Bookkeeping began for me in 1998 when I became a VISTA Volunteer for the Americorps. I worked with a non-profit foundation that provided housing for the homeless mentally ill in the Grand Traverse Area. I was trained by a professional bookkeeper, Norma Blumenshine, to enter income, expenses, liabilities, and provide financial reports to the board of directors of the foundation.

After two years in the Americorps, I went to work for another non-profit in Traverse City, MI who renovated homes in five surrounding counties to sell them to low income individuals and families with the assistance of HUD and MSHDA to subsidize the homes. I used Quickbooks to keep track of government funding, income and expenses, payroll, and provide financial reports to the board of directors.

I left the non-profit for another position at a staffing company who was offering more money and benefits. With this position, I learned about human resources and more about the paperwork requirements of a business with employees. While I had been working at the staffing company, I decided to get back into bookkeeping and took on a couple of side jobs that needed someone to come in a few hours a week to assist them with bookkeeping and paperwork organization.