Well, that’s fun.
You log in, look at your books, and realize your bookkeeper has not updated anything in weeks. You text. Nothing. You email. Still nothing. Maybe they moved. Maybe they burned out. Maybe they are just done.
Either way, you are now running a business without a financial safety net.
Here’s how to stop the bleeding, get control, and avoid finding out the hard way that your “books” are just an Excel sheet named “final_final_revised_March2025.”
Step 1: Don’t Panic… but Don’t Wait Either
The longer you wait, the messier it gets. Every untracked dollar, every missed invoice, every uncategorized expense builds up.
This is where most business owners freeze. They figure they’ll fix it next quarter. Then next year. Then next tax season. Then the IRS shows up and now it is a crisis.
Even if your books look like a crime scene, they can be fixed. But time matters.
Step 2: Lock Down Access
Before you do anything else, change passwords on:
- QuickBooks or whatever software they were using
- Your business bank accounts
- Payroll platforms
- Any shared files or folders
If you gave your old bookkeeper full access, that is a potential liability… even if things ended on good terms. Clean slate starts now.
Step 3: Grab a Snapshot of What Is Left
Pull copies of:
- Bank statements
- Credit card statements
- Your most recent Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet (even if they are rough)
- Any outstanding invoices or bills
You do not need it all sorted. You just need to know what you’re walking into. A good clean-up starts with a baseline.
Step 4: Decide What You Actually Want This Time
Maybe your last bookkeeper was great… until they were not. Maybe they were cheap, but always late. Maybe they were nice, but never explained anything.
Now is your chance to reset and find someone who:
- Sends you reports without you begging
- Keeps your books clean and understandable
- Does not disappear when it’s time to file
- Works proactively, not reactively
Bookkeeping should not feel like a favor. It should feel like control.
Step 5: Do Not Wait for Perfection to Start Over
If your books are behind, do not wait until everything is sorted to hire help. That is like cleaning your whole house before calling a cleaning service.
Forget perfect. A solid bookkeeper just needs the truth and a way in.
You Did Not Lose a Bookkeeper. You Gained a Wake-Up Call.
This is your chance to upgrade. Not just to someone new, but to someone better.
Want us to take a look at the mess and map out a fix?
Grab a zero-pressure rescue call and we will help you get back in control fast.
