// Set up and maintain bookkeeping for solopreneur. Track income/expenses, manage invoices, reconcile accounts, generate reports. Software, chart of accounts, categorization. Not professional. Trigger: bookkeeping, accounting, track expenses.
Explore feature, component, or functionality before implementation. Clarifies intent, requirements, design through dialogue.
Build brand identity: personality, voice/tone, visual system (colors, typography, logo, imagery), tagline, guidelines. Trigger: create my brand, brand identity, rebrand.
Deep competitive analysis: map competitors, find gaps, understand strategy, benchmark offering. Focused dissection vs broad landscape. Trigger: analyze competitors, competitive analysis, how beat them.
Write or improve marketing copy: homepage, landing, pricing, feature, about, product pages. Trigger: write copy for, improve copy, headline help.
Guide users through a structured workflow for co-authoring documentation. Use when user wants to write documentation, proposals, technical specs, decision docs, or similar structured content. This workflow helps users efficiently transfer context, refine content through iteration, and verify the doc works for readers. Trigger when user mentions writing docs, creating proposals, drafting specs, or similar documentation tasks.
Apply psychological principles and mental models to marketing. 70+ models organized for persuasion, decision-making, consumer behavior. Trigger: psychology, cognitive bias, why people buy.
| name | bookkeeping-basics |
| description | Set up and maintain bookkeeping for solopreneur. Track income/expenses, manage invoices, reconcile accounts, generate reports. Software, chart of accounts, categorization. Not professional. Trigger: bookkeeping, accounting, track expenses. |
Bookkeeping tracks where money comes from and where it goes. Most solopreneurs hate bookkeeping, so they avoid it — then face chaos at tax time or when applying for loans. This playbook gives you a simple system: minimal time, maximum clarity. Disclaimer: This is educational content, not professional accounting advice. Consult a CPA for complex situations.
Don't use spreadsheets. Use accounting software. It automates most of the work and keeps you compliant.
Software comparison:
| Software | Best For | Pricing | Learning Curve | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wave | Freelancers, very small businesses | Free (pay for payments/payroll) | Easy | Basic invoicing, expense tracking, reports |
| QuickBooks Online | Most solopreneurs, scaling businesses | $15-50/month | Medium | Full accounting, invoicing, tax reports, integrations |
| FreshBooks | Service businesses, invoicing-heavy | $17-55/month | Easy | Invoicing, time tracking, expense tracking |
| Xero | International businesses, contractors | $13-70/month | Medium | Full accounting, multi-currency, payroll |
Selection guide:
Recommendation: Start with Wave (free). Upgrade to QuickBooks when you hit $50K revenue or need more features.
A chart of accounts is a list of categories for organizing income and expenses. Most software comes with defaults — use them unless you have a specific reason to customize.
Basic chart of accounts (solopreneur):
Rule: Don't over-categorize. 10-15 categories max. Too many creates confusion. Too few makes tax prep hard.
Every dollar in and every dollar out must be recorded. No exceptions.
Income tracking:
Expense tracking:
Receipt rules (IRS):
Bank/credit card reconciliation (monthly): Reconciliation = matching your accounting software records to your actual bank statements.
How to reconcile (15-30 min/month):
Why this matters: Catches errors, fraud, or missed transactions. If software balance ≠ bank balance, something's wrong.
NEVER mix business and personal money. It's the #1 bookkeeping mistake.
Why separation matters:
How to separate:
If you accidentally pay a personal expense from business account:
Your accounting software generates these automatically. You should review them monthly.
Shows: Revenue - Expenses = Profit (or Loss)
What it tells you: Are you making money? Which expense categories are highest?
Example:
Revenue: $10,000
Expenses:
Marketing: $2,000
Software: $500
Contractor: $3,000
Other: $1,000
Total Expenses: $6,500
Net Profit: $3,500
How to use it:
Shows: Assets = Liabilities + Equity
What it tells you: What you own (assets), what you owe (liabilities), and what's left over (equity/net worth).
Most solopreneurs can ignore this unless applying for a loan or raising funding.
Shows: Cash in - Cash out = Net cash flow
What it tells you: Are you running out of cash? (even profitable businesses can have cash flow problems if customers pay late)
How to use it:
Good bookkeeping makes tax prep fast and cheap. Bad bookkeeping means expensive CPA hours or IRS penalties.
Tax prep checklist (do this all year, not just at tax time):
Common deductible expenses (U.S.):
Non-deductible (can't write off):
Rule: When in doubt, ask your CPA. Don't guess on deductions.
Consistency prevents end-of-year chaos. Do these tasks monthly:
Monthly bookkeeping checklist:
Time required: 30 min if your bookkeeping is current. 3 hours if you've been ignoring it.
Rule: Do this monthly. Don't wait until tax season.
DIY bookkeeping works if:
Hire a bookkeeper if:
Cost: Virtual bookkeeper = $200-500/month. Worth it if it saves you 5+ hours/month.
Hire a CPA (tax accountant) if:
Cost: CPA = $500-2,000/year for tax prep. More if you need year-round advice.
Rule: DIY bookkeeping is fine. DIY taxes past $50K revenue is risky. Hire a CPA.