The Boutique Bookkeeper Show | Know Your Numbers & Prepare For Taxes
Are you making sales in your boutique but still wondering where all your money is going?
Do you panic at tax time because your books are a mess—or worse, nonexistent?
Are you tired of feeling like you should understand your numbers, but no one ever taught you how?
If you’ve ever felt confused, overwhelmed, or straight-up anxious about the money side of your boutique business, you are not alone. Running a retail business—especially online through platforms like Shopify—is no small feat. You’re juggling inventory, marketing, customer service, and social media… and somehow, you’re also supposed to be your own bookkeeper?
Let’s be real: finances can feel intimidating. Maybe you’ve tried spreadsheets, downloaded bookkeeping software, or even hired someone—only to still feel totally in the dark. You just want to understand your business’s money and feel confident making decisions. You want freedom, not fear.
I get it—because I’ve been there.
Hi, I’m Megan Schmitke, host of The Boutique Bookkeeper Show. I have my Bachelor’s in Accounting and spent over seven years working in corporate accounting. But when I became a mom, I knew I wanted more flexibility—and I still had a passion for helping others with their finances. That’s when I started Finding Freedom Financial Services. What I discovered? So many boutique owners were struggling with their numbers—not because they didn’t care, but because no one had ever taught them how to manage their books.
And while plenty of bookkeepers will do your bookkeeping for you, almost none will take the time to teach you how to do it yourself.
That’s where this podcast comes in.
The Boutique Bookkeeper Show is your go-to resource for breaking down the money side of your boutique in a way that actually makes sense. In each episode, you’ll get real-world, easy-to-digest education on topics like:
⭐ Understanding your Shopify reports
⭐ What numbers really matter in your business
⭐ How to stay organized month after month
⭐ How to prepare for tax season without the stress
⭐ And how to create systems that actually give you freedom—not more to do
Whether you want to DIY your bookkeeping with confidence or just want to finally understand what your numbers are telling you, you’re in the right place.
Let’s take the confusion out of your finances so you can step into the CEO role your boutique needs.
👉 Ready to connect and take the next step?
Follow me on Instagram @findingfreedomfinancial for tips, behind-the-scenes looks, and updates on new episodes.
Want to dive deeper or work together?
Visit www.findingfreedomfinancial.com to learn more about how I help boutique owners just like you find financial clarity and peace of mind.
Hit subscribe and let’s turn your confusion into confidence—one episode at a time.
Listen on:
Episodes
Monday Oct 20, 2025
Monday Oct 20, 2025
Have you ever gotten to the end of a great sales month, but you look at your bank account and wonder where all that money went? Maybe you look at your prior month Income Statement and it shows you had a $10,000 profit, but you only have a couple hundred in your bank account. If you’ve ever found yourself in a similar scenario, then the answer to your question can be found in your Statement of Cash Flows. This is the 3rd and final of the primary financial statements that we are covering in this mini-series, and is the best report to help you understand how the actual money is flowing through your accounts.
Ready to take your learning a step further?
Register for my Free Masterclass, Make Your Money Make Sense! Where you’ll learn how to understand where your money is going, avoid costly bookkeeping mistakes, and set up an easy to follow bookkeeping system.
