Spoiler: It rhymes with DIY bookkeeping
Picture this: It’s 11 pm (23:00 to some) on a Tuesday. Your family is asleep, client work is done, but you’re hunched over your laptop trying to figure out why your books don’t balance. Again.
Sound familiar?
I’m betting you started your business to be an entrepreneur, not a part-time accountant. Yet, here you are, spending 20+ hours each month1 wrestling with credits and debits instead of serving clients, growing revenue, or sleeping.
Let me lay out exactly what this “free” bookkeeping is really costing you. The hidden price tag of DIY.
Your Time = Your Money
If your expertise is worth, let’s say $150/hour, and let’s be honest, it’s likely more. Then, you’re leaking out $3,000 monthly on bookkeeping tasks. (20 hours * $150/hour)
That’s $36,000 annually you’ll never get back.
The real travesty is that most business owners are ill-equipped and terrible at bookkeeping.
The Expensive Learning Curve
QuickBooks found that 42% of small business owners had zero financial literacy2 when they started. This means that many small business owners are not immune to costly mistakes.
- IRS Penalties of $13 billion collected in one year alone3
- Tax over payments average $3,534 annually4
- Cash flow disasters are behind 82% of business failures5
The Growth Killer You Don’t See
Here is the real insult: DIY bookkeeping doesn’t just take up time; it caps your potential.
67% of entrepreneurs say administrative work prevents business growth.6 Meanwhile, companies that outsource accounting grow 28% faster.7Fact: Your competition is not drowning in bookkeeping at midnight. Are you?
What 20 Hours of Freedom Might Look Like
Imagine getting 20 hours back each month. What could you do with that?
- Land two new high-value clients?
- Develop that new service you’ve been putting off?
- Actually, take a whole weekend off?
This is not about hiring a bookkeeper. It’s about buying back your life.
Why Most Small Business Owners Get This Wrong
You think professional bookkeeping is an expense.
It’s actually one of the highest ROI investments you can make. Here is the math.
Conservative Scenario:
Assumptions:
- Your time is worth $150/hour
- You’re spending 20 hours a month on bookkeeping
- Bookkeeper charges $1,000/month (which is on the higher side of what most small businesses pay)
ROI calculation:
- Annual time savings: $36,000 (20 hours/month x $150/hour x 12 months)
- Professional bookkeeper: $12,000/year
- Net savings: $24,000
- ROI: 200% ($24,000 / $12,000)
Realistic Scenario:
Under this scenario, the bookkeeping annual fee is $500/month (closer to what most small businesses pay in my experience)
- Annual time savings: $36,000 (20 hours/month x $150/hour x 12 months)
- Professional bookkeeper: $6,000/year
- Net savings: $30,000
- ROI: 500% ($30,000 / $6,000)
At Becker & Ledger, I work with a limited (40) number of clients by choice. Each client gets the attention they deserve. Your gains:
✔︎ Your time back: 20+ hours monthly to focus on what you do best (or maybe just yourself or your family)
✔︎ Bulletproof accuracy: Clean books to sleep better at night
✔︎ Growth insights: Real financial clarity that drives confident decisions
The Real Question
You can keep doing your bookkeeping yourself. Keep staying up late, making costly mistakes, and watching competitors pull ahead.
Or you can make the smartest business decision you’ll make this year.
Your time will never multiply until you stop dividing it.
Ready to stop the $36,000 leak?
Let’s talk about reclaiming those hours.
- Score, “The Megaphone of Main Street: Small Business Financial Health,” 2020 ↩︎
- Intuit, Small Business Financial Literacy Survey, 2022 ↩︎
- Internal Revenue Service, “Penalties,” 2023 ↩︎
- Forbes, “3 Smart Tax Strategies For Small Businesses To Avoid Overpayments,” April 2025. ↩︎
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce, “Reasons Why Small Businesses Fail and How to Avoid Them,” 2023. ↩︎
- Sage, “State of the Small Business,” 2023. ↩︎
- Xero, “Companies Outsource Accounting Grow Faster,” 2023. ↩︎
Becker & Ledger 
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