Kristine Nguyen is the Founder and Principal Accountant of Pretty Books, an accounting boutique in Seattle that provides bookkeeping, tax, and back-office management services to small businesses. With extensive experience setting up and managing accounting systems across various industries — including retail, information technology, food and hospitality, and nonprofits — she enjoys working with small businesses and exploring different tools and technology to create efficiency and transparency in business operations.

Choosing the right bookkeeper for your business isn’t as simple as hiring someone to balance the books. Depending on your needs, you may require a meticulous, process-driven professional, an analytical thinker who can spot financial trends, or someone who blends both skill sets. How do you determine what kind of bookkeeper will best support your business’s growth?

According to Kristine Nguyen, an accounting expert with years of experience helping small businesses manage their finances, the key is understanding what you truly need from a bookkeeper. She highlights that some bookkeepers excel at structured, repetitive tasks like processing invoices and reconciling accounts, while others focus on financial reporting and deeper analysis. The mismatch between business owners’ expectations and a bookkeeper’s actual role often leads to frustration. Kristine explains that identifying whether your business requires operational bookkeeping or strategic financial oversight can prevent costly hiring mistakes and set you up for long-term success.

In this episode of the Financial Clarity podcast, Hannah Smolinski speaks with Kristine Nguyen, Founder and Principal Accountant of Pretty Books, to discuss how business owners can find the right bookkeeping support. Kristine breaks down the differences between bookkeepers, controllers, and CFOs, shares key questions to ask when hiring, and explains why bookkeeping has become more technology-driven. She also provides insights on setting expectations to build a productive accountant-client relationship.