Keeping The Balance

11/14/2025

🤓The National Retail Federation brought some welcome news to retailers last week, releasing its forecast for sales growth this holiday season.

The NRF is predicting that retail sales in November and December will grow between 3.7% and 4.2% over 2024!🎉

While acknowledging that current economic uncertainties may have a greater impact on shopping the longer those headwinds remain, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a press release:

“American consumers may be cautious in sentiment, yet remain fundamentally strong and continue to drive U.S. economic activity. We remain bullish about the holiday shopping season and expect that consumers will continue to seek savings in nonessential categories to be able to spend on gifts for loved ones.”

🔎 Find the full press release here: https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-expects-holiday-sales-to-surpass-1-trillion-for-the-first-time-in-2025

11/05/2025

🤓 I’d like to give a shoutout to My Blue Robot, the creative agency that has created my social media strategy that is building top-of-mind awareness and attracting new clients to Keeping the Balance!

Their team not only writes and posts on social media for me, they also specialize in video production, website development, corporate communications, and event planning for businesses. You can find them at MyBlueRobot.com 🎉

11/04/2025

The government shutdown is driving a lot of uncertainty among our small business clients these days.🧐

What if the cost of employee healthcare goes up? What if business travel becomes too difficult? Or what if financially stressed consumers shop less this holiday season?

We tell our clients that the best way to deal with uncertainty is to build contingency plans, and that starts with a clear understanding of your P&L.🤓

At Keeping the Balance, we can help you clean up your books and uncover cost-saving and profit-driving opportunities. ☎️Give us a call for a one-hour free consultation: 813.474.2902

10/23/2025

🎃 As Halloween approaches, small business owners know there's nothing scarier than facing tax season without accurate financials.

Don’t be haunted by the 👻ghosts👻 of taxes past! Now is the time to face your fears and take control of your books.

At Keeping the Balance, we’ve worked with hundreds of clients to update their books, check them for accuracy, and prepare them for tax filings, and we can help you, too. ☎️Call us today for a free, one-hour consultation: 813.474.2902

10/17/2025

⏰Did you know that outsourcing your bookkeeping services can save you time AND money?💸

According to QuickBooks, “When you're doing your own bookkeeping, you're spending precious time that could be devoted to other business tasks you excel at.” 🧐

And while it might seem to be less expensive to do your bookkeeping yourself, mistakes, missing data, and missed deadlines can be costly. Moreover, a professional bookkeeper can help you plan for savings opportunities and tax breaks.

☎️Call Keeping the Balance to find out how outsourcing your bookkeeping services might be right for you: 813.474.2902

10/15/2025

🍁With back-to-school season firmly behind us, it’s hard to believe we’re already in mid-October!

Before the holiday rush hits, now is the perfect time to conduct a quarterly review of your books:
✔️ Check your data for accuracy
✔️ Reconcile your accounts
✔️ Understand your cash flow position
✔️ Update your financial forecasts

If bookkeeping isn’t in your wheelhouse, Keeping the Balance can help! Our team of QuickBooks Pro Advisors in Tampa, FL, and Portland, ME, can make sure your books are ready for year-end tax season.🤓

Give us a call for a one-hour free consultation! 813.474.2902

10/13/2025

🐶 Today, we want to give a shoutout to our client Bay Area Veterinary Care, and their team of compassionate veterinarians, technicians, and staff!

Located in Gibsonton, FL, BAVC provides urgent care, internal medicine, and surgical services to pet families throughout the East Tampa region. 🐱 Their mission is to “take care of you when you need it most!” and they even coordinate care with your primary veterinarian when needed.

🤓 Check them out at https://www.bayareaveterinarycare.com/

10/09/2025

🧐 If the financial status of your business is unclear due to incomplete or incorrect bookkeeping, it may be time to outsource your bookkeeping services.

According to QuickBooks, that’s just one of the reasons businesses outsource bookkeeping. 🤓 Other reasons include:

✔️ You're running late on your bookkeeping tasks
✔️ You dread doing your bookkeeping
✔️ You're missing tax filing deadlines or miscalculating tax payments
✔️ The time you spend on bookkeeping is preventing you from getting to other important tasks.
✔️ You’re not paying your contractors, employees, or even yourself on time

If any of these scenarios sound like you, we can help! Give us a call for a one-hour free consultation: 813.474.2902

10/01/2025

🤓As we all try to understand how the government shutdown will impact us, we wanted to share this article from the US Chamber of Commerce, "Ways a Government Shutdown Could Affect You and Your Business."

The article notes that, "Impacts would include less funding for small business, travel delays, and ripple effects in communities across America." 🧐

If your business is waiting to receive an SBA loan, or if it is dependent on government workers as customers, you may need to get a handle on your current cash flow and financial forecasts. The team at Keeping the Balance can help you dive into your data. ☎️ Call us at 813.474.2902.

And find the full article at:
https://ow.ly/sIB350X5arA

You can expect delays in small business financing, interruptions to travel, and ripple effects across local communities.

09/30/2025

‼️EFFECTIVE TODAY: the new Florida minimum hourly rate is $14.00.

This increase was approved by 🌴Florida voters in November 2020, granting incremental increases to the state's minimum wage. Next September, the minimum wage will increase again to $15 an hour.

🤓 Be sure your payroll is ready to make the change today.

09/29/2025

🎉Happy work anniversary to Laura Quade!

Eight years ago, she was hired by Keeping the Balance for a two-week assignment, covering for another employee who was on vacation. She did such a great job during those two weeks, we couldn’t let her go!☺️

She quickly rose through the ranks to become a full-time bookkeeper with us, always working hard to help our team and her clients, who love and praise her often.

Happy anniversary, Laura!

09/26/2025

🤓 Our fifth tip for fall is to get ready for taxes.

5️⃣ TIP 5: TACKLE YOUR TAXES. Fall gives you time to make strategic decisions, like deferring income or accelerating expenses, that may benefit your 2025 tax position.💲

Not sure how to evaluate your tax situation? Keeping the Balance can help. Call us for a one-hour FREE consultation to learn more: 813.474.2902.