Hello, my name is Joy Fleisig.

Using QuickBooks Online, I provide small and solo business owners with clear financial information so they can make better decisions, solve or even avoid problems, and help fulfill their hopes and dreams. I am based in New York City, but would love to work with businesses all over the USA.

January SALE - get your books cleaned up for the new year or start anew!

  • 15% off book cleanup/catchup or one month of bookkeeping FREE.

  • Also 50% off QBO setup to former Bench customers.

  • Ends 01/31/25 at 4PM ET, contract/engagement letter must be signed by then.

Giving you clear financial information…

So you can meet challenges…

And build the business you love.

WHY CHOOSE ME AS YOUR BOOKKEEPER?

I understand your problems as a business owner, and i’m here to solve them

You are a small (or maybe a not so small) business. Perhaps a solo entrepreneur. A startup or a side hustler.

You spend (too many!) hours per month trying to figure out where to put all your financial transactions and how to get your books to balance.

Your books may have been a mess for months or even YEARS.

Getting your company's finances to make sense is possibly stressing you out. Keeping you up at night. Affecting how you deal with your customers, vendors, and employees. Maybe even your family and friends.

You balk at turning your finances over to a gigantic accounting firm and yearn for the personal touch.

If your business is a side hustle, or you run your business on evenings and weekends, you may be having difficulty finding someone who keeps the same hours as you do.

Every business in America needs someone to take care of their books.

Let me be your bookkeeper.

My number 1 business rule - be a mensch!

The most important thing a bookkeeper can be is a person of ethics, honesty, integrity, kindness and compassion. I will treat my clients (and if any are eventually needed, my employees) like fully-rounded human beings whose time and experiences are valuable. I realize that behind every business there are PEOPLE who need my help. My job is to not only take the TIME you spend doing your books off your hands, but the STRESS (or as some Jews say, the TSURIS). I hope the services I offer will allow you to have more joy in your life as well as in your business.

And, of course, part of being a mensch is…

I WILL GIVE YOU WHITE GLOVE CUSTOMER SERVICE

I have almost 35 years of customer service experience in everything from music retail to market research to newspapers to insurance. If you have any questions about my services or your books I will answer them within one business day or let you know when I can. I am just a phone call or an E-mail away. I will get you the reports you need on time. Obviously, I will let you know well in advance if I will be unavailable. Having been “ghosted” in the past, I will certainly never “ghost” you.

you will spend a lot less Money Than hiring a full time onsite Bookkeeper - or doing your books yourself

Let’s say you’re a plumber, a psychologist, a photographer, a professional coach, a private teacher or tutor, or even some profession that doesn’t begin with “p” 😉 .

You charge, perhaps, $200/hour for your services, or you make that much with product sales. (I’m in NYC but I realize that it will probably be less than that outside a major metropolitan area)

And you (or maybe a family member) spend maybe 6-8 hours a month, or more, on your bookkeeping.

Time you could instead spend growing your business, or if your work schedule is already full, taking some well deserved leisure and family time.

So assuming you are spending as much as $1,600 ($200 per hour x 8 hours) worth of your time a month, wouldn’t it be better to pay me $1,000*/month to do your bookkeeping FOR YOU?

I would essentially be paying YOU $600 per month!

More importantly, even with the best of intentions, the typical business owner is much more likely to make mistakes than a QuickBooks Level 2 ProAdvisor** like me. I can prevent mistakes that might cost you THOUSANDS, and penalties from tax authorities. With clear financial information, you will have the tools to make the best decisions for your business.

Best of all, as I am an independent contractor, you are still likely to spend less money on my services than hiring a full-time onsite bookkeeper. Not only is my monthly payment likely less than a full-timer’s salary, you won’t have to pay payroll taxes or for health or Workers’ Compensation insurance.

*As I say under PRICING, how much I actually charge will depend on the size and complexity of your business and bookkeeping needs. It may be less or more than $1,000/month.

** Intuit recently rebranded much of it’s content - Level 2 ProAdvisor is what used to be known as Advanced ProAdvisor.

I am a quickbooks expert

  • Intuit Certified QuickBooks Level 1 ProAdvisor

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What Kinds of businesses do I want to work with?

I’m looking for the following:

  • You should be based in the US. Because I will for now be doing the bulk of my business during ET evening hours and weekends, businesses in Central, Mountain, and Pacific Time Zones - as well as Alaska and Hawaii - are especially welcome. Unfortunately, due to the limitations that Intuit has put on the US version of QuickBooks Online, I do not believe I can work with any businesses outside the US (although I think it may be possible if you have a business address in the US).