Sign up now: www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/masterclass
Other Ways to Work With Me:
If you’re ready to just hand the numbers off to someone so you can stay in your own zone of genius, apply for one of our open client spots so we can take it off your hands. Don’t worry, we’ll send you your financial reports each month so you can feel confident in your numbers without doing the work yourself. Apply now by booking a coffee chat consultation at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/contact
Need some guidance on how to do you own bookkeeping in Quickbook Online? Then check out Bookkeeping Made Simple for Boutiques, our signature course that walks you through the exact setup & process you need to implement for accurate and EASY bookkeeping all year long - no more tax time scramble! Enroll at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/bookkeeping-basics
Are you a Shopify seller who’s not quite ready to invest in a bookkeeping software like Quickbooks? Don’t worry - I got you! I’ve created a custom Shopify Seller Income & Expense Tracker that you can use to easily enter each transaction coming in and out of your business, along with your sales data coming directly from Shopify to put together a standard P&L (Income Statement) that you can hand over to your tax preparer. Download your copy at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/income-expense-spreadsheet
Prefer to learn while you read? Check out the blog post for this episode:
https://www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/a-statement-of-cash-flows
Related Episodes & Resources Mentioned:
Wanna see a real life example of the Statement of Cash Flows? Register here to watch the on-demand masterclass: www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/masterclass
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Most business owners are at least somewhat familiar with an Income Statement, but the Balance Sheet is often ignored. This report is still important for you to review so you can see how your boutique is (hopefully) getting stronger over time. Today, we’re going to talk through the general layout of the Balance Sheet so you can begin to read & understand what this report is saying for yourself.
Ready to take your learning a step further?
Register for my Free Masterclass, Make Your Money Make Sense! Where you’ll learn how to understand where your money is going, avoid costly bookkeeping mistakes, and set up an easy to follow bookkeeping system.
Sign up now: www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/masterclass
Other Ways to Work With Me:
If you’re ready to just hand the numbers off to someone so you can stay in your own zone of genius, apply for one of our open client spots so we can take it off your hands. Don’t worry, we’ll send you your financial reports each month so you can feel confident in your numbers without doing the work yourself. Apply now by booking a coffee chat consultation at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/contact
Need some guidance on how to do you own bookkeeping in Quickbook Online? Then check out Bookkeeping Made Simple for Boutiques, our signature course that walks you through the exact setup & process you need to implement for accurate and EASY bookkeeping all year long - no more tax time scramble! Enroll at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/bookkeeping-basics
Are you a Shopify seller who’s not quite ready to invest in a bookkeeping software like Quickbooks? Don’t worry - I got you! I’ve created a custom Shopify Seller Income & Expense Tracker that you can use to easily enter each transaction coming in and out of your business, along with your sales data coming directly from Shopify to put together a standard P&L (Income Statement) that you can hand over to your tax preparer. Download your copy at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/income-expense-spreadsheet
Prefer to learn while you read? Check out the blog post for this episode:
https://www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/balance-sheet-101
Related Episodes & Resources Mentioned:
Previous blog/podcast episode on Understanding the Chart of Accounts: www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/2
Monday Oct 06, 2025
Monday Oct 06, 2025
The Income Statement is probably the most well-known financial statement, but it’s important that you know how to read & understand what this report is telling you about your business. This episode is going to explain the purpose of the Income Statement, walk through the general layout so you know how to read & understand it, and then wrap it up with a few specific numbers & calculations you should be reviewing on a regular basis.
Ready to take your learning a step further?
Register for my Free Masterclass, Make Your Money Make Sense! Where you’ll learn how to understand where your money is going, avoid costly bookkeeping mistakes, and set up an easy to follow bookkeeping system.
Sign up now: www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/masterclass
Other Ways to Work With Me:
If you’re ready to just hand the numbers off to someone so you can stay in your own zone of genius, apply for one of our open client spots so we can take it off your hands. Don’t worry, we’ll send you your financial reports each month so you can feel confident in your numbers without doing the work yourself. Apply now by booking a coffee chat consultation at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/contact
Need some guidance on how to do you own bookkeeping in Quickbook Online? Then check out Bookkeeping Made Simple for Boutiques, our signature course that walks you through the exact setup & process you need to implement for accurate and EASY bookkeeping all year long - no more tax time scramble! Enroll at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/bookkeeping-basics
Are you a Shopify seller who’s not quite ready to invest in a bookkeeping software like Quickbooks? Don’t worry - I got you! I’ve created a custom Shopify Seller Income & Expense Tracker that you can use to easily enter each transaction coming in and out of your business, along with your sales data coming directly from Shopify to put together a standard P&L (Income Statement) that you can hand over to your tax preparer. Download your copy at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/income-expense-spreadsheet
Prefer to learn while you read? Check out the blog post for this episode:
https://www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/income-statement
Related Episodes & Resources Mentioned:
Grab your Chart of Accounts Template that you can import into Quickbooks Online for a boutique-specific report layout: https://findingfreedomfinancial.com/coa-template
Register for the free Masterclass here to get a more in-depth look at the primary financial statements: https://findingfreedomfinancial.com/masterclass
Monday Sep 29, 2025
Monday Sep 29, 2025
I’m guessing there are at least a few of you listening here where your bookkeeping routine consists of a year-end scramble where you’re just trying to pull all your numbers from your Shopify reports, Bank statements, and receipts. But, I also know that that routine often comes with some stress & worry that you’re doing things right, and you’re actually getting all the numbers that you need.
