About

Hello there! My name is Helen and I am a bookkeeper based out of Portland, OR. Working as a freelancer and creative in the music industry since 2013, I understand what it’s like to have many different income streams and a unique business structure–and the complexities that come with managing such a business. I started out doing bookkeeping in 2020 to help my creative and freelance friends with the administrative tasks they found overwhelming, that I had gained comfort with through my years of experience as a freelancer; and I found I quite enjoy the process! Since then, I have worked with creative professionals, micro-businesses, and small business owners, many of whom are women, queer or genderqueer, like myself.Looking at finances can come with many emotions and discomfort. With a background working in recording studios as a woman and a genderqueer person, I know what it’s like to walk into a professional space and feel like you need to look completely competent - to feel like you should already know how to do “this kind of stuff”. I aim to create a safe, welcoming, and collaborative environment where all questions are good questions.If your freelance work is growing and you want help making sure your books are looking great, or if you already have a micro- or small business and want help with those bookkeeping and operational tasks that feel so onerous every month, I am here to help you with your financial processes–allowing you to focus on the work you are passionate about!

Professional Background

Testimonials

Helen is one of the most critical aspects of my business with incredible and diligent bookkeeping and financial management. Woven into this is her dedication to teaching and creating a welcoming space to demystify the complexities around finances in a collaborative way. Establishing, maintaining and growing financial systems for our organization has been a crucial lens and skill Helen has provided. She has stewarded the bookkeeping, software and systems as our organization grew from a revenue of $250,000 to nearly $1 million. She has helped me have confidence in our financials and also has greatly increased my confidence in myself in these areas. I cannot recommend her enough!
- Audrey Tehan - Seed to Table Oregon - Sisters, ORHiring Helen when I started my company was one of the best decisions I made as a new business owner. She quickly helped us implement efficient systems and have answered all my questions about bookkeeping thoroughly and thoughtfully. I have a consistent and clear picture of our finances and am able to make informed decisions because of her meticulous work. Bookkeeping and finances are often the most daunting part of running a business, but working with Helen has made this the least stressful aspect of my work. The peace of mind is invaluable.
- Rudy Dillon - Garden Buddy - Nashville, TNHelen’s bookkeeping services have been one of the most important factors in helping me to stay self employed! As an artist with limited bandwidth for technology, I was paralyzed by the tasks required to organize multiple income streams. When I started working with Helen I was unsure if my business was consistent or big enough to justify the expense. I was also nervous to reveal the chaotic systems that I had made for myself and that embarrassment about my lack of knowledge and fear of money systems kept me from asking for professional help. I am so grateful to Helen for being so non-judgmental about my lack of knowledge or experience, she is extremely patient with showing me the basics and walking me through the why and how. Helen’s previous experience in the arts and with creative thinkers made me feel accepted and comfortable in a space that I had developed a lot of fear and scarcity around. She is very understanding about how stressful and non intuitive some of these systems can be for me and has opened my eyes to how helpful and actually stress reducing they are. Asking for Helen’s help has been hands down the best thing I have done for my sanity, I know that without her I would be crying in a pile of receipts every tax season.
- Maren Burck - Maren Inga | Maren & Laura Ceramics - Sisters, OR

Services

Having worked as a freelancer since 2013 with a background in creative work, I am experienced in managing and organizing finances with multiple income streams from a variety of (sometimes ever-changing) sources. I aim to make this process as streamlined and straightforward as it can be for you - so that you can focus on your work and your creativity.The types of tasks I regularly help with include:

Setup

Ongoing

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a bookkeeper?

A bookkeeper is someone who helps you throughout the year to track all of your income and expenses accurately and in an easy-to-read manner.

Why would I want to hire a bookkeeper?

If you are a freelancer or have a small business, hiring someone to do your bookkeeping for you can allow you to focus your time on your work, your practice, your creativity, your business, etc, rather than on learning a whole new area of expertise. There is a lot to manage when you are a freelancer, are making your art your work, or run a small business. Hiring a bookkeeper can take stress off your shoulders, knowing there is someone keeping your books in order.

Is a bookkeeper the same as a CPA?

These are actually two different professions! A CPA (certified public accountant) can file your taxes and give financial advice, while a bookkeeper helps with the day to day systems of recording your daily financial transactions and keeping all your info organized.

Do I really need both a bookkeeper and a CPA?

This is up to you!Reasons to hire a CPA include: ensuring your taxes are filed accurately, ensuring you are using the correct business structure, and being able to ask questions throughout the year about payroll taxes, loans, savings, and other financial advice.Reasons to hire a bookkeeper include: ensuring your financial records are logged accurately throughout the year, saving you time at tax time by having financial reports ready to go for your CPA (rather than scrambling to count up all your expenses from the past year), getting help creating and maintaining easy-to-use systems so that you don't have to remember to do everything all yourself. And, always being able to see an up-to-date snapshot of how your business is doing financially.

Can you help me file my taxes?

I am not a CPA. I do not file taxes or provide tax advice.

How much does it cost?

I charge hourly for my services. This ensures that you only pay for the time I actually spend working on your files. Contact me for my current rates.

How many hours per month does it take/how often would we meet?

This can vary widely by business, and what tasks I am doing for you. I find that the first 3-5 months involve a higher number of hours for setup time, and after that, it tends to drop down to a smaller number of hours per month. Depending on the complexity of your business, once we get done with setup, we may meet monthly or quarterly.

Where are you based?

I live in Portland, Oregon. My clients live all over the country! You do not need to live in Portland to work with me.

Isn't it wild that the word "bookkeeper" has 2 o's, 2 k's, and 2 e's, all right next to each other???

It really is.

Get In Touch

I am based in Portland, OR, but my clients live all over the country! If you have any questions or are interested in potentially working with me, I would love to hear from you!