I didn't completely ignore my father.
I'll never tell him that he was right.
Okay, let's get that clear. But
like that goes for all of us. I'm
telling you, I could have some stories
where I don't claim that my father was
right either cuz I'm just like you. It's
like looking in the mirror.
Don't tell him I said that, though.
Hello. Welcome to Be Life Changers
podcast where we share real stories,
real purpose, and real change. I'm your
host, Kathy Coats, and today's
conversation is one every small business
owner needs to hear. We're talking about
the power of knowing your numbers.
Preparing for tax season, right? And
setting yourself up for success for the
year ahead. My guest is Jordan Joyce,
owner of Jordan's J Bookkeeping, who not
only helps businesses owners stay on top
of their finances, but also makes the
process less stressful and more
empowering, getting ready for insights
that could change the way that you run
your business. And I must say, Jordan is
my bookkeeper and very good friend.
Thank you so much, Jordan, for being on
this show today with me. I appreciate
it. Yeah. Thank you so much for having
me. I'm really excited to get to come
and actually see what you do in person.
Oh, yes. It's something. And look, I
mean, have you been to um JT Visual?
I have not been to this upgraded studio.
I'd done several videos with him in his
smaller studio, but I'm very excited to
see the larger, better studios upgrade.
I mean, look at the graphics. I mean,
yeah. Um, shout out to Stacy with
Brandon. Go Casey. they helped um you
know with that logo right there and of
course Jared was in on it. It was like a
we all three cut it together but it was
it's so cool. I think it all turned out
so well and I love the purple mics with
a little touch, you know. So if you've
ever thought about recording a podcast,
definitely check out JT Visuals because
they are more than meets the eye as you
can see. If you've been thinking about
making your own podcast like the one
that you're watching or listening to
right now, then JT Visuals is definitely
the way to go. And that's JT Visuals
without the eye because there's more
than meets the eye. Podcast for business
are popping like crazy. Everyone in
their mom is starting a podcast. Why
should you start one? Well, because the
truth is it's actually still not too
saturated. Not only do you get a show
that's all about your business and
bringing on guests and spotlighting them
and stories, but you're also getting
clips and media to put onto social media
platforms. Whatever your vision is for
your business that you want to
accomplish and how you help people,
social media is the outreach for that.
And when you have a podcast show, it is
the easiest way to get started and to
conquer that social media that
everyone's telling you you need to be
doing. We will do everything. So, all
you have to do is help come up with
topics in collaboration with us, show up
for a couple hours, and then leave, and
everything else is handled for you. We
would love to have a quick call with you
to see if podcasting is right for you,
and if JT Visuals is the way to go for
you. Just go to our website at
And now, back to the show. Well, I am so
glad that you are on today and what we
talk about at the life changers. We talk
about, you know, real people, real
stories that make a real change. And you
have made a real change. I just love
your story. It is so powerful. I think
it's empowering to women um to know that
no matter where you're at or what you're
going through that you can own your own
business and control your life. And so I
was I thought of you right away and I
was like, "Hey, I got to have Jordan on
the podcast because everybody's going to
love it." And what better season than I
can't believe we're in the last quarter.
So, you don't want to put it off. I
mean, like a lot of people like, "Do I
have to tell the story?" Yes, I do put
things off. That's why I did find her.
So, we'll just tell the truth. I did. I
took a long time getting a bookkeeper
and she probably wanted to strangle me,
kill me, and everything else. But,
you have to do it. It makes things so
Yeah. Yeah. There's definitely I would
say the majority of people are probably
scrambling at the last minute, but
there's a lot more planning and a lot of
reduction in that bill that you might
see the last minute that um I can help
you out with if I'm seeing as I can
catch things and plan for things as I'm
going along month by month, quarter by
quarter versus, hey, it's April 10th and
got to make something happen now. I
can't really make things go away at that
point, but you know, if um someone's
coming to me at this point with 6 months
before their deadline, um we can make
Oh, yes. She's a miracle worker. Like I
said, I did come in late in the game,
but not only did she help me finish out
strong, she literally caught mistakes
from what almost three years ago.
Yeah. So given the statute of
limitations, we can go back three years.
