When Your Business is Thriving on Paper… But You’re Burning Out in Real Life
Ashley Keatts Ashley Keatts

When Your Business is Thriving on Paper… But You’re Burning Out in Real Life

Is your business making money… but you still feel completely drained—mentally, physically, emotionally?
You’ve got the clients. You’ve got the work. You’re keeping the doors open. But behind the scenes? You’re exhausted.

You’re missing time with your family. You’re staying up late stressing about money. You’re not sleeping. You’re not delegating. And vacations? Forget it.

Sound familiar? It did to me, too.

The Hidden Cost No One Talks About

Most business owners only think about costs in terms of dollars—payroll, rent, equipment, tools, marketing. But what about the cost of you?

What’s it costing you to run in survival mode 24/7?
What’s it costing you when the business is barely manageable instead of truly thriving?

That burnout is real—and the longer you ignore it, the closer you get to walking away… or crashing hard.

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Why Ignoring Your Financial Reports Is Keeping Your Business Stuck
Ashley Keatts Ashley Keatts

Why Ignoring Your Financial Reports Is Keeping Your Business Stuck

Your Financials Tell the Real Story

These reports aren’t just numbers—they’re your business’s dashboard. They tell you:

  • Are you pricing your work correctly?

  • Are you spending too much on overhead?

  • Is that new hire really paying off?

  • Can you afford that new piece of equipment?

  • Is your business truly profitable, or just busy?

You can’t answer those questions based on gut feeling alone. Sometimes your gut is right—but the data will tell you for sure.

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Why Adding QuickBooks Live on Top of Your Current Bookkeeper Can Backfire
Ashley Keatts Ashley Keatts

Why Adding QuickBooks Live on Top of Your Current Bookkeeper Can Backfire

At first glance, hiring a QuickBooks Live expert in addition to your current bookkeeper or accounting contractor sounds like a great idea. What’s the harm in a second set of eyes, right?

Unfortunately, we’ve been seeing more and more small business owners try this—and instead of helping, it often creates confusion, unnecessary rework, and extra costs.

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Why You Should Stop Doing Your Own Bookkeeping (And Focus on Growing Your Business)
Ashley Keatts Ashley Keatts

Why You Should Stop Doing Your Own Bookkeeping (And Focus on Growing Your Business)

If you’re still doing your own books because you think it’s cheaper, we get it. Sometimes you have to in the early days. But the truth is, it’s already costing you in time, stress, and missed opportunities.

Your role is to drive your business forward. Ours is to make sure your financials keep up with your goals.

If you’re tired of late nights with your books, worried about money slipping through the cracks, or ready to focus on growth instead of catch-up—let’s talk.

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You’re Great at What You Do—So Why Does It Still Feel Like a Mess?
Ashley Keatts Ashley Keatts

You’re Great at What You Do—So Why Does It Still Feel Like a Mess?

We’ve worked with so many performance shops, contractors, race teams, and small business owners who are total experts in what they do—but still feel stuck when it comes to money.

Why?

Because no one ever taught you how to:

  • Set a real owner’s paycheck

  • Plan for taxes and payroll the smart way

  • Create spending targets or track profitability

  • Understand your numbers deeply enough to make big decisions

Most business owners are just hoping the math works out—and crossing their fingers at the end of every month.

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Why Waiting to Fix Your Books Is Costing You—Every Single Day
Ashley Keatts Ashley Keatts

Why Waiting to Fix Your Books Is Costing You—Every Single Day

You know that nagging feeling you get when something’s off in your business—but you keep pushing it to the back burner? Maybe it’s your bookkeeping, your cash flow, or that gut instinct telling you the numbers aren’t quite right. You’re not alone.

We hear it all the time:

“I know I need to fix my books… I just haven’t had time.”
“I’ll deal with it after this busy season.”
“I think we’re okay for now…”

But here’s the truth: every day you wait is costing you money.

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Why Bookkeeping Alone Isn’t Enough to Grow Your Business
Ashley Keatts Ashley Keatts

Why Bookkeeping Alone Isn’t Enough to Grow Your Business

We see it every day—business owners who are hustling nonstop, looking profitable on paper, and still asking themselves…

“Where’s all the money going?”
“Why don’t I feel like I’m getting ahead?”
“Can I afford to hire? Buy new equipment? Take a paycheck?”

If this sounds familiar, you don’t need more data—you need direction.

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Why I’m Focused on Helping Drag Racing Business Owners Succeed
Ashley Keatts Ashley Keatts

Why I’m Focused on Helping Drag Racing Business Owners Succeed

A lot of great drag racing businesses don’t last.

Not because they’re not talented.
Not because they don’t work hard.
But because they’re running wide open and don’t have a system in place for their financials.

I’ve seen performance shops close because they weren’t charging enough to cover overhead.

I’ve seen race teams go under because they didn’t plan for expenses outside of race season.


I’ve seen photographers, parts suppliers, and tuners burn out—not because the work wasn’t there, but because the back-end of the business was running on fumes.

I don’t want to see that happen anymore.

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“Should I Buy That?” A Brief Guide to Business Purchases That Actually Pay Off
Ashley Keatts Ashley Keatts

“Should I Buy That?” A Brief Guide to Business Purchases That Actually Pay Off

In the world of drag racing and high-performance work, we’re surrounded by cool stuff—high-end gear, tech, builds, and upgrades that make us say “YES” with our heart before checking in with our wallet.

But the truth is: not every flashy item is a smart business move.

Before you buy, ask yourself:

  • Will this make us money?

  • Will it save us time we can use to take on more paid work?

  • Will it fix a real bottleneck in the business?

  • Is this for the business—or for bragging rights?

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Stop the Bleed: How to Take Control of Your Operating Expenses Before They Take Control of You
Ashley Keatts Ashley Keatts

Stop the Bleed: How to Take Control of Your Operating Expenses Before They Take Control of You

You’re not alone. At A&L Bookkeeping and Accounting, we hear this all the time from performance shop owners and other small business clients:

👉 You’re booked out
👉 You’re working nonstop
👉 But there’s still not enough in the bank

Nine times out of ten, the problem isn’t your pricing.
It’s not your sales.
It’s runaway operating expenses.

In this short video Ashley, from A&L Bookkeeping and Accounting gives a short overview of the common problems and how you can fix them

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How to Read Your Financial Statements (Without a Finance Degree)
Ashley Keatts Ashley Keatts

How to Read Your Financial Statements (Without a Finance Degree)

Hey business owners—be honest. Do you actually know what your financial statements are telling you? 🤔

Your Profit & Loss and balance sheet hold the answers to questions like:

💰 Am I making money?
📉 Where’s it all going?
📊 Can I afford to grow?

If reading your reports feels like reading another language, don’t worry—you’re not alone, and we can help.

Check out our latest blog for a super simple breakdown—no jargon, just clarity.

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Why Racing Teams Need a Financial Pit Crew
Ashley Keatts Ashley Keatts

Why Racing Teams Need a Financial Pit Crew

Why your racing team needs a financial pit crew:

  • Your income is seasonal and unpredictable. We help you plan for the slow months and ride out the off-season without stress.

  • You’re juggling multiple revenue streams. Track winnings, vendor sales, performance work, sponsorships—we organize and clarify it.

  • You travel across state lines. We help you stay compliant with sales tax and reporting no matter where the trailer goes.

  • You don’t have time to sort receipts. That’s what we’re here for.

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