Instead of tackling a years worth of “bookkeeping” at once, today we’re going to be talking about what you should actually be doing on a daily, weekly & monthly basis to keep it from piling up and becoming this massive project that you actively avoid.
Ready to take your learning a step further?
Register for my Free Masterclass, Make Your Money Make Sense! Where you’ll learn how to understand where your money is going, avoid costly bookkeeping mistakes, and set up an easy to follow bookkeeping system.
Sign up now: www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/masterclass
Other Ways to Work With Me:
If you’re ready to just hand the numbers off to someone so you can stay in your own zone of genius, apply for one of our open client spots so we can take it off your hands. Don’t worry, we’ll send you your financial reports each month so you can feel confident in your numbers without doing the work yourself. Apply now by booking a coffee chat consultation at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/contact
Need some guidance on how to do you own bookkeeping in Quickbook Online? Then check out Bookkeeping Made Simple for Boutiques, our signature course that walks you through the exact setup & process you need to implement for accurate and EASY bookkeeping all year long - no more tax time scramble! Enroll at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/bookkeeping-basics-course
Are you a Shopify seller who’s not quite ready to invest in a bookkeeping software like Quickbooks? Don’t worry - I got you! I’ve created a custom Shopify Seller Income & Expense Tracker that you can use to easily enter each transaction coming in and out of your business, along with your sales data coming directly from Shopify to put together a standard P&L (Income Statement) that you can hand over to your tax preparer. Download your copy at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/income-expense-spreadsheet
Prefer to learn while you read? Check out the blog post for this episode:
https://www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/bookkeeping-task-list
Related Episodes & Resources Mentioned:
Bookkeeping Made Simple for Boutiques: www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/bookkeeping-basics-course
Monday Sep 22, 2025
Monday Sep 22, 2025
Hey boutique owner! If you use Shopify for your boutique, you are not gonna wanna miss this episode, because we are talking about the 3 reports you need inside Shopify when it comes to your bookkeeping & taxes. These are the only 3 reports I look at on a regular basis for all of my clients, and I also talk about the best way to get the numbers from these reports INTO your bookkeeping so your bookkeeping is accurate.
Ready to take your learning a step further?
Register for my Free Masterclass, Make Your Money Make Sense! Where you’ll learn how to understand where your money is going, avoid costly bookkeeping mistakes, and set up an easy to follow bookkeeping system.
