How Mackenzie and Natasha Bring Order to Chaos With FreshBooks, One Client at a Time

Company: The Fluharty Group

Industry: Bookkeeping

Location: Naples, Florida, USA

Problem:

Complex accounting tools that drive clients away from using them altogether

Solution:

FreshBooks accounting software and Collaborative Accounting™ model

Results:

Clients easily manage pre-accounting tasks so Mackenzie can verify accuracy and offer advice on process improvements

In two years, the Fluharty Group has built a successful business by bridging the gap between small business owners and their accountants.

“Most tax accountants don’t want to do bookkeeping. And most small businesses with 10 or fewer employees can’t afford a full-time accountant or administrative assistant to help them do things like keep track of income, expenses, and revenue, run payroll, and get tax reports done,” she said.

“That’s where we come in.”

Mackenzie Fluharty Stephens and her sister, Natasha Fluharty Bledsoe, support a diverse range of business clients who need administrative and bookkeeping support. And from the very beginning, FreshBooks has been a critical component of the business.

“Some of my first clients when I was still doing this as a side hustle were business owners who hired me to do a FreshBooks or QuickBooks data cleanup.”

As time continued, Mackenzie began to switch her clients from QuickBooks to FreshBooks, drawn by its user-friendly interface. This was especially the case after she became a FreshBooks-certified Accounting Partner. Now, Mackenzie looks for ways technology can improve clients’ processes. Here’s what she says about bringing fresh solutions to life using a collaborative model.

Why did you decide to start your own firm?

Mackenzie: I did bookkeeping and accounting work in my job as a manager of operations for many years before I decided to start a bookkeeping side hustle. It became a full-time business for me when I realized that there was a gap in the market I could fill.

Natasha: Mackenzie had been doing it for a few years before I joined her. I have a background in finance and worked in commercial banking for 10 years. So, I focus on bookkeeping and finances, while she tackles more client-facing roles to meet with them and answer their questions.

Mackenzie: We work well together because we have similar knowledge capacities but with different experience in different industries.

Who and where are your clients?

Mackenzie: We work with a wide range of clients, including event planners, engineers, social sports associations, retailers, and non-profit organizations. No two clients are alike, but they all have fewer than 10 employees.

For some, we provide overall bookkeeping, accounting, and administrative support. For others we help on specific projects during busy times.

We work with more than 10 clients on a monthly basis, and have a few clients who have switched to FreshBooks for a new start.

What’s your typical client workflow?

Mackenzie: When we work with a client, we typically send out all customer invoices for them if they don’t use an automated system or sell their product instantly at a brick-and-mortar store. We manage bill paying, help set up automated payments, help them with payroll, and do monthly bank- and credit card reconciliations.

We’ll also work with their tax advisor on filing quarterly payroll or sales or business taxes, depending on the city and state they live in. We take bookkeeping tasks off their plate—and the plate of their accountant—while deferring to the accountant for tax strategy. At the end of the year, all the accountant has to do is reconcile what we gave them, send over things like depreciation, and the reports are ready to go. It really takes the year-end manual labor off the client and the accountant.

How did you get started with FreshBooks?

Mackenzie: Online recommendations from other bookkeepers turned us on to FreshBooks as a great solution. I looked into it and got certified as a FreshBooks Accounting Partner immediately. Plus, Natasha is certified as well.

Why do you recommend FreshBooks to your clients?

Natasha: One thing I’ve enjoyed about FreshBooks is that it’s the opposite of intimidating for folks who don’t do what we do. For folks who are in a totally different type of work. FreshBooks is more approachable, and it’s been easier for us to get the information that we need to do our job and keep things moving efficiently.

Mackenzie: It’s a much easier interface for them. FreshBooks uses words that everybody understands. It has all the same features as other accounting software but removes the behind-the-scenes layers, so clients only have to work on income, expenses, matching transactions, and reporting. They’re still doing everything a CPA needs without seeing that extra layer of complexity.

It’s a much easier interface for our clients. FreshBooks uses words that everybody understands.

Have you migrated any clients to FreshBooks from a previous system?

Mackenzie: Two of our clients switched from QuickBooks to FreshBooks because it was a better fit for their needs and a bit more affordable. FreshBooks has all the financial tools they rely on, plus a more user-friendly interface.

Both migrations went great. We had a few tickets to FreshBooks Support and found them to be incredibly helpful and responsive. They answered our questions in a way we could easily relay back to our client.

Natasha: For one client, the switch helped us detect some bad data. FreshBooks doesn’t want you matching things that aren’t right, and it was helpful in identifying what needed to be fixed.

Do you use a Collaborative Accounting™ workflow with any of your clients?

Mackenzie: Yes, we have a healthcare consultant client that manages 90% of their bookkeeping in FreshBooks. We really just do the final checks for them, verify that reconciliations are done, skim through financial reports, and go over anything that stands out to us.

What impact has the Collaborative Accounting™ model had on you and your clients?

Mackenzie: The year-end process is more straightforward with clients who regularly schedule calls with us. We’re not looking at a year’s worth of data.

Before, they were using so many different pieces: QuickBooks for their finances, payroll software for paychecks, and a completely separate time tracking system. That was a lot to keep track of every month.

Now that they use FreshBooks time tracking, they can invoice easily. Their financial accounts are linked, so expenses are simple. They use the Gusto payroll app, which automatically integrates into FreshBooks, and their HR consultant and accountant both have access. Syncing things together has reduced manual data entry and improved accuracy. It was a huge relief and a burden off their shoulders.

Being more collaborative also helps us identify process improvements for our clients. We’re able to say things like, “All your staff is using a spreadsheet to track time? Let’s look at a timekeeping system.” “You’re wiring the same check every week? Let’s set up a recurring expense.” “You have all these bills paying from your credit card? Let’s set up autopay.”

How does the FreshBooks certification compare to other certifications you’ve done?

Mackenzie: So much better. It’s more user-friendly and way easier to stop and start. The videos have a lot of information and no fluff.

I liked that the content in the videos includes things you’re going to use, with real-life applications. It made it much easier to use the information with clients right away.

We also got a complimentary FreshBooks subscription, so while we watched the videos, we could log in to the software, poke around, and make fake invoices to see how it worked. It was great to have access to practice with it.

How has FreshBooks Support kept you from exploring other software options?

Natasha: Here’s the thing: FreshBooks is on it when we need help. You can always get in touch with a person or get a support ticket right away. Different software might take a good chunk of time to resolve the problem, but not with FreshBooks. Overall, the value of our customers’ time is tremendous, and that’s what’s important.