Bookkeeping Bootcamp

Your Farm's Finances — Cleaned Up, Clarified, and Working for You in Just One Week

 

Stop guessing where your money's going. The Bookkeeping Bootcamp walks you step-by-step through QuickBooks so you can run cleaner books, make smarter decisions, and finally feel confident about your numbers.

Enroll in the Bootcamp

In this course, you'll learn how to:

 

 

  • Understand the accounting fundamentals that every farm business is built on — including the difference between cash and accrual accounting and why it matters for your bottom line
  • Read and use the three core financial statements so you actually know what's happening in your business
  • Set up a Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks that reflects how your farm operates
  • Record income, expenses, and cash flows the right way — so your reports tell the truth
  • Use QuickBooks' bank feed, invoicing tools, and daily task workflows to stay on top of your books without the chaos
  • Handle more advanced tasks like general journal entries, managing inventory, tracking items and time, and running bank reconciliations
  • Navigate real-world scenarios like purchasing equipment, recording depreciation, entering Square/Stripe payments, and logging mileage
  • Pull financial reports that actually help you make decisions — not just satisfy your accountant
  • Apply QuickBooks specifically to value-added farm enterprises, including tracking production costs and understanding your sales mix

 

I'm Julia Shanks, author of The Farmer's Office.

Since 2008, I’ve worked with hundreds (if not thousands) of farmers to strengthen their numbers and make confident, data-driven decisions.

With an MBA in Entrepreneurship, three businesses launched, and years recognized as the go-to expert in farm finances, I know what it’s like to wrestle with pricing — especially when you care deeply about your customers. I faced it myself running a catering business.

Most farmers price based on competitors.
Smart farmers price based on their numbers and their value.

 

Built for Farmers. Not Accountants.

 

Learn at Your Own Pace

The Bootcamp is fully self-paced, so you can work through it between chores, market days, or the season's lull. No live sessions to attend, no deadlines to stress about.

Real Farm Scenarios

Every lesson is built around situations farmers actually face — from buying a delivery van to reconciling a messy bank feed. No generic business school content here.

Templates Included

You'll get access to The Farmer's Office Basic Excel templates alongside the course content, so you can put what you learn into practice immediately.

Bookkeeping Bootcamp

  1. Day 0 - Basic Accounting Principles

    1. Basic Accounting Course Overview
    2. Basic Accounting: Business Basics
    3. Basic Accounting: Key Concepts - Cash vs Accrual
    4. Basic Accounting: Key Concepts - Everything Has a Bucket
    5. Basic Accounting: Key Concepts - The Balance Sheet
    6. Basic Accounting: Key Concepts - Depreciation
    7. Financial Statements Overview
    8. Putting Concepts into Action
    9. ZIP File of Templates References in The Farmer's Office (Book)
    10. Basic Accounting - Final Quiz

  2. Day 1 - Get Grounded

    1. 1 - Overview of Bookkeeping Module
    2. 2 - Overview of QuickBooks and Record Keeping
    3. 3 - Basic Bookkeeping and QuickBooks: 6 Rules of Bookkeeping

  3. Day 2 - Set up your chart of accounts

    1. Basic Bookkeeping and QuickBooks: Chart of Accounts (Part 1)
    2. Part 2: The Chart of Accounts
    3. Setting up Your Chart of Accounts - QuickTips
    4. Putting Concepts into Action

  4. Day 3 - Start entering expenses and using the bank feed

    1. Framework for Entering Transactions - QB QuickTips
    2. Recording Revenue, Expenses, and Other Cash Flows
    3. Purchasing a Van (or other asset) (QuickBooks QuickTip)
    4. Entering Expenses and Other Cash Outflows (QuickTips)
    5. The Bank Feed (QB-Online)
    6. Basic Bookkeeping and QuickBooks: Daily Tasks
    7. Entering in Mileage Expense

  5. Day 4 - Start entering sales

    1. Recording Sales & Cash Inflows
    2. Products and Services
    3. Recording Sales
    4. Advanced Quickbooks: Tracking CC Sales
    5. Advanced Quickbooks: Tracking Items
    6. Entering Sales and Other Cash Inflows (QuickTips)
    7. Using Items (Products & Services) on Invoices and Sales Receipts
    8. Using Items (Products and Services) (QuickTips)
    9. Recording Prepayments and Deposits (QB QuickTips)
    10. Entering Sales Receipts (and dealing with Square/Stripe/Credit Card payments)

  6. Day 5 - Dig deep into journal entries and other advanced functions

    1. Advanced Quickbooks: Intro to General Journal Entries
    2. Advanced Quickbooks: Inventory Adjustments
    3. Recording Depreciation and the Sale of an Asset
    4. Key Concept: Selling to Yourself
    5. Bank Reconciliation
    6. General Journal Entries
    7. Using Classes

  7. Day 6 - Running Reports

    1. Running Reports

  8. Day 7 - Troubleshooting QuickBooks

    1. Troubleshooting Quickbooks

  9. Bonus Content

    1. Bonus: QuickBooks for Value Added Producers

      1. Overview
      2. Key Concept: Selling to Yourself
      3. Using QB to Understand and Refine Sales Mix
      4. Using QB to Track and Understand Production Costs
      5. Video Tutorial: Selling to Yourself

  10. Test your knowledge

    1. Basic Bookkeeping and QuickBooks - Final Quiz
    2. Advanced QuickBooks - Final Quiz

  11. Bonus: 5 Signs of Financial Health

    1. Video: 5 Signs of Financial Health

At the end of this course, you will understand:

 

  • A QuickBooks setup that actually reflects your farm — with a chart of accounts, clean transaction records, and reports you know how to read.

  • Confidence in the numbers. You'll understand what your financial statements are telling you, what accrual vs. cash accounting means for your profitability, and how depreciation factors into the bigger picture.

  • A system you'll actually use. Not a spreadsheet you dread opening. Not books you hand off to your accountant in a panic every April. A real, working bookkeeping routine built around how your farm operates.

Ready to get your books under control?

 

Whether you're starting from zero or untangling a years-long mess, the Bookkeeping Bootcamp meets you where you are.
You don't need to be a numbers person — you just need to be ready to start.
Enroll Now

FAQs

Smarter decisions start with cleaner books.

 

Enroll in the Bookkeeping Bootcamp today and spend one focused week building the financial foundation your farm deserves.

 

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