Sign up now: www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/masterclass
Other Ways to Work With Me:
If you’re ready to just hand the numbers off to someone so you can stay in your own zone of genius, apply for one of our open client spots so we can take it off your hands. Don’t worry, we’ll send you your financial reports each month so you can feel confident in your numbers without doing the work yourself. Apply now by booking a coffee chat consultation at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/contact
Need some guidance on how to do you own bookkeeping in Quickbooks Online? Then check out Bookkeeping Made Simple for Boutiques, our signature course that walks you through the exact setup & process you need to implement for accurate and EASY bookkeeping all year long - no more tax time scramble! Enroll at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/bookkeeping-basics-course
Are you a Shopify seller who’s not quite ready to invest in a bookkeeping software like Quickbooks? Don’t worry - I got you! I’ve created a custom Shopify Seller Income & Expense Tracker that you can use to easily enter each transaction coming in and out of your business, along with your sales data coming directly from Shopify to put together a standard P&L (Income Statement) that you can hand over to your tax preparer. Download your copy at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/income-expense-spreadsheet
Prefer to learn while you read? Check out the blog post for this episode:
http://findingfreedomfinancial.com/reports-in-shopify/
Related Episodes & Resources Mentioned:
Prior blog post article on Sales Tax for Boutiques: www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/33
Monday Sep 15, 2025
Monday Sep 15, 2025
As a business owner, it is your responsibility to report all income you’ve earned in your business when tax time comes around. You also have the OPPORTUNITY to report any and all business-related expenses that reduce that income, to reduce the amount of taxes you owe. These expenses are often referred to as tax deductions, or write-offs.
Generally speaking, you will be able to write off any expense that is ordinary & necessary in your type of business, with some exceptions and limits.
I’ve put together this list of 25 specific tax deductions examples you can write off in your retail boutique. While this is not an exhaustive list by any means, it gives a great place to start for what you should be tracking in your business.
Ready to take your learning a step further?
Register for my Free Masterclass, Make Your Money Make Sense! Where you’ll learn how to understand where your money is going, avoid costly bookkeeping mistakes, and set up an easy to follow bookkeeping system.
Sign up now: www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/masterclass
Other Ways to Work With Me:
If you’re ready to just hand the numbers off to someone so you can stay in your own zone of genius, apply for one of our open client spots so we can take it off your hands. Don’t worry, we’ll send you your financial reports each month so you can feel confident in your numbers without doing the work yourself. Apply now by booking a coffee chat consultation at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/contact
Need some guidance on how to do you own bookkeeping in Quickbook Online? Then check out Bookkeeping Made Simple for Boutiques, our signature course that walks you through the exact setup & process you need to implement for accurate and EASY bookkeeping all year long - no more tax time scramble! Enroll at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/bookkeeping-basics-course
Are you a Shopify seller who’s not quite ready to invest in a bookkeeping software like Quickbooks? Don’t worry - I got you! I’ve created a custom Shopify Seller Income & Expense Tracker that you can use to easily enter each transaction coming in and out of your business, along with your sales data coming directly from Shopify to put together a standard P&L (Income Statement) that you can hand over to your tax preparer. Download your copy at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/income-expense-spreadsheet
Prefer to learn while you read? Check out the blog post for this episode:
https://findingfreedomfinancial.com/tax-deduction-examples/
Related Episodes & Resources Mentioned:
Printable Tax Deduction Guide: https://findingfreedomfinancial.com/deductions
Understand your 1099 Requirements as a Business Owner:https://findingfreedomfinancial.com/12
Understand how to account for your Inventory vs Cost of Goods Sold: https://findingfreedomfinancial.com/28
Monday Sep 08, 2025
Monday Sep 08, 2025
It’s always fun to focus on the “fun” parts of starting a business - creating the logo & branding, buying the fresh, new inventory….but there are some “not so fun” steps to make sure you do when starting a retail boutique business. From insurance to financial planning, this episode covers the 10 things you need to do when starting your boutique business.
Ready to take your learning a step further?
Register for my Free Masterclass, Make Your Money Make Sense! Where you’ll learn how to understand where your money is going, avoid costly bookkeeping mistakes, and set up an easy to follow bookkeeping system.
