ELGIN — Katelyn Earhart of Earhart Family Financial Success based in Elgin is offering bookkeeping services to entrepreneurs, small businesses owners, farmers and ranchers in Union County.

Earhart, who founded her business in April 2023, received an associate degree in business, finance and accounting from Central Oregon Community College in Bend.

“I have 27 different bookkeeping certifications, and I’ve done a lot of training and have a lot of working hours, but I don’t have my certified public accountant license yet,” Earhart said. “I do tax prep, but I don’t file the taxes.”

In her 10 years of work experience, she has been a contract bookkeeper for several certified public accountants.

“That’s actually where my passion and drive came from for establishing my own business, promoting myself and being able to work with multiple clients,” she said.

Earhart works remotely from her Elgin home while raising two children. Her business has a social media presence and is rebuilding a webpage, which will be accessible soon.

“Clients can establish contact with me through Facebook, and my business phone number,” she said. “I will reply by phone and remotely assist them or meet in person and work with them that way.”

Earhart offers an initial free consultation meeting and is willing to travel to a client’s home, business, or other location to discuss the client’s bookkeeping needs. She also offers a free “Questions and Answers” consult if the question is within her realm of expertise and if she can answer it via text messaging.

“When we first meet up for the initial consultation, whether by phone or in person, the client and I talk about all the pay plans, what the client’s current business practices are and what we can do to collaborate together to increase the client’s chances of success,” Earhart said.

Once clients outline what they would like Earhart’s responsibilities to be, she creates customized contracts that stipulate what both parties agree to contribute to the partnership, the bookkeeping fees and payment plan.

Earhart’s interest in bookkeeping started 10 years ago as a property manager in Crescent in Central Oregon. It was then she realized the role that good financial record keeping plays in business success. It helped direct her in her career pathway.

“Without good bookkeeping practices, you don’t know what your business is doing,” she said. “You don’t know what exactly is happening, so I love to give that insight to people.”

Looking back, she said she has been in customer service jobs all her life, and bookkeeping does involve an element of that, but more importantly, it has facilitated meaningful business relationships and helped small businesses succeed.

Earhart has become familiar with many kinds of bookkeeping software, but she prefers to use Quick Books Online, which is efficient and has many features that are helpful to small businesses.

“I love working face-to-face to create tailored solutions that make sense for our community,” she said. “When a local business succeeds, it benefits all of us, and I’m passionate about being a partner in that growth.

Her own comprehensive business plan includes earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance and getting licensed as a certified public accountant. She also wants to bring another family member into the business to help manage and stimulate growth.

“As a business, I’d like it to stay in the family,” she said. “I’ll remain based in Elgin but would like to stretch out to all of Union County.”

Earhart lives with her husband, Brent, who works at Barreto Manufacturing, and they are raising two children in Elgin. She may be reached seven days a week at her home business phone number at 541-357-7224.