  • Your revenue should be under $5 million. That’s not a hard limit. No client too small.

  • You should have 50 or fewer employees - again, not a hard limit.

  • Women-owned, Black, Indigenous, POC-owned, LGBTQ-owned businesses ARE WELCOME.

  • You agree with me that being a mensch - treating your employees, clients, and customers well, and providing the best product or service that you can, is as or more important than making lots of money.

  • Possibly the most important - I realize you’re a busy businessperson - but you should be able to get me documents and other information I need to help you as soon as possible after I request it, or have someone else in your company do it.

Although I would likely enjoy working with almost any industry, I am PARTICULARLY interested in working with businesses that are:

  • Artistic and creative - photographers/videographers, anything related to music (especially classical, folk, or jazz!), actors, dancers, writers, directors, etc.*

  • Scientists, inventors, engineers, and architects

  • Nerdy - related in some way to science fiction, fantasy, horror or comics

  • Tech - computers, phones, apps, software and gaming development (no AI, please)

  • Book-related - freelance writers, editors, journalists, translators, publishers

  • Contractors - plumbers, painters, electricians, handypeople, etc.

  • Event and Wedding Planners

  • Educational - schools, private teachers and tutors

  • Consultants and coaches (business, health, exercise life, etc.)

  • Small medical, dental, and chiropractic practices, and other health-aligned businesses such as psychologists, therapists, LMTs and nutritionists.

  • Animal- related - veterinary practices, animal rescue, cat cafes, shelters (no-kill, please!), makers of pet food and other products.

  • Food-related - makers of food products, caterers, private chefs, cookbook authors, restaurants, food carts, and more! Kosher, vegetarian or vegan is a HUGE plus.

  • Charitable organizations and other nonprofits

  • Fellow bookkeepers, accountants, and other financial professionals who would like to outsource work

* Please note - there is currently a phishing scam aimed at bookkeepers claiming to be a casting director. If you ARE a casting director or agency, please use my appointment link or contact me by phone rather than E-mail.

Services Provided

Regular Bookkeeping Services

For the vast majority of businesses, this will be a monthly service. For smaller businesses with comparatively few transactions (less than 100/month), this may be quarterly or even yearly.

This service includes:

  • Categorization of all transactions

  • Reconciliation of all bank and credit card accounts, as well as electronic payment accounts if you use them (Paypal, Stripe, etc.)

  • Reports (balance sheet, profit and loss aka income statement, cashflow statement)

Additional services include:

  • Setting up a new QuickBooks Online file or migrating a file from QuickBooks Desktop

  • Accounts payable and receivable

  • Payroll

  • Inventory Management

  • Classes, job costing projects and locations

Bookkeeping Catchup/Cleanup

Whether you’ve barely looked at your QBO file in 2024, or you need me to make sure everything from 2019 balances, I can make sure all the bookkeeping backwork is done for taxation and reporting purposes. I am defining “catchup” as 11 months of work or less and “cleanup” as 12 months of work or more

This will involve:

  • Setting up a new QuickBooks file if you don’t already have one.

  • Analyzing your balance sheet, profit and loss (income) statement, and aging statements for anything missing - especially if new invoices need to be sent or payments made.

  • Making sure I have all your transactions- this may involve fixing your bank feeds and uploading transaction files from your banks statements to QBO (or adding missing transactions manually)

  • As with monthly, categorizing all transactions and reconciliation of all bank credit card, and electronic payment accounts

  • Cleaning up your customer, vendor, and product/service lists

  • Adjusting journal entries

  • Correcting any errors

Important disclaimer:

I am a bookkeeper, not a tax professional or an accountant. My job is to make sure your books are in such good shape that a tax preparer or accountant can do their best jobs. You may also need to talk to an accountant (or put me in touch with yours) in order get calculations for depreciation of major assets (e.g. cars and trucks) or amortization of intangible assets, which I would then “plug in”.

What Clients are Saying

“Joy is an absolute pleasure to work with! Her QuickBooks expertise and bookkeeping skills are impressive. She’s responsive, knowledgeable, and dedicated to delivering high quality work, which I can appreciate. I highly recommend her services.”

Everyl-Ann Archibald, Smart Bookkeeping Partner, Gulfport, LA

“Honest, quick to respond, and knowledgable about accounting. Highly Recommend.”

Nicole Collins, Vitali Acupuncture, Port Charlotte, FL

Get in Touch!

Schedule a FREE Bookkeeping Consultation with me to discuss your financial information needs.