Sign up now: www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/masterclass
Other Ways to Work With Me:
If you’re ready to just hand the numbers off to someone so you can stay in your own zone of genius, apply for one of our open client spots so we can take it off your hands. Don’t worry, we’ll send you your financial reports each month so you can feel confident in your numbers without doing the work yourself. Apply now by booking a coffee chat consultation at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/contact
Need some guidance on how to do you own bookkeeping in Quickbook Online? Then check out Bookkeeping Made Simple for Boutiques, our signature course that walks you through the exact setup & process you need to implement for accurate and EASY bookkeeping all year long - no more tax time scramble! Enroll at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/bookkeeping-basics-course
Are you a Shopify seller who’s not quite ready to invest in a bookkeeping software like Quickbooks? Don’t worry - I got you! I’ve created a custom Shopify Seller Income & Expense Tracker that you can use to easily enter each transaction coming in and out of your business, along with your sales data coming directly from Shopify to put together a standard P&L (Income Statement) that you can hand over to your tax preparer. Download your copy at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/income-expense-spreadsheet
Prefer to learn while you read? Check out the blog post for this episode:
https://www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/start-a-boutique
Related Episodes & Resources Mentioned:
Tax Benefits of an S Corp Structure for Your Retail Business: https://www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/19
Apply for your EIN on the IRS website for FREE here: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/get-an-employer-identification-number
Sales Tax Questions I Hear ALL the Time - Answered for you! https://www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/33
Free masterclass to help you “Make Your Money Make Sense”: https://www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/masterclass
Understanding the Profit First System for Retail Businesses: https://www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/29
Get the book “Profit First” on Amazon here: https://a.co/d/aF9BkuM
Get the book How to “Grow Your Small Business” on Amazon here: https://a.co/d/dw2kzUe
Interested in Getting Additional Help With Your Bookkeeping? See the ways we can help you here:
https://findingfreedomfinancial.com/work-with-me
Monday Sep 08, 2025
Monday Sep 08, 2025
Quickbooks Online is my absolute favorite bookkeeping software because of it’s ability to save you valuable time on your bookkeeping. This episode is going to help you decide which subscription level is right for your business, and then we’ll walk through the steps you need to do BEFORE you actually start USING Quickbooks to make your bookkeeping easier & faster.
Ready to take your learning a step further?
Register for my Free Masterclass, Make Your Money Make Sense! Where you’ll learn how to understand where your money is going, avoid costly bookkeeping mistakes, and set up an easy to follow bookkeeping system.
Sign up now: www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/masterclass
Other Ways to Work With Me:
If you’re ready to just hand the numbers off to someone so you can stay in your own zone of genius, apply for one of our open client spots so we can take it off your hands. Don’t worry, we’ll send you your financial reports each month so you can feel confident in your numbers without doing the work yourself. Apply now by booking a coffee chat consultation at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/contact
Need some guidance on how to do you own bookkeeping in Quickbook Online? Then check out Bookkeeping Made Simple for Boutiques, our signature course that walks you through the exact setup & process you need to implement for accurate and EASY bookkeeping all year long - no more tax time scramble! Enroll at https://findingfreedomfinancial.com/bookkeeping-basics-course
Are you a Shopify seller who’s not quite ready to invest in a bookkeeping software like Quickbooks? Don’t worry - I got you! I’ve created a custom Shopify Seller Income & Expense Tracker that you can use to easily enter each transaction coming in and out of your business, along with your sales data coming directly from Shopify to put together a standard P&L (Income Statement) that you can hand over to your tax preparer. Download your copy at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/income-expense-spreadsheet
Prefer to learn while you read? Check out the blog post for this episode:
https://findingfreedomfinancial.com/how-to-get-started-with-quickbooks-online/
Related Episodes & Resources Mentioned:
Quickbooks Provided Subscription Level Comparison:
https://quickbooks.partnerlinks.io/r7z78hg01286 (affiliate link)
Boutique Specific Chart of Accounts Template:
https://findingfreedomfinancial.com/coa-template
Blog/Podcast Episode on Understanding the Chart of Accounts:
https://findingfreedomfinancial.com/4
Bookkeeping Made Simple for Boutiques:
https://findingfreedomfinancial.com/bookkeeping-basics-course
Monday Sep 08, 2025
Monday Sep 08, 2025
The key to having easy to read & understand financial statements is having a clean & organized chart of accounts. Today's episode is going to dive in to what that is, why it matters, and how it's organized.
