Brown Dog Bookkeeping

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United States
Leesburg, VA
Brown Dog Bookkeeping

Full Service Bookkeeping Firm Providing Accurate & Timely Financial Information for Small Businesses

08/31/2026

"But you don't look like a bookkeeper..." Correct. I don't own a single beige cardigan or a pair of sleeve garters.

Give me one second to get in uniform. 👉

Here's the thing nobody tells you about your 40s and 50s: you get to build the version of "professional" that actually looks like you, not the one you pictured back at 22. Turns out the calculator still works fine even with a good blowout and two decades of life experience no business school hands you.

Follow for more proof that organized and fun aren't mutually exclusive 🐾

08/28/2026

Times you need more than just a bank statement, for anyone who thinks a screenshot counts as recordkeeping:

Amazon (and similar): a bank statement shows you spent $184.32 there, not what you bought. Save the itemized receipt and note what was business vs. personal. Meals: the charge shows you ate somewhere, not who you were with or the business purpose — save that too, because you will not remember six months from now and neither will I. Large purchases like equipment or furniture over $2,500: I need the invoice and the placed-in-service date to categorize it correctly.

A little context now saves a lot of guessing later, for both of us. Swipe through, then send this to the business owner who thinks bank statements are enough documentation.

08/27/2026

Small business back-to-school supply list, because apparently we all still need one of these every August — even if your actual back-to-school shopping this year was a dorm mini-fridge, a flight home booked for winter break, or just new cleats for a kid who's suddenly taller than you.

A separate business bank account, plus a card that isn't secretly funding Target runs. A calendar with your tax deadlines actually on it. Completed W-9s for anyone you've paid this year. A permission slip from your accountant before any "it's a write-off!" purchase. And QuickBooks — set up, used, and reconciled, not just paid for and ignored.

Swipe for the full list, then tell me which item you're missing. No judgment, I promise — some of us are refereeing two different "back to school" seasons at once 📓 🍎

08/26/2026

Small business money goals I've helped clients hit lately: investing in continuing education. Taking the actual dream vacation, not just pinning it. Growing their team. Giving themselves a real raise. Paying off debt that's been sitting there since year one.

For a lot of my clients, these aren't just nice-to-haves anymore. With kids launching and retirement feeling closer than it used to, this is the stretch where the business finally has to pay off, not just pay the bills. None of it happens by accident. It happens because someone knew their numbers well enough to make the call.

Which one's on your list right now?

08/25/2026

Contractor compliance for small business owners: just Zelle-ing your VA isn't enough, unfortunately.

Here's the actual checklist: a signed contractor agreement, a completed W-9, payments tracked by contractor (not just vibes), confirmation they should legally be treated as a contractor and not an employee, and a standard payment method you can actually document.

Worth getting right, especially once this business has turned into something you actually want to protect for the long haul, not just get through this year. Swipe through, then check how many of these you've got covered right now 🐾

08/24/2026

Your CPA called. They want you to hire me 🎉

(They didn't actually call. But if your books need an intervention, this is basically what they'd say if they could — right before they finally get to say "these are clean" instead of sighing.)

Tag the business owner who needs to hear this.

08/21/2026

What to do if you ignored your bookkeeping all summer — no shame, between camp drop-offs, a kid's summer job schedule, checking a Life360 dot more often than your own bank balance, and just trying to survive the season with your sanity intact, it happens to the best of us:

Gather everything that fell off your radar the last few months: bank and credit card statements, loan statements, invoices and receipts, payroll or contractor records. Go back to the most recently reconciled month and check that the ending balance matches your next statement's beginning balance. Then work forward, entering and categorizing everything as you go.

Most importantly: don't fall further behind this fall. If you're already behind now, before things get even busier (and before perimenopause makes the idea of touching a spreadsheet feel like a personal attack), it might be time to hire someone (like me!) to catch it up for you.

PS: If you need a yummy cocktail to enjoy while you're catching up on your neglected summer bookkeeping, highly suggests her favorite, a Hugo Spritz 🍋‍🟩 🍾

4 oz prosecco
1 oz of elderflower liqueur or elderflower syrup (2 oz if you like it more sweet)
1 oz club soda (optional if you like more bubbles)
Fresh mint
Squeezed lime for flavor + garnish

08/20/2026

Marketing write-offs for small businesses, for anyone still wondering if that expense counts:

FB and IG ads. SEO services. Branded merch (yes, even the stickers). Branding photos. Web design. Copywriting. Social media management, if you've outsourced it.

If it's ordinary and necessary for getting your business in front of people, it's probably deductible. Investing in real marketing is also a good sign you've stopped downplaying this as a side project at dinner parties. Save this one for when you're second-guessing an invoice 🐾

08/19/2026

Let's talk about the home office deduction, because half of you are either claiming way too much or too scared to claim anything at all.

The basics: the space has to be used regularly and exclusively for your business — not the kitchen table you also eat dinner at (though if nobody's doing homework on it at 4pm anymore, it might finally qualify). You can deduct a portion of expenses like rent, mortgage interest, utilities, and insurance based on the percentage of your home used for business, or take the simplified method (a flat rate per square foot, up to a cap).

It's not the audit red flag people think it is when you actually qualify and track it correctly. Save this one for tax season.

08/18/2026

"My cute little woman-owned business?" Here's what it's actually done so far 😏

🤎 I've helped 50+ clients finally stop guessing what they can afford
🤎 I've hired 2 team members (hi 👋 & April)
🤎 I've gave back to the community by hosting in person bookkeeping classes
🤎 I've kept money in our local economy by working with small business owners in the Loudoun area

All while raising my 3 amazing sons, because moms really can DO IT ALL!

Cute is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence, especially for those of us who built this later, in the margins of raising a family, and are only now getting the bandwidth to take it fully seriously. Happy Women's Equality Day to every woman running something real, whatever chapter you started it in 🐾

Address

Leesburg, VA
20176

Website

http://www.browndogbookkeeping.com/

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