FAQ

  • First things first, don't be nervous! We'll start with a FREE consultation for me to get to know you and your business, to determine your bookkeeping needs (and if we'll make great collaborators). I’m allowing 45 minutes, but I know you’re a busy businessperson, so it’s not likely to take more than 15-20.

    At that point, if we’re both willing, I will begin a diagnostic review of your books. If you already have QBO, I will send you an E-mail with instructions on how to add me as an Accountant User. If you don’t yet have QBO and want me to set it up for you, I will need 3 months worth of bank and credit card statements. I will then send you a proposal/engagement letter/NDA via AccountGroove within 3 days.

    If you agree to the proposal, we can then set up an onboarding call where I will get any additional needed information (ideally, read-only access to your banking and credit card information) and if necessary begin the process of setting up a QBO account, connecting your bank feeds, etc.

    If you do not agree to the proposal, we can negotiate. If you are still not interested or have decided to go with another bookkeeper, please do me the courtesy of letting me know. I would also appreciate a 4 or 5 star review on my QBO profile in lieu of “payment” if you feel it is warranted.

    Please note that I will not begin work until I receive my fee.

    • Pricing is based on the size and complexity of your business. I will need to do a diagnostic review of your books in order to give a firm quote.

    • Payment is by ACH or credit/debit card through AccountGroove, which is connected to QuickBooks Bill Payment, and they will process your payments automatically without me needing to see your banking info. I will also take a check if you live in the NYC area - I might even be willing to pick it up directly if I can get to you by public transportation.

    • Setup of a brand new QuickBooks Online Account and Chart of Accounts is $500.

    • My starting rate - assuming 100 transactions, one business bank account and one business credit card - is $450/month (or quarter, or year, for a very small business). This includes categorizations of transactions, reconciliation of accounts, and standard reports.

    • Special situations such as inventory tracking, tracking by classes (e.g. residential and commercial), locations, job costing and projects are extra, as are non-standard reports.

    • Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable start at $100/month, assuming 10 invoices and 10 bill payments.

    • Payroll starts at $100/month+$5/month per employee or contractor.

    • Bookkeeping catchup/cleanup starts at the determined monthly rate times the number of months being worked on, plus extra depending on problems found.

    • If you wish for Time Off Your Hands Bookkeeping to pay for your QBO software subscription, that will be included in the quote - I can get you a discount.

  • For monthly bookkeeping, assuming that I have access to bank statements by the 5th of the following month, I should have the reconciliations and reports done by the 10th. We can then have a phone call, Zoom or detailed E-mail exchange at our mutual convenience to discuss them. For year end, I should have the reports ready for you to forward to your tax advisor by January 15.

    For bookkeeping cleanup, assume one month for every year of cleanup required. Particularly complicated cases may take 6 weeks.

  • Hopefully, our collaboration will last for the life of our businesses! I reserve the right to requote after 1 year of collaboration, or in case of massive growth or shrinkage of your business. A standard contract will be for 12 months unless you specify otherwise.

    Either party may terminate with 15 days notice, to prevent automatic ACH or credit card withdrawals. I will send a disengagement letter in that instance.

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About me

I have a BA in English from SUNY Stony Brook (1990). I had originally intended to be an astrophysicist, but then the Challenger exploded. After college, I tried to find work as an actor, like 20 billion other people, and you can imagine how that went. So I wound up doing a lot of temp work, mostly in market research, and other kinds of customer service, until I finally got a job with New York State.

Why did I start Time Off Your Hands Bookkeeping? I do have a good job with a decent salary - but I wound up with a lot of debt in my pre-NYS employee years, only now paid off, and I have a very high rent. I’m 55 with no savings. So I need a side hustle. Why bookkeeping? Frankly, I was told it was quite lucrative. I’m very good with math and software - although QuickBooks will do most of the math for me - and I like to solve problems. Also, it’s a chance to provide genuine help to small, possibly struggling businesses and people, and a way to get to know all kinds of people. I currently have 19 years of service with New York State and I hope to retire shortly after my 20th anniversary in September 2025 and do bookkeeping full-time. It’s time to do something new.

Outside my work and business? I’m a voracious reader. I love music (especially classical) and I sing in a chorus. I indulge in classic and art film, concerts, opera, theater and museums as often as I can. I am also a life-long lover of science fiction, fantasy, and other imaginative stories (Star Trek fan for 45 years and a Doctor Who fan for 40). I’m a vegetarian who loves to cook - but loves to eat more. 😁

I look forward to doing business with you.