What Your Messy Bookkeeping Is Telling You

Your QuickBooks account hasn’t been opened in weeks. Expenses are scattered. You’re unsure how much you really earned last month, and tax season? Let’s not even go there.

If you're an online coach or course creator, you’re not alone. Bookkeeping for online coaches often feels like a second job—especially when no one ever taught you how to use QuickBooks for your coaching business.

But here’s the thing: messy books don’t mean you’re bad at business. They usually mean you’ve outgrown your old systems.
That’s why this post is here—to walk you through what’s really going on behind those disorganized numbers and help you figure out your next move.

By the end, you’ll understand:

• What your books are revealing about your patterns

• How to start tracking income and expenses in QuickBooks with ease

• And why setting up QuickBooks Online the right way can completely shift how you feel about money

What Counts as “Messy Books”? (It’s Probably Not What You Think)

Messy books aren’t always a dramatic disaster. Sometimes, it’s subtle:

• Invoices going out late

• Personal and business expenses mixed together

• Not really knowing what’s profit and what’s just cash floating in and out

• QuickBooks connected once… and never touched again

• That pit in your stomach when someone says “your numbers”

That’s not a personal failure.
It’s what happens when the backend of your business doesn’t grow as fast as the front end.

And if you’re a creative service provider, coach, or course creator—you’ve probably never been shown how to manage this side of things in a way that makes sense for how your brain works.

Let’s shift that.

What Messy Books Reveal About the Way You Run Your Business

Your books aren’t just messy. They’re revealing patterns—financial ones, yes, but also operational, emotional, and energetic.

Here are a few common themes I see again and again:

✴️ 1. Reactive Money Habits

You only look at your numbers when something breaks or tax season hits. Until then, it’s a don’t-look-don’t-touch approach.

✴️ 2. Avoiding the Details

You’re not “bad at money.” You just never saw the backend as a valuable use of your time. So the admin stuff keeps slipping.

✴️ 3. Cash Flow Confusion

You know money is coming in… but where is it going? Profit margins feel vague, and you’re hesitant to invest in support or pay yourself more.

✴️ 4. Short-Term Scrambling

You’re focused on surviving the month or finishing the next launch, but never really feel in control of what’s ahead.

✴️ 5. No Financial Boundaries

Personal and business blur together. There’s no consistent payment policy. Invoicing is sporadic. And it all adds to the background stress.

None of this is unusual. And none of it means you’re not capable—it just means your business needs more support than it used to.

How to Shift From Scrambling to Steady

Forget the complicated dashboards. Let’s talk about sustainable rhythm—habits and shifts that actually work for small business owners and coaches.

🛠️ Avoidance → Awareness

Start with a weekly “money date.” Ten minutes. Look at what came in and what went out. No judgment—just observation.

🛠️ Reactive → Proactive

Automate recurring invoices. Set up expense categories. Use a repeatable checklist. These little things build massive relief over time.

🛠️ Overwhelm → Simplicity

Don’t do it all at once. Pick one habit—like reviewing income on the 1st of each month—and make it a non-negotiable.

🛠️ Short-Term Thinking → Strategic View

Once you clean things up, you can actually plan. What’s working? What’s profitable? Can you afford a break? What needs to shift?

🛠️ Blurry Boundaries → Clear Structure

Set up separate business accounts. Decide when and how you get paid. Boundaries bring clarity—and peace of mind.

The Messy → Mindful Method (What I Teach Inside My QBO Course)

Over years of working with service providers, coaches, and creators, I saw the same thing: their books didn’t need “fixing”—they needed a new relationship with their money.

Here’s the method I use to help them build that relationship:

🌱 1. Mindful Awareness

No more dread. You start looking at your numbers with curiosity instead of shame.

🌱 2. Intentional Systems

You don’t need to become a bookkeeper—but you do need systems that support your business model and mental load.

🌱 3. Sustainable Rhythm

No marathon catch-up sessions. Just repeatable micro-habits.
(Think: 15 minutes every Monday. Light. Predictable. Done.)

🌱 4. Empowered Choices

When your books are clean, decisions get easier. You’ll know what’s profitable, what’s working, and what you’re ready to shift.

🌱 5. Values-Led Finances

Your money supports your mission. When your backend aligns with your values, business gets a whole lot clearer—and calmer.

Let’s Talk About That Feeling in Your Gut

That tension you feel when someone brings up “your books?”
That’s not a you problem. That’s a systems problem.

No one ever taught you how to run this part of your business in a way that feels human, grounded, or even remotely manageable.

But you can learn. You can rebuild. You can run your business without financial fog, shame, or stress.

This Doesn’t Have to Be So Heavy

Messy books don’t mean you’ve done something wrong. They mean you’ve had other things to focus on—and now you’re ready to clean it up.

This isn’t about perfection.
It’s about being ready for your backend to finally support your brilliance.

If you’re nodding along and ready for some support, I created a QuickBooks Online course made specifically for coaches and course creators.
It’s beginner-friendly, zero-fluff, and walks you through setting up QuickBooks Online—without all the overwhelm.

👉 Join the waitlist for Setup & Simplify QuickBooks® — my QuickBooks Online workshop for beginners who are ready for QuickBooks to actually make sense.