We Got Nominated for Best of the Best—and Yeah, We’re Asking for Your Vote

I opened an email from the Chattanooga Times Free Press last week and had to read it three times.

Lookout Bookkeeping had been nominated for Best of the Best in Bookkeeping & Payroll. Top 5. In Chattanooga. For real.

My first thought? Is this a scam? My second thought? How the hell did this happen—I didn’t even nominate myself.

Here’s the thing: I’ve never put our name in for something like this. We’re a small firm. I’ve always quietly assumed those awards were for the big shops with the gold-plated lobbies and the brick-sh*tting price tags. Not us.

But quite a few people out there nominated us, because we made the top 5.

So yeah—we’re asking for your vote. Confidently. Unapologetically. Because we earned this.

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Bookkeepers Don’t Usually Win Popularity Contests

Let’s be honest. When people picture “Best of the Best” winners, they think restaurants, hair salons, maybe a really good HVAC guy. Not the people who reconcile their bank accounts.

But here’s the thing about bookkeeping done right—it’s the quiet engine behind every business you actually love in Chattanooga. The dentist who keeps your perfect smile? Someone’s keeping their books. The contractor who built your dream kitchen? Same. The nonprofit you donate to every December? Yep.

Good books are the bare minimum for a business to thrive. And we’re proud to be the people doing that work behind the scenes for a whole lot of growing companies.

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How to Vote (It Takes 30 Seconds)

Voting opens today, May 25, at noon and closes June 29 at noon.

Here’s the deal:

• One vote per email address
• It’s one-and-done (no daily voting, no coming back)
• You don’t need to create an account—submit your email and you’re in

👉 Vote for Lookout Bookkeeping here under Bookkeeping & Payroll.

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While You’re There, Here’s Who Else I’m Voting For

If you’re already in the ballot, might as well fill out the rest. Here’s where my votes are going:

• Accountant: HHM
• Bank: Pinnacle
• Credit Union: TVFCU
• Estate Planning: Jelks Law (Amanda is the absolute best—she did mine and I’d send any business owner her way)

Local businesses lifting up local businesses. That’s how this works.

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A Real Client Story—Because This is What We Actually Do

Earlier this year, a client came to us with a mess. His reconciliations were off, his financial reports were inaccurate, and he’d been burned by a previous bookkeeper so badly that his trust was shot.

We did a one-time clean-up. Got the books accurate. Reports tied out. Reconciliations actually reconciled.

He’s not ready to hand off monthly bookkeeping to anyone—and honestly, I get it. Trust takes time. So we landed him in the Advisory Vault, where he can keep doing his own books with us in his pocket. Questions get answered. Mistakes get caught early. He’s learning his numbers instead of avoiding them.

Maybe one day he’ll trust us with the full monthly handoff. Maybe he won’t. Either way, he’s better off than he was—and that’s the whole point.

That’s what we do. We meet people where they are.

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Thank You to the People Who Got Us Here

This nomination didn’t happen because of me. It happened because of:

Our team at Lookout Bookkeeping — the people who actually make this firm run. Every clean reconciliation, every clear report, every “got it handled” message in the client portal is them. I get to put my name on the door, but they’re the reason we’re worth nominating.

Our clients — the ones who trust us with the messy parts, who ask the 2 a.m. questions, who show up for our calls and let us be part of their growth. You’re the reason this firm exists.Our referral partners, friends, and family — the ones who’ve been in our corner since day one of Lookout Bookkeeping. You know who you are.

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So Here’s the Ask

Vote. Click here. Takes 30 seconds.

Share this post. Tag a Chattanooga business owner. Send it to your group chat. Post it on LinkedIn with a “go vote for my bookkeeper” caption.

We’re a little firm with big energy and an even bigger team that deserves the recognition. Let’s go win this thing.