Ready to take your learning a step further?
Register for my Free Masterclass, Make Your Money Make Sense! Where you’ll learn how to understand where your money is going, avoid costly bookkeeping mistakes, and set up an easy to follow bookkeeping system.
Sign up now: www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/masterclass
Other Ways to Work With Me:
If you’re ready to just hand the numbers off to someone so you can stay in your own zone of genius, apply for one of our open client spots so we can take it off your hands. Don’t worry, we’ll send you your financial reports each month so you can feel confident in your numbers without doing the work yourself. Apply now by booking a coffee chat consultation at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/contact
Need some guidance on how to do you own bookkeeping in Quickbook Online? Then check out Bookkeeping Made Simple for Boutiques, our signature course that walks you through the exact setup & process you need to implement for accurate and EASY bookkeeping all year long - no more tax time scramble! Enroll at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/bookkeeping-basics-course
Are you a Shopify seller who’s not quite ready to invest in a bookkeeping software like Quickbooks? Don’t worry - I got you! I’ve created a custom Shopify Seller Income & Expense Tracker that you can use to easily enter each transaction coming in and out of your business, along with your sales data coming directly from Shopify to put together a standard P&L (Income Statement) that you can hand over to your tax preparer. Download your copy at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/income-expense-spreadsheet
Prefer to learn while you read? Check out the blog post for this episode:
https://findingfreedomfinancial.com/chart-of-accounts-for-retail/
Related Episodes & Resources Mentioned:
Boutique Specific Chart of Accounts Template:
https://findingfreedomfinancial.com/coa-template
Tax Deduction Examples for Your Retail Boutique
https://www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/20
Understanding Inventory vs Cost of Goods Sold in Retail
https://www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/28
Monday Sep 08, 2025
Monday Sep 08, 2025
I know the money-side of your boutique business can seem scary, but that’s just because it’s unknown! We’re gonna start this podcast off REAL simple and start with the basics that lay the foundation for helping make the money make sense - your bookkeeping. We’re going to look at what bookkeeping is, why it matters, and 3 practical things that you can start doing today to start making the money make sense.
Ready to take your learning a step further?
Register for my Free Masterclass, Make Your Money Make Sense! Where you’ll learn how to understand where your money is going, avoid costly bookkeeping mistakes, and set up an easy to follow bookkeeping system.
Sign up now: www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/masterclass
Other Ways to Work With Me:
If you’re ready to just hand the numbers off to someone so you can stay in your own zone of genius, apply for one of our open client spots so we can take it off your hands. Don’t worry, we’ll send you your financial reports each month so you can feel confident in your numbers without doing the work yourself. Apply now by booking a coffee chat consultation at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/contact
Need some guidance on how to do you own bookkeeping in Quickbook Online? Then check out Bookkeeping Made Simple for Boutiques, our signature course that walks you through the exact setup & process you need to implement for accurate and EASY bookkeeping all year long - no more tax time scramble! Enroll at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/bookkeeping-basics-course
Are you a Shopify seller who’s not quite ready to invest in a bookkeeping software like Quickbooks? Don’t worry - I got you! I’ve created a custom Shopify Seller Income & Expense Tracker that you can use to easily enter each transaction coming in and out of your business, along with your sales data coming directly from Shopify to put together a standard P&L (Income Statement) that you can hand over to your tax preparer. Download your copy at www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/income-expense-spreadsheet
Prefer to learn while you read? Check out the blog post for this episode:
https://findingfreedomfinancial.com/what-is-bookkeeping/
Related Episodes & Resources Mentioned:
Blog post on why how you categorize expenses doesn’t REALLY matter:
https://findingfreedomfinancial.com/23
Customized Bookkeeping Spreadsheet for Shopify Sellers:
www.findingfreedomfinancial.com/income-expense-spreadsheet