inaccurate accounts receivable, profit that doesn’t match what you’re experiencing, lingering balance sheet balances, and a bookkeeper who never asks questions. You’ll also learn why a reconciled bank account doesn’t automatically mean your books are correct and how a quick monthly review can help you spot problems before they affect important business decisions. The goal isn’t to audit your bookkeeper. It’s to know whether the financial information you’re relying on actually reflects your business. If you're not confident your books are telling you the whole story, schedule a Financial Clarity Call with Bookkeeping Made Simple. Schedule a call: mysimplebookkeeping.com/contactWebsite: mysimplebookkeeping.comPhone: 801-692-0032 Books & Backbone is brought to you by Bookkeeping Made Simple.

  8. Sep 1

    A P&L Is an Output, Not the Work | Books & Backbone

    Most business owners assume their financial reports are accurate because they exist. A P&L shows up. They read the bottom line. They accept it. What almost nobody asks — and what almost nobody has ever been told to ask — is whether the work behind it was done correctly. In this solo episode of Books & Backbone, Donna Harris opens September with the concept that runs through the entire month: a P&L is an output, not the work. She explains what the work actually involves — reconciliation, investigation, correct balance-sheet accounting, resolution of discrepancies — and why the P&L produced without that work looks identical to the one produced with it. With Q4 arriving in weeks, the financial picture a business owner is reading right now will drive the decisions they make through December. This episode helps them find out whether that picture is real. Donna Harris, MBA, MAccCEO, Bookkeeping Made Simple LLCmysimplebookkeeping.com | 801-692-0032

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About

How do you use bookkeeping and accounting to grow your business? Are your reports such that you have no idea what they mean? When you need to crunch numbers, do you die a little inside? This podcast is meant to help entrepreneurs become powerful business leaders. We believe that excellence and entrepreneurship is the ultimate rebellion.

Information

  • Creator
    Donna Harris
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    177
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Donna Harris
  • Show Website
    Bookkeeping Made Simple

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