How Blackbird Fabrics Gets Their Books Done In Half The Time
When we look back on the Covid “years” – one thing will undoubtedly stand out: more time working, playing, and “living” at home. While frustrating for some, many embraced the opportunity to jump into interests like gardening, crafting, and yes, sewing.
Many dusted off their mother’s, and even grandmother’s sewing machines, downloaded print-at-home patterns, and took to sewing their own clothes and household items. Whether driven from a sustainable mindset, the desire to learn something new, or the thrill of networking and sharing ideas with friends and other hobbyists, sewing is surging in homes everywhere.
A Montreal native, Caroline studied fashion design in college, and worked for a wholesale fabric company for 5 years, a job that brought her to Vancouver. After moving to the west coast, Caroline got back into sewing only to discover that no one was selling fabric online in Canada with a focus on fashion fabrics for home sewers. And so came the idea for Blackbird Fabrics.
Caroline quit her job and started a small operation out of her apartment on the West End of Vancouver. Today, Blackbird Fabrics is an online fabric store with a warehouse in East Vancouver and close to 20 employees. Not only does the company focus on sustainable, natural fiber fabrics, but 1% of revenue goes back into the community to support a rotating roster of nonprofits.
The Challenge
As her business grew, Caroline found herself needing to transition from a sole proprietorship to a corporation. A process that involved a lot of back and forth between bankers and lawyers, Caroline realized that her existing accountant wasn’t providing the support she needed on a timely basis. Following the business transition, the one thing she needed was rock-solid bookkeeping services.
But for Caroline, a bookkeeper alone was not enough. She wanted a partner that would support her every step of the way, provide clear, manageable processes, and use modern technology. After reading online reviews and conducting her own research, Caroline landed on Enkel.
The Solution
As Blackbird Fabrics flourished through the global pandemic, Caroline zeroed in on the things that were most important in a bookkeeper.
Enkel had great reviews on Google and case studies on the website, further validating them as a reliable back office systems partner.
Enkel provides a monthly checklist for items they require to get books done. The Blackbird Fabrics team can also easily upload the documents using Dext Prepare and share them with the Enkel team.
Enkel assigned a dedicated client success lead to Blackbird Fabrics and they can get quick responses to any questions they had. They could also trust the financials provided by their Enkel bookkeeper.
As the Blackbird Fabrics team grew, Enkel also took over their Payroll requirements, ensuring their team were paid accurately and on-time. This gave Caroline peace of mind while she focused on other business initiatives.
The Results
Today, despite wearing a number of hats around the business, the one thing Caroline doesn’t have to worry about is timely and accurate bookkeeping and payroll management.
Since the transition, Caroline gets her books done and delivered in 3 weeks versus 6, spends half the time she previously did on bookkeeping activities thanks to the checklists and processes she follows online, and is even able to delegate a number of the activities to others in the business. Caroline gets the support she needs from her team at Enkel, and describes it as “peace of mind” knowing that she has the support she needs.
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