Most Mistakes Aren’t Dishonest, They’re Overwhelmed
When I worked for a home builder, we had a painter who struggled to keep track of what they’d billed and what they’d been paid. They didn’t save their cheque stubs. They sent duplicate invoices with different invoice numbers. And every few weeks, they’d come in convinced we still owed them money.
Some people might assume that meant they were being dishonest. But I never saw it that way. They were overwhelmed. They didn’t have a system. When you’re juggling job sites, materials, deadlines, and long days, paperwork becomes the first thing to slip.
Thankfully, we tracked every PO carefully. I could pull up the records, walk over to them, and say, “This was already billed and paid, here’s the proof.” Not to embarrass them, but to help them understand what happened.
Most bookkeeping mistakes aren’t intentional. They’re the result of people trying their best without the right tools or support.
This is one of the reasons why I built Shingatok Bookkeeping Services. I’ve seen how quickly things can spiral when someone doesn’t have a clear system. Stress builds when people rely on memory instead of records.
Whether you’re a painter, a contractor, or a small business owner trying to keep up with everything, you deserve systems that protect you, not stress you out.
And that’s what good bookkeeping does.
