Bookkeeping for Creatives in Devon
Bookkeeping for creative businesses, by someone who gets it
Running a creative business is brilliant, the admin that comes with it is usually less so.
I provide friendly, regular bookkeeping for creative businesses in Newton Abbot, Devon and beyond, making it one less thing competing for your time and attention.
An industry I love
I know this world because I've lived in it
Before bookkeeping, I spent ten years as a wedding photographer.
So I know what it’s like to run a creative business around bookings, deposits, deadlines, travel, quiet seasons and very busy ones. I know that the work people see is only a small part of what goes on behind the scenes.
And, truthfully, I miss it a bit (not the dreams where I’d turn up to a wedding with flat batteries, no memory cards or four hours late – those can stay firmly in the past!).
What I do miss is the people, the creativity and being part of an industry full of photographers, florists, designers, venues, cake makers and all the other brilliant businesses that make beautiful things happen and their clients hearts happy.
Working with businesses like yours lets me keep a little toe in that world. So please take a look around and if you like what you see, get in touch. I’d love to hear from you!
Creative businesses
Your bookkeeping has a few plot twists
Creative businesses are rarely beautifully predictable.
One month might be packed with bookings, the next might be quieter. Clients pay deposits months, even years before the work takes place. Then there’s equipment that’s quickly outdated, materials that disappear into individual jobs, software from suppliers all over the world and the occasional prop, sample or last-minute purchase that absolutely made sense at the time.
All perfectly normal in a creative business, slightly less straightforward when it comes to the bookkeeping.
As part of your regular bookkeeping, I can help with:
- Recording and categorising your income and expenses
- Matching client payments to invoices
- Processing receipts, supplier bills and purchase invoices
- Reconciling your bank feeds
- Keeping an eye on unpaid client invoices
- Untangling Stripe, PayPal and other payment platform payouts
- Spotting duplicates, missing documents and anything that looks a little odd
- Keeping Xero in good shape for your accountant at year-end
Regular bookkeeping
Little and often is the best way
A little bookkeeping done regularly saves a lot of head-scratching later.
I can keep Xero ticking along in the background, recording what’s come in, what’s gone out and making sure everything is being treated properly. I’ll pick up the oddities, chase the missing bits and keep the records moving without you having to think about every little detail.
So when you’ve had a brilliant month of bookings, you can see whether that money is genuinely yours to enjoy or already spoken for by upcoming work, supplier payments and tax.
A full diary can feel like proof that business is going well. But until the books are up to date, it can be surprisingly hard to tell what all that work is actually leaving behind.
Regular bookkeeping gives you a clearer view of what you’re earning, what’s already spoken for, what’s still owed to you and what’s coming up next.
A busy diary only tells you so much
Why keep it current?
Know what you've earned
A full diary can feel reassuring, but turnover doesn’t tell you what all that work has actually left behind. Current books give you a much clearer view of what’s coming through the business.
Know what's spoken for
Money in the bank isn’t necessarily money available to spend. Tax, upcoming jobs, suppliers and other commitments can already have a claim on some of it.
Know who's still owing you
When clients pay deposits and balances at different stages, it’s surprisingly easy to lose track of what’s still outstanding. Keeping things current makes it much easier to see.
Know what's coming up
Bills, subscriptions, VAT and quieter periods are much easier to deal with when they’re visible before they become urgent.
From £90/month
For smaller creative businesses with lower transaction volumes, regular monthly bookkeeping starts from £90.
That covers the core bookkeeping needed to keep Xero current, your transactions organised and your records ready for VAT, year-end or simply understanding where the business stands.
Based on volume
Your monthly fee reflects how much bookkeeping there is to do – things like supplier bills, client invoices, bank transactions, payment platforms and the number of accounts or feeds to reconcile.
Add what you need
VAT returns, monthly insights, invoice chasing and extra help with customer or supplier admin can be added as your business needs it.
Simple Pricing
Bookkeeping that makes room for your creativity
Two creative businesses with the same turnover can create very different amounts of bookkeeping. That’s why I don’t try to squeeze everyone into the same package.
Bookkeeping starts from £90 per month and is based on the amount of work involved – things like transaction volume, bank feeds, supplier bills and how tidy things are when we begin.
Extras such as VAT returns, monthly insights and help with customer or supplier admin can be added where needed.
We’ll agree what’s included upfront, so you know exactly what you’re paying for.