So we can amend back uh unfortunately
there were some that went back further,
but that's as far as we were allowed to
Um so yeah, we went back and amended as
far as we could and yeah, those were
So that made me a very happy person and
it definitely made my husband happy. So
but thank you. Thank you so much. As
much I say thank you. But um let's go
back a little bit. Tell me about like
how did this whole like when when did
you start realizing that you were a
Yeah, I think I resisted that pretty
hard. Um, initially um my father is a
tax attorney. So I think he really tried
to persuade or encourage me to kind of
go that route, follow in his footsteps
so naturally as any daughter would do. I
said absolutely not. um he's going to
try and encourage me to go one way. I'm
going to go as far the opposite
direction as I can, obviously. Um so I
think anyone that knew me in high school
probably would have thought I would have
gone somewhere along the lines of
graphic design or journalism or
something like that. Um and that's a lot
of what I did in high school. Uh I then
from there in college I started touring
schools and I went into college with
accounting, finance and real estate. So,
you know, we resisted minimally
and I did stick with it. I think
initially still in college, I was pretty
sure I was going to go the finance
route. So, working, you know, corporate
investment banking, so you know, my
father was really still pushing
accounting. So, you know, I was like, I
gave him some leeway, but I was still
like, no, not today. Um but I think uh
life had some different plans for me. So
I've always grown up with a heart
condition known as POTS postural
orthostatic tachicardia syndrome
but it definitely it got worse when I
went to college and I developed some
autoimmune issues in college.
So that I mean it really blew my life up
honestly. I really had to completely
take a look at my options and I realized
that a corporate a big corporate job
like investment banking was not going to
work with my body. Um and so I kind of
had to rethink some of those plans and
what I had envisioned myself doing and
what I that's the reason why I chose the
school that I went to um and why I went
down the initial path that I did. But
luckily, I didn't completely ignore my
father. I'll never tell him that he was
right. Okay, let's get that clear. But
like that goes for all of us. I'm
telling you, I could have some stories
where I don't claim that my father was
right either cuz I'm just like you. It's
like looking in the mirror.
Don't tell him I said that though.
No, never. Um, luckily I did keep that
accounting major um to support my
finance degree and that's what I'm doing
now. So, I was also on top of developing
some autoimmune issues in my freshman
year of college and having to pivot
initially. Um, I was still going to go
into finance and I was going to work as
a investment analyst in real estate
firm, but I was a May 2020 grad. So, as
I'm sure everyone is aware,
what happened in 2020? Everything shut
So, um, my job offer in Dallas was
rescended with about two months left for
me to graduate. And there there was
nothing open left for me to do,
So, I moved myself back to Kansas City,
which was not what I wanted to do.
Uh, oh, yes. The the plans that we say
that we're not going to do or places we
say we're not going to go and find
ourselves there. I understand,
right? Um, so I moved back home with
really no clear plan, but I did graduate
with honors from Texas Christian
University in accounting, finance, and
real estate. So I knew I had some solid
ground and I had my family that loved me
and supported me. So I ended up working
doing the accounting for some small
businesses that were my dad's clients.
And then I took a job um underwriting at
a local bank for a year and a half. So I
was basically doing the reverse of what
I'm doing now. So I was getting
financial statements from small
businesses and taking them apart to
assess their creditworthiness, right?
So that's kind of when I realized how
bad some financial statements and these
were like reputable businesses. I was
looking at portfolios exceeding a
million dollars and I was still getting
financial statements with
uncatategorized or ask my accountant or
basically we don't know what this is
expenses like just with the numbers that
are astronomical and having to say hey
I need this to be categorized or that's
an extreme amount that's a very large
number I we have to know what that is to
so I realized that it was definitely the
proper accounting and bookkeeping was
definitely a need. Well, and I think
that's an important thing that you say
because it's what I talk about a lot and
that is that we can't do everything
and you know when you're first starting
we do tend to take that because we don't
have the money to spend like we may go
without a loan like you know c you know
when Casey Women's Event started we
and we have never had to borrow any
money for it but we also had to do a
whole lot of the work on our own right
and then you you know, there's other
people that may get grants, but it may
not be a lot. So, you all lot it to
other things. And sometimes we think we
can wait with a financial partner,
right? Because of course, I too was in
banking for a while. Like I was a bank
teller for, you know, a year and a half
before I had my first child. And so, I
know about, you know, I'm not good with
numbers. I won't say that. But I but I
know how to keep books. Like, you know,
I knew the the basics. So since I knew
the basics, I thought, okay, I can get
myself started and then, you know, I can
use this money somewhere else and then
allot that later. That would have been
fine if I would have like turned it over
instead of just, oh, I'm just going to
save myself money. I'm going to save
myself money. And then I find myself
doing less and less. And I know I'm not
the only one admitting this because I'm
probably speaking to you, too, because
you think, okay, I get it. But the next
thing you know, you got a mess because
you didn't get enough stuff taken care
of and you know and you're not recording
everything you spent and then all these
different things happen or you are
missing things. There's things I didn't
know. It's super important. And so I
think that we got to understand we do
have to turn it over because when we do
turn it over, you will make more money
because that first of all, you're going
to show us where to save money because
you've already showed me where to save
in lots of places. And um just by
knowing how to, you know, schedule
things better, you know, spend better,
and then when you get to the point of
taxes, of course, definitely knowing how
to do all of that. So it's super
important. Um, but I think a lot of
businesses make that mistake of just
trying to do it and sometimes even close
their doors because they just didn't ask
for the help because they're trying to
Yeah. And I think a lot of business
owners I see they are like, well, I know
it in my head and then when I'm kind of
sitting down with them, there's a lot of
little things that get missed and it
adds up. So, yeah, I realized that that
was there was definitely a need there.
