Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n\n- Robles found inspiration for her bookkeeping side hustle while scrolling on Facebook.<\/li>\n
- She paid $10 for a business license and $12 for a domain name to launch her business. <\/li>\n
- Now, the side hustle generates $2,800 in gross monthly revenue, or $33,600 a year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Kayli Robles, 26, of Bellingham, Washington. Robles is the owner and operator of <\/em>Robles Bookkeeping<\/em><\/a>, a bookkeeping firm that currently generates approximately $2,800 in gross monthly revenue, or $33,600 annually. She works 40 hours a week as a bookkeeping coach and runs her business as a side hustle. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nImage Credit: Courtesy of Robles Bookkeeping. Kayli Robles.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhat was your day job or primary occupation when you started your side hustle?
<\/strong>The honest answer is that I didn\u2019t have one.\u00a0 Two months before starting my business, I unexpectedly lost my full-time accounting job. I realized how important it was to build a career on my own terms.<\/p>\nWhile holding out for the right opportunity, I enrolled in a bookkeeping business program and began building my practice.<\/p>\n
A few months later, that same program posted an opening for a full-time coach. I applied and got the job. Today, I coach bookkeeping students during the day and serve my own clients on the side.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Facebook ad inspires a side hustle: Robles Bookkeeping<\/h2>\n
When did you start your side hustle, and where did you find the inspiration for it?
<\/strong>I started my side hustle in August of 2025. While scrolling Facebook one day, I saw an ad for a bookkeeping business program that taught people how to start their own bookkeeping business from scratch. I\u2019ve always had an entrepreneurial fire within me that I never knew exactly what to do with. Seeing this ad ignited something in me. I felt called to it.\u00a0With my accounting experience, all I had to learn was the software and how to get clients. I hit the ground running.\u00a0<\/p>\nGetting the side hustle up and running<\/h2>\n
What were some of the first steps you took to get your side hustle off the ground?\u00a0 How much money did it take to launch?
<\/strong>The business was almost entirely free to launch.\u00a0I paid $10 for a business license and $12 for a domain name for my website. I also purchased an E&O Insurance policy for $280. But didn\u2019t have to pay for this until I got my first signed and paid client.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\nSurprisingly, my first client found me. After getting certified as a QuickBooks ProAdvisor (also free), I was listed on the ProAdvisor directory. A local business owner saw my profile and scheduled a meeting on my calendar. During the meeting, I asked him questions about his business, goals and pain points. After the call, I sent him a proposal, which he accepted.<\/p>\n
Hiring Fiverr designers for a website and logo<\/h2>\n
After receiving the payment from my very first client, I quickly invested the money back into the business. It was important to me to showcase the professionalism of my brand, so I hired designers on Fiverr to upgrade my website and design a logo, and I upgraded to a professional business email address. I also began paying for software. All the tools I use are paid platforms that have free alternatives.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
This business could be run for less than $100 per month, but I pay for tools and services that make my life easier and keep me motivated. For example, I pay $325 per month to use a local coworking space. I also pay a higher annual cost for two pieces of software in particular that eliminate manual task-tracking (Karbon) and streamline my invoicing process (Ignition). Easing the mental burden of tracking so many responsibilities allows me to juggle two jobs without getting overwhelmed.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/image2-her-connection-hub-tea-party-rotated.jpeg?w=768\")
Image Credit: Courtesy of Robles Bookkeeping. Robles at an event hosted by Her Connection Hub, her local co-working space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAre there any free or paid resources that have been especially helpful for you in starting and running this business?
<\/strong>When I started my business, I joined a paid mentorship program (the same program I now work for!).\u00a0 They offered a free week of training that allowed me to learn everything that I needed to know to launch my business.\u00a0 However, upgrading to the paid program allowed me to have access to a structured system and support.<\/p>\nBeing intentional about recurring financial commitments<\/h2>\n
If you could go back in your business journey and change one process or approach, what would it be, and how do you wish you\u2019d done it differently?
