Why I Started Accounting for Clarity

“Most small business owners didn’t go into business to do bookkeeping—but I did.”

One of my early memories is of my dad making boil-in-bag dinners for my brother and me while my mom was at night classes studying accounting. By the time I was 16, I was keeping the books for my parents’ auto repair shop while my mom recovered from neck surgery. It wasn’t glamorous, but I understood the rhythm of it—the systems, the flow, the way good books tell a story. It made sense to me, and I liked it.

In college, I temped in accounting roles across all kinds of businesses: downtown law offices, suburban medical clinics, real estate firms, even a wholesale nursery in rural Maryland. After graduating, I spent several years in technical writing, translating complex software functions into clear instructions. It turns out that skill, bridging the gap between technical systems and human understanding, is also the heart of good bookkeeping.

When I returned to accounting, I kept noticing the same things over and over: Clients weren’t sure how to read their own financials. Their internal systems were outdated or undocumented. And there was so much paper—filing cabinets full of old bills, receipts, check stubs, binders of printed spreadsheets and SOPs. So I did what came naturally: I wrote plain-language financial guides, created internal control policies, and helped businesses modernize. Not with judgment, but with clarity.

That’s how Accounting for Clarity was born. I specialize in helping small businesses and nonprofits build solid, modern bookkeeping systems. I especially love working with construction companies, solo entrepreneurs, and organizations doing mission-driven work in Portland.

If you’re feeling buried in spreadsheets, behind on reconciliations, or unsure whether your books are working for you, let’s talk.👉 Book a free consult

You don’t have to love bookkeeping—but it helps to have someone on your team who does.