Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Bertrand.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve spent more than 25 years in bookkeeping and accounting — some of it as a an employee, some of it with side hustle clients I picked up along the way. I genuinely loved the work, but I never once pictured myself running my own firm. Honestly, it wasn’t even on my radar.
For several years, my husband’s health had been steadily declining. He was on kidney dialysis, waiting for a transplant, and in and out of the hospital constantly. ER visits, doctor’s appointments, overnight stays. It had all become a regular part of our life. I was incredibly fortunate to have a company and a manager who supported me through all of it. They never blinked when I had to come in late, leave early, or drop everything to get to the hospital, and I’ll always be grateful for that.
Then, in 2019, the owner of the company told me she was planning to sell the company at the end of the year, and suddenly I was facing a big question: what next? I couldn’t count on finding another employer who would offer me that same grace. I wouldn’t have the history with a new company to prove my reliability, and I couldn’t imagine a new boss being okay with the kind of last-minute juggling my life required. I realized I needed to be in control of my own schedule and my own time.
Over the following months, I kept circling back to that same realization, until it stopped feeling like a wild idea and started feeling like the only path that made sense. So in August of 2019, I took the leap and launched ClearCloud Bookkeeping LLC.
Looking back, it still amazes me that the hardest season of our lives became the reason ClearCloud exists. There’s a happy twist, too: after all my worrying, the company didn’t sell after all! In time, they even became one of my clients. I’m also happy to say my husband received his kidney transplant and is healthy today, and the freedom I built this business around is the same freedom I now get to build my days around.
Today, ClearCloud is a team of four working 100% remotely. We work exclusively in QuickBooks Online and specialize in businesses in professional service industries: law firms, consultants, medical practices, architects, designers and other business owners who are great at what they do and want a bookkeeping partner they can trust. After 25-plus years in this field, I can tell you the numbers matter, but what I care about most is the people behind them. I want every client to feel like we’re the experts on their team, and that their win is our win.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t always been smooth, and I don’t think any honest business owner would tell you otherwise!
For me, one of the biggest ongoing struggles is something we don’t talk about enough: imposter syndrome. Just because I could crunch numbers and turn out reliable, accurate reports didn’t (and still doesn’t!) mean I automatically knew how to market a business, manage a team, or take the lead on operational issues. When you go out on your own, you’re suddenly wearing every hat — owner, bookkeeper, marketer, HR, IT — and a lot of those were brand new to me. Learning them on the fly, while still delivering great work for clients, was humbling.
The other big one was deciding when to hire. That was a genuinely hard call. When you bring someone onto your team, you’re not just taking a chance on yourself anymore, you’re responsible for someone else’s livelihood too. I wanted to be sure I could bring in enough steady work to support them and their family, not just myself. That’s a weight I took, and still take, very seriously.
That said, every one of those bumps has taught me something, and I wouldn’t trade the lessons for anything.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
At ClearCloud, we handle the bookkeeping and advisory for business owners who are wonderful at what they do but would rather not spend their evenings buried in QuickBooks. We work exclusively in QuickBooks Online, and provide full service bookkeeping, back office support (think payroll, spend management, invoicing/accounts receivable) as well as cash flow forecasting, budgeting and general advisory to business in professional service industries. We’re particularly focused on helping businesses that have grown to the point where the numbers really matter.
Honestly, though, the bookkeeping is almost the easy part. What we’re really known for is the relationship. After 25-plus years in this field, I can tell you the thing that sets us apart isn’t just clean, reliable books. Those are a default. It’s that we genuinely feel like part of our client’s team. I like to say we’re the nurses of our clients’ books: we educate our clients, hold their hand when they need it, and are always their biggest cheerleaders. We’re the people you can call with a “quick question,” the ones who understand your business well enough to catch something before it becomes a problem. Their win is our win, and we truly mean that.
There’s a phrase we built our brand around: Understand Your Numbers. Reclaim Your Time. It’s personal for me. I started ClearCloud because I needed to reclaim control of my own time during a really hard season of life, so I know exactly what it feels like to hand something off to someone you trust and get a piece of your life back. That’s what we give our clients, not just accurate reports, but the freedom to stop worrying about their books and pour their energy into the work they love.
The thing I’m proudest of, brand-wise, is that we’re real people, not a faceless firm. The partnership we enjoy with our clients is a genuine one. When you work with us, you’re not only working with experts in what we do but people who truly care.
If there’s one thing I’d want your readers to take away, it’s this: good bookkeeping isn’t just about compliance or scrambling at tax time. It’s about truly understanding your business so you can make confident decisions all year long. That’s the partnership we’re here to provide, and it’s why our clients stay with us.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I’m in the DMV between DC and Baltimore, and the thing I love most about the area is the diversity. It shows up everywhere: in the food, the culture, the music, all of it. I don’t have to travel far to get a taste of so many different parts of the world, and I find that endlessly energizing. There’s always something new to discover right in your own backyard.
That said, if I’m being honest, the traffic and the cost of living can wear on you. I love everything a big metropolitan area brings, but every now and then I catch myself wishing things would slow down just a little, and longing for a bit more room to breathe.
Pricing:
- Ideal clients are grossing $300K+ annually
- We bill on a flat monthly fee basis, so no surprises
- In special situations, we will consider quarterly engagements
- Add-on advisory, payroll, accounts receivable/payable services are available
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/clearcloudbookkeeping
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/clearcloudbookkeeping
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/karenbertrand
- Other: https://proadvisor.intuit.com/app/accountant/search?searchId=KarenBertrand