<\/strong>In the beginning, I wish I had been more intentional about what I paid for and committed to.\u00a0 After getting my first two clients, I locked myself into some recurring monthly bills I didn\u2019t need, which I\u2019ve since cut.\u00a0However, during those months, these purchases led to net losses that could have been avoided if I had taken the time to weigh my options.\u00a0The financial hardship led to a period of desperation where I almost brought on an unfit client just to turn things around.\u00a0<\/p>\nAfter she pressured me to reduce my fee three times in a row, I realized she wouldn\u2019t even be worth bringing on and said I would not reduce my fee any further.\u00a0Fortunately, she responded saying it wasn\u2019t going to be a good fit, and I learned a valuable lesson.\u00a0If I were to go back and do things differently, I would have tried to get creative, using free tools as long as I could.\u00a0This would have enabled me to see just how far I could go with what I had and prevented some major financial hardships.<\/p>\n
Having a willingness to tackle problems as they arise<\/h2>\n
When it comes to this specific business, what is something you\u2019ve found particularly challenging and\/or surprising that people who get into this type of work should be prepared for, but likely aren\u2019t?
<\/strong>People assume that bookkeeping is just repetitive data entry, but every client\u2019s situation is unique. Expect things to go wrong and expect to have to research specific circumstances that affect your monthly bookkeeping. Foundational accounting knowledge is incredibly useful and will help you understand why transactions are handled a certain way.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/IMG_E7974.jpg?w=875\")
Image Credit: Courtesy of Robles Bookkeeping<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nFor example, if your client is an ecommerce business, their POS system may integrate poorly with QuickBooks, and you\u2019ll find yourself either researching solutions to problems or abandoning the integration altogether and recording revenue with journal entries and clearing accounts. Or your client may use a payroll system that doesn\u2019t integrate, and you\u2019ll need to learn how to record a payroll journal entry. The real job requirement is more than just learning the software; it\u2019s having the willingness and openness to figure things out when problems arise.<\/p>\n
From $400 to $2,800 average a month<\/h2>\n
How long did it take you to see consistent monthly revenue? What does growth and revenue look like now?
<\/strong>It took two months to land my first client at about $400 per month, and two months later I got hired for a $4,000 bookkeeping cleanup job that brought me my second monthly client at an additional $800 per month.\u00a0 Between my monthly clients and cleanup projects, it only took one more month to start averaging about $2,000 per month consistently. Today, the business grosses about $2,800 per month and nets an average of $1,977 per month after expenses.<\/p>\nI\u2019m fully committed to my clients\u2019 success, and that\u2019s led them to recommend my business to others and leave reviews. Things have started to pick up rather quickly lately, and I was recently hired for two multi-year cleanups and a large QuickBooks Desktop to Online migration. At this pace, I can realistically see my business growing to the point where hiring becomes an option.<\/p>\n
What do you enjoy most about running this side hustle?
<\/strong>I never thought I\u2019d be changing lives through this business, but I am.\u00a0 Nearly all my clients came to me needing cleanup work done and not knowing how their business was really doing. This caused a considerable amount of stress and fear about the future. After each cleanup job, I could physically feel the weight lifted off my clients\u2019 shoulders when I called them to say the work was done. When they breathed a sigh of relief, I felt a heaviness release from my own body.\u00a0 These moments where I can help someone feel supported and hear the impact it has on them have been incredibly rewarding, to say the least.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/couch-3-rotated.jpeg?w=768\")
Image Credit: Courtesy of Robles Bookkeeping<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDigging into the books to answer important questions<\/h2>\n
What is your best piece of specific, actionable business advice?
<\/strong>Check in with your finances regularly. I highly recommend getting bookkeeping software that makes tracking transactions easy and categorizing everything once a week. The main point is to do it often enough that you won\u2019t neglect your finances.\u00a0And every month (or more often), sit down with your profit and loss statement. Your finances can help you solve almost every problem you\u2019re facing in your business.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\nBesides the obvious ones, like \u201cWhere is my money going?\u201d or \u201cAm I profitable?\u201d, you can use your books for bigger questions. For example, dig into your marketing expense line and ask yourself if your marketing spend is generating revenue.\u00a0 And regularly assess if the purchases you\u2019re making are bringing down your bottom line.\u00a0 Sometimes, seeing how much you\u2019re spending can make you think twice before that next purchase.<\/p>\n
This article is part of our ongoing\u00a0Young Entrepreneur\u00ae\u00a0series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of being a young business owner.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\nKey Takeaways<\/h2>\n\n- Robles found inspiration for her bookkeeping side hustle while scrolling on Facebook.<\/li>\n
- She paid $10 for a business license and $12 for a domain name to launch her business. <\/li>\n
- Now, the side hustle generates $2,800 in gross monthly revenue, or $33,600 a year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Kayli Robles, 26, of Bellingham, Washington. Robles is the owner and operator of <\/em>Robles Bookkeeping<\/em><\/a>, a bookkeeping firm that currently generates approximately $2,800 in gross monthly revenue, or $33,600 annually. She works 40 hours a week as a bookkeeping coach and runs her business as a side hustle. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Kayli-Robles-2.jpeg?w=823\")
Image Credit: Courtesy of Robles Bookkeeping. Kayli Robles.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhat was your day job or primary occupation when you started your side hustle?
