Blogging is a rewarding job. You get to impact others with your experience and expertise. But for most bloggers, the most dreaded part of the job is bookkeeping. It’s even scarier than tech. That’s why I put together this Ultimate Guide to Blog Bookkeeping.
As an accountant, my superpower is taking the pain out of bookkeeping. These videos will show you what you need to do to get your bookkeeping up and running quickly so that you can get back to what you enjoy about blogging. (This page contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures for more information. These videos are for informational purposes only and do not constitute accounting or tax advice.)
If you’re putting off your bookkeeping because you don’t know where to start, click the video below. You’ll find a playlist that will guide you through how to set up and use QuickBooks Online so you can finally get a handle on your blog bookkeeping.
I recommend QuickBooks Online Simple Start because it has all the features you need to do your small business bookkeeping, at an affordable price. QuickBooks Online Simple Start is easy to use, yet it is powerful! (I do not recommend using QuickBooks Self-Employed. It’s missing a few important features and saves you very little in monthly fees.)
Blog Bookkeeping with QuickBooks Online
This playlist will give you the confidence you need to set up your blog bookkeeping in QuickBooks Online.
Here are the videos included in my Ultimate Guide to Blog Bookkeeping playlist.
- Blog Bookkeeping, Step by Step Introduction (Part 1)
- Introduction to Bookkeeping for Bloggers
- Selecting the Ideal Start Date for Your QuickBooks Bookkeeping (Part 2.1)
- You need to have a firm start date when you set up your bookkeeping. This video will walk you through how to determine the best option for you.
- How to Connect Your Financial Accounts in QuickBook Online (Part 2.2)
- Learn the steps to connect your financial accounts so you can save time by not having to manually enter every transaction.
- Customize Your Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks Online (Part 3.1)
- The default chart of accounts in QuickBooks has very few accounts you would actually use as a blogger! Learn how to upload a custom chart of accounts into QuickBooks Online and get a FREE csv file for your business.
- QuickBooks Online Bank Feed Basic Walkthrough (Part 3.2)
- This video gives an overview of the QuickBooks Online bank feed.
- Categorize Your Blog Business Income in QuickBooks Online (Part 4.1)
- Learn how to categorize your blog income.
- Categorize Your Blog Expenses in QuickBooks Online (Part 4.2)
- Learn how to categorize your blog expenses.
- Adding Vendors to Transactions in QuickBooks Online (Part 6.1)
- Adding vendors is easy in QuickBook, but many people leave the field blank. If you don’t fill in a vendor, you won’t have access to this reporting feature.
- How to Add Checks and Match Checks in Quickbooks Online (Part 6.2)
- Entering checks when you write them will more accurately reflect your current cash position. This video will show you how to do this quickly and easily.
- How to Record Payments and Owner Deposits in QuickBooks Online (Part 6.3)
- As a small business owner, when you transfer money from your business checking account to your personal account, this type of transaction is called an Owner’s Draw.
- Recording and Paying Sales Tax in QuickBooks Online (Part 6.4)
- There are specific ways to record collection and payment of sales tax, as well as payment of estimated taxes to the state and IRS. As this video demonstrates, your Balance Sheet will show you how much tax you have collected and therefore how much you owe.
- How to Record Transfers Between Accounts in QuickBooks Online (Part 6.5)
- Transfers between your financial accounts in QuickBooks Online will occur frequently. Learn how to record these transfers properly.
- How to Handle Duplicate Transactions in QuickBooks Online (Part 6.6)
- Occasionally a QuickBooks glitch will result in duplicate transactions. Learn a quick and easy fix to solve this problem and prevent a bookkeeping mess!
- How to Record PayPal Transactions in QuickBooks Online (Part 6.7)
- PayPal transactions can be challenging in QuickBooks Online! Learn how to record several different types of transactions correctly so that your PayPal account and your Checking account balance at the end of the month. This video covers purchases through PayPal that are processed through your credit card or checking account, purchases processed with your PayPal balance, and deposit transactions.
- Exclude Transactions Prior to QuickBooks Start Date (Part 7.1)
- This video covers the way to exclude transactions you might have uploaded into QuickBooks that are prior to the bookkeeping start date you selected in Part 2 Video 1.
- Start with the Right Opening Balance Equity in QuickBooks Online (Part 7.2)
- This video shows you how to make sure each financial account has the correct opening balance equity amount. If your Opening Balance or starting balance number is off, everything else is going to be wrong too!
- How to Upload Transactions Beyond 90 Days in QuickBooks Online (Part 7.3)
- If you need to bulk import lots of old transactions, it’s fairly easy to do in QuickBooks Online. This video shows you what to do so you don’t miss any transactions.
- Record Transactions Paid with Non-Biz Money via Journal Entry in QuickBooks Online (Part 8.1)
- If you accidentally use your personal credit card or debit card to make a business purchase, you need to track these items in your business bookkeeping, otherwise you might forget about them come tax time! A journal entry is one method of recording these types of transactions.
- Record Transactions Paid for with Personal Money (Part 8.2)
- If you used your personal credit card or debit card to make business purchases before you opened a dedicated business account, you need to account for these purchases in QuickBooks. Uploading this transactions into QuickBooks is one method you can use to accomplish this.
- How to Do Your Bank Reconciliation in QuickBooks Online (Part 9.1)
- It’s important to reconcile all of your business financial accounts at the end of each month. This video shows how to reconcile quickly and easily.
- Common Bank Reconciliation Issues and How to Solve Them (Part 9.2)
- In general, bank reconciliations in QuickBooks Online go smoothly. Occasionally, something might go wrong. This video will cover common bank reconciliation problems you might encounter and how to solve them.
- How to Run and Analyze Financial Reports in QuickBooks Online (Part 10)
- Once you have categorized all of your transactions in QuickBooks, the next step is to generate some reports. This video shows how quickly and easily you can run a profit & loss report or a balance sheet.
If you have a question about the material, be sure to ask it in the comments section of the video on YouTube, and I will respond as quickly as I can.
For some people, once they learn how to DIY their blog bookkeeping, it really clicks for them, and they enjoy the process. For others, DIY bookkeeping turns out not to be a great fit. If you find yourself in the latter category, then you might want to consider my monthly bookkeeping services. I help large and small business owners alike!
Either way, don’t put off your bookkeeping any longer!
