As a creative solopreneur or small business owner, numbers may not exactly be your favorite part of running a business. Let’s be honest—most people don’t start a business to spend hours pouring over spreadsheets (unless you’re me; I love a good spreadsheet!). You’re here because you wanted to design and create beautiful things, right? While tracking your finances may not be the most glamorous aspect, it can actually be the secret weapon that keeps your creative business running smoothly.

Here’s the good news: you don’t need to be a numbers genius, and you definitely don’t need every tool on the market! The key is using the right virtual bookkeeping tools to streamline and simplify the process.

With simplicity in mind, I’ve put together a list of 6 digital tools that make managing your money (and your business) easier, faster, and even—dare I say—enjoyable! Each of these tools takes care of a specific part of your business, whether it’s tracking expenses, organizing receipts, or making sure you get paid on time. Let’s make your numbers work for you, not against you!

Best All-In-One Tool to Manage Your Small Business Finances

QuickBooks Online

If you’re after a tool that handles pretty much everything—QuickBooks Online (QBO) is where it’s at! This is my go-to recommendation for small businesses because it’s like having a digital finance assistant. QBO covers the essentials, from tracking income and expenses and sending out polished invoices to generating helpful reports that make decision-making easier.

Here’s what makes QuickBooks Online so great:

Income and Expense Tracking: Keep tabs on your cash flow with real-time updates, and easily categorize transactions from your bank feed—keeping things organized without much effort.
Receipt Management: Snap photos of your receipts with the QBO mobile app, and attach them right to each transaction. No more lost receipts!
Professional Invoicing: Customize and send invoices that reflect your brand, set up recurring invoices, and enable automatic reminders so payments don’t slip through the cracks.
Payment Processing: Give clients a simple way to pay directly through QBO with their bank or credit card—making it easier for you to collect payments.

BONUS: Once a payment goes through, it’s automatically matched to the right invoice in your bank feed, so you can avoid hunting down payments and eliminate errors.

Real-Time Financial Reporting: Dive into easy-to-read financial reports whenever you need, and favorite certain reports to quickly access them later.

QuickBooks Online is a powerhouse that keeps your income and expenses organized, and it’s compatible with tons of other tools, which can streamline data entry and free up your time for other things.

Payment Processing Tool

Stripe

As a creative entrepreneur, getting paid should be simple and quick, and that’s where Stripe comes in. It’s designed to make accepting payments as easy as possible, so whether you sell products online, run a subscription service, or invoice clients, Stripe has you covered.

Why Creatives Love It:

Online Payment Options: Get paid from anywhere with easy online payment processing.
E-Commerce Integrations: Stripe works with platforms like Shopify, Etsy, and Squarespace, which makes setting up payments a breeze.
Detailed Reporting: With insights on your transactions, you can see what’s selling, how often, and who’s buying.

Stripe is great for creative solopreneurs with online stores or service-based businesses—it removes payment hassles, letting you focus on the work you love.

Time Tracking for Invoices

Clockify

If you charge clients by the hour, keeping track of your time can be, well, a little tricky. Clockify is an amazing (and free!) tool for anyone in a service-based industry who needs to keep an eye on every minute. Whether you’re a freelance designer, photographer, or writer, Clockify can help you capture each billable hour so nothing falls through the cracks.

Why You’ll Love Clockify:

Track by Project or Client: With Clockify, you can log hours for each project, making it easy to see exactly how much time you’re spending on each client. Perfect for staying on top of your workload!
Invoicing Made Easy: Clockify integrates with invoicing systems like QuickBooks, so you can turn tracked hours directly into invoices (this is a paid feature). If you’re sticking to the free plan, Clockify offers great reporting—you can download PDFs to attach to your invoices and still look super organized.
Budget-Friendly: Clockify’s free plan covers everything you need for time tracking. If you need more features, they do offer affordable upgrades for a more robust setup.

With Clockify, you’ll always know where your time is going, helping you make better estimates and keep your business on track. Even if you don’t bill by the hour, tracking your time regularly is a game-changer. It’s a helpful way to check that your pricing reflects your time and that you’re truly getting the most out of every project.

Banking Solutions

Relay

Relay is an online banking platform designed with small business owners in mind, making it perfect for solopreneurs who want a clear, organized view of their finances. With Relay, you can set up multiple accounts under one login with no minimums required, which makes it ideal for keeping tax savings, expenses, and other funds separate. This setup works especially well if you’re following the Profit First method!

