A bookkeeper, to me, is limitless. Thanks to CPB Canada, I have travelled the world. The vibrant community and opportunities for confidence-building training, mentoring and speaking, lead me into roles and companies I never thought possible for “just a bookkeeper”. Happy #BookkeepingWeekCanada to all the Dreamers like me.

When launching my business, I chose to join CPB Canada and immediately gained a community and network of bookkeeping professionals who were on the cutting edge of industry trends, were early tech adopters, thought leaders, and drivers of change.  I was flabbergasted by the willingness of my bookkeeping peers to share their experiences, guidance, and invaluable insights with me.

Bookkeeping has been the most rewarding part of my career. Knowing that we make a real contribution to our customers’ success with the accounting work we do for them is very motivating. It’s not just about the work at hand, but also in the goals we set for ourselves so that we can keep on improving the results we achieve for our customers and ourselves.

Certified bookkeeping standards ensure that bookkeepers have the depth and breadth of knowledge, and the ethical standard, to serve a variety of businesses.  A lot of people out there call themselves bookkeepers because they have some limited knowledge about bookkeeping. However, a Certified Professional Bookkeeper has the knowledge to provide a higher level of quality than a bookkeeper with no certification.  They can help managers and owners of businesses with far more than data entry.

I am excited about the available and emerging technology that is making our work with clients and employers effective, efficient and on point with their needs.  From receipt capture to review of bookkeeping files to apps that assist with providing advisory services, and everything in between, what an exciting time to be a Certified Professional Bookkeeper! 

Being a Certified Professional Bookkeeper (CPB) allows me to do much more than bookkeeping as the controller of a busy mid-size law firm in Toronto and Ottawa.  My job requires me to provide information and insight on “the numbers” which helps the owners of the business make informed decisions.  Being a CPB enables me to excel in my job and the many resources available as a member of CPB Canada have been invaluable.

Thanks to technology, today’s Professional Bookkeeper has evolved. We are no longer the stereotyped kitchen table data entry person sorting stacks of receipts. We are highly specialized professionals required to have a trifecta of skills such as industry knowledge, technology proficiency, business, financial, and people skills. Being a Professional Bookkeeper in the brewing industry allows me to combine my passion for technology with my bookkeeping skills within a very specialized industry. Suffice it to say, I am never bored and am constantly challenged!