Zettel Bookkeeping Services

One of the most powerful features in Microsoft Excel is the Pivot Table. If you deal with large amounts of data, a pivot table can do much of your number-crunching for you! So many analytical functions that would require you to learn extra formulae in Excel are taken care of by this tool.

How do you create one? Select the data you want to analyze and in the INSERT tab, select Pivot Table. You'll get a "Create Pivot Table" pop-up window in which you can confirm your data range and also select whether you want to create your pivot table in a new or existing worksheet. I prefer to create my tables in new tabs, so I generally always select "New Worksheet". Click "Ok" and Excel will create a blank pivot table for you.

In your newly-created worksheet, you'll see the "Field List" pane on the right-hand side of your screen. In this pane, you can drag and drop your data fields into any of the four boxes labelled "Filter", "Rows", "Columns", or "Values". Each of these fields is fairly intuitive, but the best way to figure out what each one does is to play around with them and trying dragging different fields into each box and experimenting with the data layout.

Let's say you want to see the Total Revenue by Month for different Product Lines. Drag "Product Line" into "Rows". Drag "Month" into "Columns". Drag "Revenue" into "Values". Voila!

Do you have a "crunch-time-of-year"? At ZBS, we're in the thick of "Accounting Year-End", which is hands-down the busiest time of year. We're closing out the Fiscal Year for clients, and It's a hectic time for sure. I find that these busy seasons also tend to be the most rewarding. Every day brings about a real sense of accomplishment. You certainly feel tired at the end of the day, but it's a "good tired". What's your busy season?

QuickBooks Online Pro-Tip: Set up Rules!!!

Most businesses have re-occurring types of transactions that happen on a weekly or monthly basis. Most businesses use the same suppliers and vendors for common purchases. Did you know that you can create rules that allow QuickBooks to categorize your transactions for you automatically?

Let's say your company always purchases fuel for its fleet from ESSO. You could set up a rule that categorizes any transactions that come in from ESSO under your "Gas" expense account. How do you do that?

Under "Transactions" in your left-hand menu, select "Rules". You'll see a green button that allows you to create a "New Rule". Set up your rule according to the parameters you desire and hit "Save". Super simple.

Alternatively, you can always shoot ZBS a message or email us at [email protected] and we'd be happy to offer a free consultation!

What is your favourite joke about your profession?

Here are some of ours:

Why are accountants so cool, calm and collected?
They have strong internal controls.

What does an accountant say when getting on a train?
Mind the GAAP.

How many accountants does it take to screw in a light bulb?
How many did it take last year?

What do you call an accountant without a spreadsheet?
Lost.

Are you looking for a fresh start to your finances in 2026? Now is the perfect time to update your books, get organized, and put systems in place. We are here to help with that process!

What is a Chart of Accounts? Why do you need one? Why does it matter?

A Chart of Accounts is a list of every financial account that you have set up for your business or personal finances. I like to think of accounts as different drawers or cupboards in my kitchen. I have predetermined where different kinds of dishes, cutlery, Tupperware, or pantry staples will go.

My wife and I have developed a well-organized system for organizing our kitchen. We even labelled certain shelves so that we know exactly where different items will go. You wouldn't believe how easy it is to come home with a load of groceries and put them away neatly in the cupboard. We also never have to spend extra looking for dishware, because everything has a place.

A Chart of Accounts does the same thing. If you set up the right categories of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses, and equity, your bookkeeping becomes INCREDIBLY simple. When you earn money, you will know exactly where that money came from, and categorize it as the proper stream of revenue. When you spend money, it's easy to decide which expense "drawer" that transaction should be stored in.

THEN, when you want to find out where all your money came from, and where it went, it will take you NO EXTRA TIME. All you have to do, open the cupboard (or run a QBO report) and you will see all your transactions, neatly categorized.

I love setting up Charts of Accounts. I've done it for businesses AND for my personal finances. I love a clean house. I also love clean books.

Around this time of year, people start getting worried about taxes. Tax season can definitely be stressful. But it doesn't have to be. Want to know how?

Start with clean books! If you're bookkeeping is sound and your financials are error-free, your tax preparation will be so much simpler!

At Zettel Bookkeeping Services, we don't do taxes. Why not? We are focusing on the setting up your business with clean financials. We do bookkeeping, which is the critical pre-cursor to tax preparation. We make it easier for you or your accountant to file your taxes seamlessly.

The New Year is the best time to get back on track with your financials. It's a new tax reporting year. It's a fresh start.

Many people start new habits or resolutions in the New Year. How about getting in the habit of having clean books? How about giving yourself some financial peace of mind in 2026?

Not everyone likes accounting. Most people probably have a slight aversion to it. Whenever I tell someone that I'm an accountant, I always get mixed responses. "You're an accountant....oh...." "Did you always want to be an accountant?" "Is that something you enjoy?"

Managing finances is a tedious business. It requires attention to detail. It requires following rules. It requires knowledge of laws and regulations.

I love GOOD accounting because it brings order to a business. I love creating structure and stability. I love to be able to track where money is going, how it is spent, and clearly see that it's being managed well.

Not everyone likes accounting, and that's totally fair. But I think we love the results of GOOD accounting.

So excited to launch this new business in 2026! We are offering bookkeeping services to small businesses in Ontario and across Canada. We specialize in Quickbooks Online software. We are live and open for business!