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The Real Reason Photographers Avoid Their Books (It's Not Math)

Jun 23, 2025

Y'all, can we talk about the elephant in the room? That pile of receipts sitting on your desk, the QuickBooks notifications you've been ignoring for months, and that sinking feeling every time tax season rolls around? Yeah, we're going there today.

This week, we're bringing you Melissa's actual bookkeeper, Jenny Vazquez from Foxtrot Bookkeeping, to spill ALL the tea about why photographers need to stop DIYing their books and start treating their finances like the business asset they are.

"I just think putting negative energy towards your money is never good... when you're working on your money or looking at your money, you want it to be positive." - Jenny

What You'll Learn:

  • The #1 reason photographers should outsource their bookkeeping (hint: it's not what you think)
  • How often you should actually be updating your books (Jenny's answer might surprise you)
  • The most common bookkeeping mistakes photographers make and how to avoid them
  • Why using your personal Venmo for business expenses isn't the end of the world (but here's how to fix it)
  • The difference between working with an independent bookkeeper vs. your CPA's bookkeeping service
  • When to make the leap from spreadsheets to QuickBooks (and why you probably should have done it already)
  • Smart receipt organization systems that will save you during an audit
  • How proper bookkeeping can actually help you make better business decisions throughout the year

Bonus Gold Nuggets:

💎 The Gmail Receipt Hack: Create a new email folder each January (like "2025 Receipts") and set up automation to tag PayPal receipts. Just drag and drop receipts throughout the year for instant organization.

💎 The B&H Photo Strategy: Buy all your camera gear from one retailer so you can log into your account years later and pull all purchase history for depreciation tracking.

💎 The Weekly 10-Minute Rule: Jenny's ideal schedule is just 10-15 minutes weekly to review transactions while they're fresh in your memory.

💎 The Venmo Mix-Up Fix: Accidentally paid a contractor from personal Venmo instead of business? Just email your bookkeeper the receipt - they'll handle the reconciliation magic.

💎 The Subscription Audit: Ask your bookkeeper for a list of all your monthly subscriptions. You might be shocked at what you're paying for and forgot to cancel.

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