8 | Greater Phoenix Public Accountant Magazine® April 2012

Bookkeeper of the Month

Stonebridge Bookkeeping - A Certi� ed SuccessBy Dan Baldwin

Laura Shepherd, certi� ed public bookkeeper and owner of Stonebridge Bookkeeping, is on a quest to educate the CPA and business communities on the value and importance of

working with certi� ed bookkeepers.“Too few people know the di� erence between certi� ed and non-

certi� ed bookkeepers. One of my drives and passions is to show there is a choice,” Shepherd says.

Unlike other professions, there is no formal entity governing bookkeepers or holding them accountable for performance and ethics. Stonebridge works to create a community of bookkeepers united by a commitment to providing reliable services while dedicated to excellence, credibility and accountability. “We only work with Certi� ed Public Bookkeepers (CPBs) – individuals who have extensive bookkeeping experience with either a four-year accounting degree or a minimum of 2500 hours working as a full-charge bookkeeper.” Additionally, CPB candidates must pass a certi� cation test with an 80 percent or better and complete 24 CPE hours annually to maintain the certi� cation. “� is certi� cation means they are so much more quali� ed than a non-certi� ed bookkeeper who may have had some accounting clerk experience.”

“Our bookkeepers are highly trained, committed to our profession and accept responsibility for their performance. � ey strive for excellence and achieve expected results to remain part of the Stonebridge team. To support this standard of service, we monitor the work product of our bookkeepers to ensure the results are consistent with our high standards,” she says.

New clients o� en come to her a� er working with a non-certi� ed bookkeeper. “� eir books are a mess, they don’t know the � nancial

picture of their business and they certainly can’t submit the information to a CPA to produce tax � lings. In the meantime, they have lost a lot of time and money. � is frustrates me as much as it frustrates the client. � ere are ill-equipped bookkeepers out there making the rest of us look bad.” When Shepherd started her own bookkeeping practice, she became certi� ed because she believed it was an important distinction and accomplishment. Now Shepherd would like to see all bookkeepers become certi� ed.

An Outsource Resource Committed to Outstanding ResultsStonebridge Bookkeeping provides monthly bookkeeping services using standardized processes recognized and accepted by CPAs.

Stonebridge doesn’t prepare taxes, but works closely with a client and their CPA to keep their books current and provide reliable � nancial reports. Services include: gathering and recording all � nancial transactions and providing monthly � nancial statements to their clients; monthly pro� t and loss report, year to date pro� t and loss report and balance sheet report. “At the end of the year, when it’s time to prepare tax � lings, the CPA gets an organized, balanced and clean set of books. CPAs love us.”

Laura Shepherd

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April 2012 Greater Phoenix Public Accountant Magazine® | 9

have money in the bank it means they’re running a pro� table business and that’s just not the case. “We provide accurate information so business owners can make sound decisions and plan for the future based on the true � nancial picture,” Shepherd says. She notes that as the economy changes and more companies fold, more entrepreneurs and small businesses are created, a trend that is already well in motion. “People are now starting their own businesses rather than working for someone else. When that happens there is a greater need for services like ours,” Shepherd says. She adds that more educated people are becoming entrepreneurs, people who recognize the need for professional services. � ey see the need for quali� ed accounting because they need that information to make decisions and to succeed in a rapidly changing economy.

“� ere is a shi� happening. People know they don’t have to do it on their own and they’re willing to delegate responsibility to someone whose results they can trust.”

Ensuring Success - One Bookkeeper at a Time When a client’s needs are better suited with a sta� person,

Stonebridge can assist the business owner by providing placement services. “Our placement service consists of placing a classi� ed ad on behalf of the client, screening resumes, administering our

A company’s tax preparation fees and chances of overpaying income tax obligations are reduced.

Although accounting resources vary in price structures, Shepherd warns against hiring a bookkeeping service based solely on fees or hourly rate. “Most entrepreneurs realize you get what you pay for. Stonebridge Bookkeeping is not the least expensive, but we’re the most quali� ed.”

A recent letter expresses how one client supports her statement. It reads, in part, “I am a Scottsdale Wealth Manager who has worked with Laura Shepherd and her great sta� at Stonebridge Bookkeeping for many years…Laura’s team has always delivered excellence in their statement preparation, and their work allows me to easily track my practice’s year-over-year � nancial progress…Always readily available by phone, Stonebridge delivers on-time, professional excellence at a very reasonable price…I would highly recommend Laura and the entire team at Stonebridge Bookkeeping to anyone looking for competent and honest bookkeeping services.”