<\/strong>The honest answer is that I didn\u2019t have one.\u00a0 Two months before starting my business, I unexpectedly lost my full-time accounting job. I realized how important it was to build a career on my own terms.<\/p>\nWhile holding out for the right opportunity, I enrolled in a bookkeeping business program and began building my practice.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Kayli Robles, 26, of Bellingham, Washington. Robles is the owner and operator of <\/em>Robles Bookkeeping<\/em><\/a>, a bookkeeping firm that currently generates approximately $2,800 in gross monthly revenue, or $33,600 annually. She works 40 hours a week as a bookkeeping coach and runs her business as a side hustle. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n What was your day job or primary occupation when you started your side hustle? While holding out for the right opportunity, I enrolled in a bookkeeping business program and began building my practice.<\/p>\n A few months later, that same program posted an opening for a full-time coach. I applied and got the job. Today, I coach bookkeeping students during the day and serve my own clients on the side.\u00a0<\/p>\n When did you start your side hustle, and where did you find the inspiration for it? What were some of the first steps you took to get your side hustle off the ground?\u00a0 How much money did it take to launch? Surprisingly, my first client found me. After getting certified as a QuickBooks ProAdvisor (also free), I was listed on the ProAdvisor directory. A local business owner saw my profile and scheduled a meeting on my calendar. During the meeting, I asked him questions about his business, goals and pain points. After the call, I sent him a proposal, which he accepted.<\/p>\n After receiving the payment from my very first client, I quickly invested the money back into the business. It was important to me to showcase the professionalism of my brand, so I hired designers on Fiverr to upgrade my website and design a logo, and I upgraded to a professional business email address. I also began paying for software. All the tools I use are paid platforms that have free alternatives.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n This business could be run for less than $100 per month, but I pay for tools and services that make my life easier and keep me motivated. For example, I pay $325 per month to use a local coworking space. I also pay a higher annual cost for two pieces of software in particular that eliminate manual task-tracking (Karbon) and streamline my invoicing process (Ignition). Easing the mental burden of tracking so many responsibilities allows me to juggle two jobs without getting overwhelmed.<\/p>\n Are there any free or paid resources that have been especially helpful for you in starting and running this business? If you could go back in your business journey and change one process or approach, what would it be, and how do you wish you\u2019d done it differently? After she pressured me to reduce my fee three times in a row, I realized she wouldn\u2019t even be worth bringing on and said I would not reduce my fee any further.\u00a0Fortunately, she responded saying it wasn\u2019t going to be a good fit, and I learned a valuable lesson.\u00a0If I were to go back and do things differently, I would have tried to get creative, using free tools as long as I could.\u00a0This would have enabled me to see just how far I could go with what I had and prevented some major financial hardships.<\/p>\n When it comes to this specific business, what is something you\u2019ve found particularly challenging and\/or surprising that people who get into this type of work should be prepared for, but likely aren\u2019t? For example, if your client is an ecommerce business, their POS system may integrate poorly with QuickBooks, and you\u2019ll find yourself either researching solutions to problems or abandoning the integration altogether and recording revenue with journal entries and clearing accounts. Or your client may use a payroll system that doesn\u2019t integrate, and you\u2019ll need to learn how to record a payroll journal entry. The real job requirement is more than just learning the software; it\u2019s having the willingness and openness to figure things out when problems arise.<\/p>\n How long did it take you to see consistent monthly revenue? What does growth and revenue look like now? I\u2019m fully committed to my clients\u2019 success, and that\u2019s led them to recommend my business to others and leave reviews. Things have started to pick up rather quickly lately, and I was recently hired for two multi-year cleanups and a large QuickBooks Desktop to Online migration. At this pace, I can realistically see my business growing to the point where hiring becomes an option.<\/p>\n What do you enjoy most about running this side hustle? What is your best piece of specific, actionable business advice? Besides the obvious ones, like \u201cWhere is my money going?\u201d or \u201cAm I profitable?\u201d, you can use your books for bigger questions. For example, dig into your marketing expense line and ask yourself if your marketing spend is generating revenue.\u00a0 And regularly assess if the purchases you\u2019re making are bringing down your bottom line.\u00a0 Sometimes, seeing how much you\u2019re spending can make you think twice before that next purchase.