Jim and Susan Bell are passionate and enthusiastic certified professional bookkeepers with over 25 years of experience in accounting and controllership roles.
We are proud members of the Institute of Professional Bookkeepers of Canada and members of Grande Prairie Chamber of Commerce.
OUR BACKGROUND
Our business experiences included ownership and operational roles in a number of franchised restaurants, purchasing and managing a number of residential property investments that we still hold today.
The bookkeeping and accounting skills that we have acquired have always been useful in our own business ventures. We have applied for and received numerous business loans. All of our business loans required a complete and detailed business plan before a purchase was possible. We continued to apply our bookkeeping skills toward required financial reporting to the franchise, sales tax and payroll processing, and year end accounting files. Our skills and passion have always paid dividends.
YOUR SUCCESS
All of your advisors and lenders will attest to the importance of the bookkeeping role. The process of investigating, planning, and reporting will always demand the timely and accurate financial reports. Certified Professional Bookkeepers are trained to develop reporting systems that will bring to the surface key trends in your business. Key financial numbers and ratios will reveal areas to improve. Statistics show that 80% of new small businesses fail within the first five years. This is way too high. Perhaps their advisors did not give them the advice that was needed. We believe that the Certified Professional Bookkeeper can greatly reduce the likelihood of a business failure. When a small business starts, there is an enormous amount of energy and investment dedicated to the operation. A successful small business will have many facets operating well. The bookkeeping role is part of this success.
OUR SUPPORT SYSTEM
The Institute of Professional Bookkeepers of Canada (IPBC) assists member professionals with a variety of ongoing support. This support includes recorded and live webinars, regional meetings and extensive annual conferences. Technology such as cloud accounting is changing rapidly and it is exciting. It serves both the bookkeeper and the business owner in daily tasks and more. We just need to look to our smart phones to see how technology can enhance and streamline our lives.
WORKING WITH CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL BOOKKEEPERS
The CPA and the CPB work together and appreciate each other’s strengths and roles. The CPA is highly trained in the areas of tax planning and financial reporting. The CPB is also highly trained to work closely with you to develop and maintain the day to day and month to month financial reporting. The CPA will appreciate receiving a timely and high quality working paper file.
PERSONAL
A balanced life, in our view, includes having a positive and healthy work/home relationship. Our personal life-long passions include experiencing and exploring the amazing outdoors while meeting new people. Having fun in nature while playing and walking with our dog, enjoying and discovering more of our beautiful country as well as exploring many other parts of the world are very meaningful to us both. We believe meeting new people and creating new life-long friendships provides deeper and more meaningful connections which manifests into a fuller, richer life. Learning from other individuals while being respectful of their cultures and ideas should never end, but be life long endeavours. We are never too old to learn new ideas and new ways!
Questions? Visit our FAQ page or contact us today to discuss your numbers, so we can provide you a customized service plan.