Stonebridge provides reliable solutions to some of the biggest problems small business owners have. � ey either try to do the bookkeeping themselves or with a sta� person who is not a quali� ed bookkeeper. Others outsource the work to the least expensive service they can � nd. Still others believe that if they

The StoneBridge Team. From left to Right: Steve Jesson, Shari Gasson, Laura Shepherd and Lorie Killoy

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10 | Greater Phoenix Public Accountant Magazine® April 2012

Bookkeeper/QuickBooks Assessment test and conducting an initial interview.” � is process not only cuts down on the amount of time and energy the business owner has to invest during the hiring process, but ensures they are hiring a highly skilled and quali� ed applicant based on tested skill sets rather than relying on resume content alone.Stonebridge Academy Makes an Impact

Another way Stonebridge contributes to the success of small businesses in the community is through educating business owners. Stonebridge Academy o� ers classes for three skill levels: (1) the beginner bookkeeper or the business owner who wants to become more knowledgeable about accounting terms and applications, (2) business owners who want to keep their own books, (3) established bookkeepers who wish to rise to the next level of achievement.

When a business owner wants to keep their own books, Stonebridge provides training classes, assistance with setup and ongoing monitoring, to support their potential for success.

“Setup within the accounting system is key,” Shepherd says. It’s just as important as how a company will use QuickBooks so� ware. Many variables are involved, including the nature of the business, the industry, accounting methods, and features to be used. An improper setup will produce poor and possible costly results.

Support and supervision services include, monthly reviews of transactions, accounts and reports to inform clients of necessary corrections, reclassi� cations or adjustments to ensure the client receives correct data on the correct � nancial condition, operational performance, and cash ¡ ow of the business.

Stonebridge Academy also o� ers classes including QuickStart for QuickBooks, QuickBooks Complete (A to Z), and Basic Bookkeeping. “My training classes provide material and information for setup and how QuickBooks functions, how to put information in and how to get accurate information out,” Shepherd says.

Stonebridge also provides continuing education classes for its own bookkeepers and for other accounting professionals. � ere are also classes available for people wanting to become a certi� ed public bookkeeper.

Embracing the Entrepreneurial Spirit“I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. For years I wanted

to have my own business and I have always done something in addition to whatever day job I had. Even in my young years as a stay at home mom, I’ve had a business transcribing legal dictation for court reporters and had a thriving Avon business. Dedication to excellence brought success even back then. � e transcribing

Stonebridge Academy: In addition to being the owner of Stonebridge Bookkeeping, Laura also is an educator to both her clients as well as her sta� and believes in providing continuing education classes for her bookkeepers.

At a Glance

Laura Shepherd Owner of Stonebridge Bookkeeping

Primary Areas of Practice• Monthly Bookkeeping Services • Clean-up and Catch up Bookkeeping Services• QuickBooks and Bookkeeping Training Classes• Bookkeeper Placement Services

Education• University of Phoenix, Bachelor’s Degree in Business

Administration and Management

Memberships and Professional Certi� cations• CPB – Certi� ed Public Bookkeeper • Intuit Quickbooks Pro Advisor• Arizona Society of CPAs• Arizona Small Business Association

Professional and Community Activities• A� liate Instructor – Maricopa Community College Small

Business Development Center• QuickBooks Instructor – E� ective Software Solutions

(Phoenix, Flagsta� , Tucson)• Gratis Accountant for Hope’s Crossing, a nonpro� t

organization helping women reenter the community after incarceration.

• Hope for Women International – From Jewelry Business, designed and created a signature piece of jewelry to support fundraising e� orts then produced quantity to sell as fundraising item.

Who Knew? Surprising Facts About Laura Shepherd• Learning to speak Italian• 2nd Business - Design and create jewelry

( www.TheEclecticCollection.com )• Harley Chick - loves to ride with her husband

Favorite Books and Authors• Jane Austin: Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Jane Eyre, Sense

and Sensibility. • I tend to read a lot of business related books too. Currently

reading Dave Ramsey’s “Entre-Leadership”

Stonebridge Bookkeeping Services 1355 N. Green� eld RoadMesa, AZ 85205480-641-1408www.stonebridgeus.com

business grew quickly as local court reports saw the results of my quick and accurate work.

Shepherd graduated from the University of Phoenix with a degree in business management and by 1997, was an accounting manager for a so� ware company in Scottsdale. “As much as I loved that, I couldn’t ignore the entrepreneurial passion. So in 2001 I started my own bookkeeping and accounting business and I’ve never looked back.”

Her quest to educate the business community of the importance of working with certi� ed bookkeepers is an element of that spirit. � e lead quote in the company’s website (www.stonebridgeus.com) states, “How do you know if you have a diamond or cubic zirconia unless you are a jeweler? You know because a diamond comes with a certi� cate of authenticity proving the di� erence between perceived value and true value. How do you know if you have a quali� ed and competent bookkeeper? You know because they have a certi� cation proving the di� erence between perceived knowledge and authentic knowledge.”

Stonebridge Bookkeeping, its sta� and its independent contractors have that certi� cation. More than that, they enjoy the challenges their work o� ers. “Working with a client whose books are a mess is like solving a puzzle or like being a private investigator. We can go in there and clean up the mess and put the business back on a sound � nancial basis.”

“� at’s why Stonebridge Bookkeeping is such a success,” Shepherd says. “A certi� ed success,” she adds.