Why Would You Want an Outsourced Accountant?

My husband, like so many of our generation, grew up convinced that quicksand would be a much bigger threat in adulthood.

But while quicksand rarely shows up, he has found something "230% more despair-filled" that sounds kind of similar: Quickbooks. He is not an accountant, and is, to put it lightly, not a fan.

“At least with quicksand,” he told me, “there’s a chance someone will pull you out.”

But lo! There are people who will pull you out.

We’re here with the rope — or is it a branch? A vine? the cessation of struggling? I probably should’ve researched this before committing to the metaphor.

Regardless: in this increasingly strained analogy, the tool you need isn’t a rope. It’s outsourced accounting.

We are QuickBooks ProAdvisors. We are Xero evangelists. We are the people who throw parties when a new Excel function drops. We love this stuff. We’re out here rooting for your chart of accounts, gently high-fiving your properly tagged inventory accounts, and not just pretending to nod along when someone brings up EBITDA.

You don’t need to feel embarrassed, or lost, or like you’re drowning.
You just need someone who gets it — and won’t make you feel worse for needing help.

In my ten years working with early-stage startups, solo founders, and small businesses, I’ve seen brilliant developers, educators, and leaders cosplay as mediocre accountants, trying to slog their way through balance sheets and multi-state tax notices.

It’s exhausting.
And honestly? It’s not a good use of their time.

Their books are sinking too.

“CAC,” they cry. “CLTV! Meaningful data to help you make good choices!”

But instead of reaching out, they (the people? the books? the corporate entity? lost it again) keep sinking — not ready to get the help they need.

And yes, they’re right to hesitate.
Most folks in this stage don’t need a full finance department.

Often, they don’t even need a full finance person.

They just need someone who can:

• whip the books into shape
• build systems that don’t collapse at scale
• and give them the financial information they actually need to do their real jobs

Outsourced accounting is for the in-between:

• When you’re not ready for a full team yet
• When you’ll never be ready for a full team
• When your old team has ghosted
• When the spreadsheets are haunted
• And when your financial story needs to make sense to people with money (the spookiest of all)

I started KEP Books to help weird, mission-driven businesses keep their books balanced and their spreadsheets well-fed — so founders can get back to building the things only they can build.