<\/p>\n This article is part of our ongoing\u00a0Young Entrepreneur\u00ae\u00a0series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of being a young business owner.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Kayli Robles, 26, of Bellingham, Washington. Robles is the owner and operator of <\/em>Robles Bookkeeping<\/em><\/a>, a bookkeeping firm that currently generates approximately $2,800 in gross monthly revenue, or $33,600 annually. She works 40 hours a week as a bookkeeping coach and runs her business as a side hustle. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n What was your day job or primary occupation when you started your side hustle? While holding out for the right opportunity, I enrolled in a bookkeeping business program and began building my practice.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/strong>The honest answer is that I didn\u2019t have one.\u00a0 Two months before starting my business, I unexpectedly lost my full-time accounting job. I realized how important it was to build a career on my own terms.<\/p>\nA Facebook ad inspires a side hustle: Robles Bookkeeping<\/h2>\n
<\/strong>I started my side hustle in August of 2025. While scrolling Facebook one day, I saw an ad for a bookkeeping business program that taught people how to start their own bookkeeping business from scratch. I\u2019ve always had an entrepreneurial fire within me that I never knew exactly what to do with. Seeing this ad ignited something in me. I felt called to it.\u00a0With my accounting experience, all I had to learn was the software and how to get clients. I hit the ground running.\u00a0<\/p>\nGetting the side hustle up and running<\/h2>\n
<\/strong>The business was almost entirely free to launch.\u00a0I paid $10 for a business license and $12 for a domain name for my website. I also purchased an E&O Insurance policy for $280. But didn\u2019t have to pay for this until I got my first signed and paid client.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\nHiring Fiverr designers for a website and logo<\/h2>\n
<\/strong>When I started my business, I joined a paid mentorship program (the same program I now work for!).\u00a0 They offered a free week of training that allowed me to learn everything that I needed to know to launch my business.\u00a0 However, upgrading to the paid program allowed me to have access to a structured system and support.<\/p>\nBeing intentional about recurring financial commitments<\/h2>\n
<\/strong>In the beginning, I wish I had been more intentional about what I paid for and committed to.\u00a0 After getting my first two clients, I locked myself into some recurring monthly bills I didn\u2019t need, which I\u2019ve since cut.\u00a0However, during those months, these purchases led to net losses that could have been avoided if I had taken the time to weigh my options.\u00a0The financial hardship led to a period of desperation where I almost brought on an unfit client just to turn things around.\u00a0<\/p>\nHaving a willingness to tackle problems as they arise<\/h2>\n
<\/strong>People assume that bookkeeping is just repetitive data entry, but every client\u2019s situation is unique. Expect things to go wrong and expect to have to research specific circumstances that affect your monthly bookkeeping. Foundational accounting knowledge is incredibly useful and will help you understand why transactions are handled a certain way.<\/p>\nFrom $400 to $2,800 average a month<\/h2>\n
<\/strong>It took two months to land my first client at about $400 per month, and two months later I got hired for a $4,000 bookkeeping cleanup job that brought me my second monthly client at an additional $800 per month.\u00a0 Between my monthly clients and cleanup projects, it only took one more month to start averaging about $2,000 per month consistently. Today, the business grosses about $2,800 per month and nets an average of $1,977 per month after expenses.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>I never thought I\u2019d be changing lives through this business, but I am.\u00a0 Nearly all my clients came to me needing cleanup work done and not knowing how their business was really doing. This caused a considerable amount of stress and fear about the future. After each cleanup job, I could physically feel the weight lifted off my clients\u2019 shoulders when I called them to say the work was done. When they breathed a sigh of relief, I felt a heaviness release from my own body.\u00a0 These moments where I can help someone feel supported and hear the impact it has on them have been incredibly rewarding, to say the least.\u00a0<\/p>\nDigging into the books to answer important questions<\/h2>\n
<\/strong>Check in with your finances regularly. I highly recommend getting bookkeeping software that makes tracking transactions easy and categorizing everything once a week. The main point is to do it often enough that you won\u2019t neglect your finances.\u00a0And every month (or more often), sit down with your profit and loss statement. Your finances can help you solve almost every problem you\u2019re facing in your business.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\nKey Takeaways<\/h2>\n
\n
<\/strong>The honest answer is that I didn\u2019t have one.\u00a0 Two months before starting my business, I unexpectedly lost my full-time accounting job. I realized how important it was to build a career on my own terms.<\/p>\n