Why Relay is Great for Solopreneurs:

No Monthly Fees: Relay doesn’t charge fees, a huge plus for any budget-focused business owner.
Separate Accounts for Different Goals: Relay lets you open multiple accounts so you can easily set aside money for taxes, expenses, or even a rainy day fund.
Easy Transfers and Payments: Need to move money around or pay a bill? With Relay, you can handle it all directly within the platform.

Relay is a straightforward, no-fuss banking solution that’s easy to set up and gives you a clear picture of your cash flow—exactly what every creative solopreneur needs!

Document Organization

Hubdoc

Got a stack of receipts and invoices you’re avoiding? Hubdoc might just be the answer! It’s a tool made to take the headache out of receipt and document management, which means tax season (and staying organized year-round) just got a whole lot easier.

Why Hubdoc is a Solopreneur’s Best Friend:

Receipt Scanning: Snap a photo of a receipt on your phone, and Hubdoc will automatically upload and organize it. You can also upload documents from your computer or even forward emails straight to Hubdoc using your unique Hubdoc email address.
Document Organization: With everything stored in one place, you’ll never have to search around for that missing invoice or receipt.
Seamless QuickBooks Integration: Hubdoc syncs with QuickBooks, making it a breeze to track expenses and keep your books in order.

If you’d rather avoid the mountain of receipts piling up, Hubdoc has you covered. When it’s time to find that one receipt from a few months ago, you won’t have to dig through drawers or emails—you can pull it up in seconds. Talk about stress relief!

Google Workspace

Even if you’re running things solo, Google Workspace is a game-changer for managing documents, staying connected with clients, and keeping your business organized. With tools like Google Sheets, Drive, and Docs, you can keep everything in one place, easily accessible from anywhere you’re working.

Why Google Workspace is a Must-Have:

Collaboration Made Easy: Google makes it simple to share files and documents directly with clients or collaborators, eliminating the hassle of emailing Excel or Word documents back and forth. You always have the latest version without the mix-up!
Secure Document Storage & Organization: Google Drive offers cloud-based storage where all your important documents are just a click away. You can also set up shared folders with clients to share files seamlessly.
Tracking Expenses with Google Sheets: Not quite ready to dive into full accounting software? Google Sheets is a great place to start tracking your expenses, budgeting, and keeping an eye on income.

Google Workspace is a powerful, familiar suite of tools that helps you stay organized and lets you get back to doing what you love.

Project Management

Asana

Asana is a project management tool that helps you organize tasks, set goals, and keep track of deadlines. It’s great for creatives juggling multiple projects, as it lets you break down big tasks into manageable steps and stay on top of client work.

How Asana Helps:

Task Organization: Create to-do lists for each project, so you never miss a detail.
Team Communication: If you have collaborators, Asana makes it easy to assign tasks and communicate in one place.
Track Project Progress: Get an overview of what’s been done and what’s coming up.

Asana is especially useful for keeping your creative projects organized without feeling overwhelmed.

How to Create Your Perfect Financial Tool Stack

As you consider which tools to add to your business, it’s essential to take a step back and look at your unique needs. Every creative business has its own quirks, so here’s how to find the right tools for you.

Assess Your Business Needs

Before diving into all the options, ask yourself a few questions:
What kind of services do you offer, and do they require specific tracking?
Do you have clients who prefer a specific invoicing or payment method?
Are you managing a team or is it just you?
Taking industry-specific needs into account will save you time and help you pick tools that directly benefit your business rather than ones that offer unnecessary bells and whistles.
Consider Your Budget
Tools for finances can be a worthwhile investment, but only if they’re helping you save time or improve accuracy. Many options offer free versions that may be more than enough to meet your needs, especially in the early stages. If a paid version makes sense, focus on getting the best value without going over budget.
Consider Integration Capabilities
Compatibility is key. If you’re using QuickBooks, make sure your other tools connect with it smoothly. For example, using Hubdoc for receipt storage and Relay for business banking can reduce duplicate data entry and cut down on mistakes. The easier your tools work together, the more efficient your setup will be.

When setting up your financial tool stack, start with the essentials and scale as your business grows. Not every virtual bookkeeping tool is necessary; what matters most is that they simplify your processes and keep you organized.

Start by assessing your current systems and pinpointing what’s working and what isn’t. Begin with one new tool, build familiarity, and add more as needed. This way, you’ll avoid overwhelm and develop a setup that genuinely supports your business.

Ready to streamline your financial systems? Take a look at your current tools and identify any gaps. If you’re missing something or struggling with a specific task, try one of these tools. Start small, build your perfect stack, and watch your financial confidence grow!

let's work together

6 Virtual Bookkeeping Tools to Simplify Your Small Business