And so when I realized that my body was
not going to allow me to work a regular
9 toive job anymore, um I
knew that I couldn't work in an office
and I realized that there was that need
I was really passionate about helping
other small business owners and I really
liked connecting with them that that
might be a great fit for me.
Right. So, let's talk about that just
cuz I know um a lot of people out there
do face the same thing of having an
issue that makes it hard for them to
work and they kind of feel like, you
know, I'm not good for anything or, you
know, I I couldn't own my own business
because they couldn't work in the
workplace, so they assumed that they
can't do anything at home either. how
tell me a little bit about how that felt
when you first found out like you had
all these big dreams and stuff and then
you found out that you had this
condition and then how did you work what
was your um mindset like how did you
shift your mindset into yes I can do
this on my own like I know there's
probably a struggle through that cuz not
only did you have the struggle of I
found this and then it was I you co hit
cuz that's two big things well actually
three because that's two big things
because you know with co and then coming
to find out that door closed on the job
that you thought so I know when you have
pivots and shifts like that you got to
get your mindset straight right
or you're going to fall flat on your
face tell us a little bit about that how
what was your thinking process how did
it's terrifying and I think now I'm
connected with so many more people that
are going through the same thing so now
when these little things come up and I
haven't really had anything as big as I
did then. But now when I had these
little things come up, I have such a
greater support system to tackle those.
But at the time, I really didn't and I
didn't know anyone else that was going
through that. And it was really
just me kind of taking it piece by
piece, step by step, trying to
figure out what to do. I I knew I wasn't
going to give up or lay down or die. So,
you know, step by step, client by
client, like picking myself up piece by
piece because I, yeah, I wasn't going to
give up on myself. I worked
every piece that I had and step that I
had taken before. I had worked so hard
for that for my degree to get. So, I
wasn't going to give up on
all of that. So, it really is like I had
to take it's terrifying. I had to take a
and think and assess and then like
take steps forward. But truly, even as I
did get started with my own business, if
I had not been connected with the
community that I had gotten connected
with, I would have given up,
right? cuz I really did not have the
support from family or anyone that was
like built a built-in community in that
way that understood or wanted to
understand what I was going through and
support me. So, if I had not gotten
connected with, you know, like you and
Stacy or, you know, some of those groups
through networking that I met that could
sit with me and offer me advice and tell
me that they understood what I was going
through and tell me that I could do it
and that I was going to be okay, I would
And that's the only reason that I
Oh, community is so important. Yeah. And
I can't say how proud of you I am
because I know it's hard. Yeah,
it is hard cuz I mean like you know I
mine's reversed. It's not myself but
you know, and so you don't you're not in
control of your time, right? So all
those things you hear about you got to
get up early in the morning 5:00 you
know it's when your body lets you it's
when you know I have a down time and not
with my son having meltdowns or you know
and and so we had to like adjust and
that's super hard and I know there's a
lot of people out there that are in our
situation whether you have um someone
you're taking care of or you know a
special needs child or you know dealing
with you know ailments yourself. Um,
those are extra challenges. Already
challenging. It's already scary enough
to start a job. It just really is. It's
already scary enough to start your own
business. I mean, I mean, new jobs,
you're still just as nervous as I'll get
out. And then when you take that risk
Yeah. There's no safety net doing.
There's no safety net when you're doing
it on your own. And then you're like,
"Oh, I don't even have no control of my
time. Who's going to want to I I I'm
going to show up late or I can't do it
today. I I just can't do it. And and
there's times it's gotten that
frustrating, you know, like Absolutely.
