Courtesy of Every Penny Bookkeeping
By Ann Donnelly
Lourene Bouffard, the founder of Every Penny Bookkeeping & Business Services, is a passionate entrepreneur on a mission to empower business owners with financial clarity and confidence. With decades of experience, Bouffard offers a unique blend of expertise beyond traditional bookkeeping.
“I’ve found that bookkeeping is the starting point, but we do much more than bookkeeping. When you delve into the numbers, you gain a deeper understanding of the business,” Bouffard explained.
Bouffard’s journey began with a desire to become a CPA. However, after witnessing the struggles of small business owners firsthand, she made a bold decision.
“After about 20 years or so working in different industries and having various roles in management, payroll, and business advising, I decided that I wanted to go off on my own and do more for businesses that are struggling.”
She realized many businesses lacked the foundational knowledge and systems to achieve financial stability and growth. Seeing this frustration fueled her desire to help bridge this gap and allow business owners to take control of their finances.
“There are so many people who have great business ideas, but they are not sure how to run a business, don’t know how to watch their finances, don’t know what they’re looking for, don’t have the right processes, or the right people needed for their business to succeed financially,” she said.
Every Penny Bookkeeping provides a comprehensive suite of services to meet each client’s needs, including Bookkeeping & Accounting, Business Consulting & Coaching, Financial Analysis & Forecasting, Diagnostic Reviews, Software Training, Payroll Services, and Debt Counseling.
“Debt is a big issue for a lot of businesses right now,” she noted. “We work with clients to help control that debt and get it paid off. We all know that credit scores are important, and it’s even more important for business owners. Your personal score directly affects your business, from insurance, bank loans, and lines of credit, so it’s important to get under control.”
One service she particularly enjoys offering focuses on business growth.
“I have a Growth Planning Program, which is a 12-month program that works on all aspects of the business,” she said. “We work on debt, goals, and resolving specific issues. We discuss dreams, exit plans, leadership, accountability, and developing the required mind sets.”
Bouffard and her team understand that finances can be a source of stress and overwhelming for business owners. She prioritizes building genuine relationships based on trust and open communication, offering judgment-free consultations.
This manner of doing business has also brought about working with one particular niche of clients.
“We work well with the neurodivergent population, clients that struggle with focus,” she said. “They have great ideas but don’t know how to implement them. One client asked me, ‘How easily are you scared off?’ Not very. We pride ourselves on being patient and keeping them on track.’
One mistake that Bouffard sees many small businesses make is mixing personal and business accounts – bank accounts, credit cards, insurance policies, etc. “There’s two sides of you now. You’re a business owner, and you’re an individual. It’s just smart to keep things separate and smart so you can see what’s going on in your business,” she explained.
Like many businesses, the pandemic is one of the biggest challenges that Bouffard had to face.
“I had built up a great business, and a year later, Covid hit and I lost all of my business. I told my clients they needed to fire me because they couldn’t afford me. They were struggling to make ends meet. So, I trained them in what they needed to keep their business rolling forward. We thought outside of the box to keep them moving. Some of them came back after Covid. Some of them have not, but that’s okay. So I just basically started all over. It shows other business owners that with some hard work and resilience and getting out there, and just keep trying and making those connections and networking and working together, you can make it happen, but you can’t lose sight of your goal,” she said.
The ability for businesses to efficiently work remotely and virtually allows Bouffard to work with clients much further than her base in the Saratoga area.
“We’ve got clients all over the place. We have clients in many other states like Alaska, California, Florida, Virginia, Maine, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin,” she said.
Bouffard advises her clients, “Stay focused on your dreams and goals. It might not be something that you can do on your own. We like to partner with our clients, work with them, help them look outside the box, and see what other things they can do.”
If you’re a business owner struggling with finances, overwhelmed by bookkeeping tasks, or simply seeking guidance for growth, Lourene Bouffard and Every Penny Bookkeeping & Business Services can be your partner in success. Visit their website at everypennybooks.com to schedule a free consultation and discover how Bouffard can help your business thrive.