BusinessWorks Inc.

The owner started this bookkeeping practice in 1981 as a home-based accounting business in Portland, Oregon, after finding that she did not enjoy corporate accounting firms. For decades it ran from her house in the southeast of the city, and as it grew the team moved into a small office on SE Belmont Street. The company, BusinessWorks, now says it works with over one hundred local businesses, much of it through word of mouth.

Bookkeeping and payroll for small firms

The practice specializes in small business accounting needs of every kind. Day-to-day bookkeeping records income and expenses, payroll covers staff pay and the standard employment forms, and accounting support sorts out receipts, unpaid invoices and financial records. The owner compares accounts to a puzzle: the work is gathering many small pieces of financial information into a clear picture, and clients can bring in their disparate pieces, even shoeboxes of receipts.

A mix of Portland trades

The site groups its clients by sector: food and drink, health and wellness, home and garden, manufacturing, media and event production, non-profit and retail, with a category for others. The owner says she values working with so many kinds of client, from restaurateurs and bartenders to contractors and day care services.

A small team

The site has pages on the team and its services. The business describes itself as having benefited from a wave of recommendations among Portland's varied small businesses, and it stresses being reachable by telephone whenever clients have questions about their books or payroll. The owner also describes the satisfaction of seeing a muddle of receipts and invoices turned into an accurate financial picture, and the practice has grown from a one-person home business into a team that looks after the books of restaurants, shops, lodges, non-profits and tradespeople across the city, many of whom have stayed for years.

BusinessWorks Inc. is a bookkeeping and accounting practice in Portland, Oregon, that looks after the books of local small businesses. The owner began it as a home-based accounting business and later moved the team into an office in the city.

Products and services

• Bookkeeping: day-to-day recording of income and expenses.
• Payroll: processing pay for staff, along with the standard employment forms.
• Accounting support: sorting out receipts, unpaid invoices and financial records.
• Financial advice: guidance for owners on running their business finances.

Who it works with

The practice serves more than a hundred local businesses. Clients range from restaurants, bars and breweries to contractors, day care services, wellness studios, event producers and property firms.

Key facts

• Based in: Portland, Oregon
• Founded: 1981
• Owner: Beth Buffetta, who studied accounting at Portland State University