I mean, like where I thought maybe I'm
just supposed to just stay home and do
nothing but but my home and take care of
my family. But then I thought, no, you
know, that's that calling that when we
find out what our true purpose is, what
God has called us to do, like, you know,
it grounds you back in like, okay, yes,
you know, and or if it's something
you're going through and you're feeling,
okay, I'm going to get through this and
nothing is going to stop me, right? And
so it's it's finding that that source
and finding that energy and I'm going to
definitely is. There are things that,
you know, I have to stop and pause and
take a break and let myself breathe for
a minute. And then, you know, it's kind
of like when everything else is gone,
just remembering myself and why I'm
doing this and why I started this and
kind of letting every all the other
noise and everything else fade away and
yeah, reggrounding myself and
remembering what I'm doing,
right? And sometimes it's really easy to
get caught up in like what's right in
front of you that day or that minute or
that hour. But I've had to think really
hard about my long-term goal in
supporting myself and what I'm trying to
do cuz I'm my energy is just going to
decline over time. So I'm really trying
to build like something long lasting for
myself. So a lot of other people are not
going to understand that why I'm not
going after something bigger right now,
right this minute. And it's there's a
bigger goal. I'm trying to achieve
something larger for a long period of
time for I'm the one that has to live
with this for with my entire life,
right? So remembering what I have to
stop and breathe and remember what I'm
Well, and I encourage you in that
because that really is the smart way.
Sometimes people build too quickly
and so it's like building on sand.
You're just going to sink at some point
in time because you're catapulting too
fast. Like so I always look at it as if
things are coming slow and steady,
you're building a firm foundation
and and then you see how it grows. We
don't have to know what our next step
is. We don't have to know about
tomorrow. Like we need to worry about
today cuz today has its own worries of
its own. And when we can take that
attitude and mindset and be grateful for
the things that have already happened
and then as we're moving in on in our
businesses, we realize that okay, I
couldn't have handled that anyway. And
this and you're going to make less
mistakes. Yeah. So, you know, I that's
great. That's awesome. That's awesome.
So, I know we're getting ready like
we're in the fourth quarter and so tell
me just, you know, briefly what um
people can do to get kind of set up for
that year. Like what what is things that
you what would you want to say to a
you know, to be prepared that may not
have a bookkeeper? Like why is it
important? And then maybe a tip for
taxes like what what how do you be ready
Yeah. So, if you're a small business
owner that doesn't have a bookkeeper,
I'd probably just tell you to get one
even a lot of times with people that are
really on top of it on their own, it's
there's still a lot of in-n-out and
gets really tricky to stay on top of it.
So get with someone that knows what
they're doing that can help even just
give you pointers if you want to
continue doing it on your on your own.
Um there's a lot of planning and
strategies that go into allowing you to
strategize to avoid taxes, but again
that does require planning. So having an
idea of where you're sitting at your end
so that you can kind of make some of
those moves as the year wraps up and
before your tax return deadline is
coming. um 1099s. If you paid any
independent contractors over $600 within
the last year, that's gonna that
deadline's coming quickly, January 31st,
and that's always a scramble. So, make
sure you're collecting people's W9s.
other than that, I would just say keep
an eye on tax law changes coming up.
make sure that you're aware and informed
of any changes that may positively or
just regulation, more paperwork impact
your business. So, really just find a
good find a good source that you can
Definitely. I mean, and Jordan is
someone you can really trust, I'm
telling you. So, reach out um to Jordan
Jookkeeping. And how do they follow you
on social media and how your email, how
do they get a hold of you? Yeah. So, my
social media on all platforms is just
My website is jordanjjoyce.com
and any consultations can be booked
directly from there and my email and
everything is listed on all of those as
well and on my website. So, and my phone
number, my all my contact.
Definitely check her out on social
media. You have so much great fun
content. I'm telling you, you always
have me laughing and then feeling guilty
because I'm like, she's talking about
me. I don't know if she's talking about
me. But it's okay. It's It makes it fun.
It is. If you want some fun and light in
in numbers, definitely check it out for
sure. And I can't believe that we're
already almost to that season. And so,
thank you for coming on today to make
sure that we are ready for this. Um cuz,
you know, it's coming faster than we
know. I cannot believe that we are
already at the end of 2025, rolling into
2026. I feel like we just got this
started and here we are in the last
quarter, but I wanted people to be
prepared and ready. And so definitely
reach out to Jordan or a a secure
source. Get yourself. It is worth it. I
mean, the more you can turn over really
the more money you make and that's just
how that is. So, thank you for watching
Be Life Changers on this episode and I
will see you on the next episode.
