Before QuickBooks: Index Cards

When I was 10-years-old I had a small tan box that I purchased specifically for index cards. The 3” x 5” lined blank cards you buy at any office supply store. I also purchased alphabetical tabs for the box and a large pack of blank cards.

In 1990, most 10-year-old spent their money on baseball cards. It was the golden age of baseball card trading. And I had plenty of baseball cards. But I needed a way to buy more baseball cards, I needed a job. So I created one.

The street I grew up on was a tight community. We had block parties, everyone knew each other and trusted each other. I used that to my advantage. In 1990 I started Tommy’s Landscaping/Pet Care/Snow Removal/Other Duties as Assigned business. In other words, if you needed help around the house, or needed someone to feed the cat while you went on vacation, I was your guy. It worked surprisingly well.

Mr. Kelly always had me watch his cats and mow his grass when his family went on vacation. I had a key to their house. Maintained the yard, fed the cats, changed the litter, and made $25. Mrs. Webster would hire me to do odd jobs as well, likely because her daughter Romi was my childhood babysitter. Didn’t matter, another customer for my index cards.

Mr. Franchot was my best customer. He wore a bow tie all-day, every day. Later in life I once saw him at the gym, working out in a bow tie. It never came off. I can’t prove it, but wouldn’t be shocked if he slept in his bow tie. Either way, he lived two houses away and was always looking for help. I shoveled snow on a regular basis, mowed his lawn a few times, helped organize his extra stuff for a garage sale and cleaned out his attic. Mr. Franchot had a crowded index card. Mr. Franchot helped me purchase a lot of baseball cards.

In 1990 my bookkeeping was very easy. Someone paid me to help, I marked it down on an index card, filed it in the tan box. My overhead was very low. I bought the box, cards and alphabetical tabs on the front-end. If I was mowing the grass or shoveling the snow I used your equipment, or my parents. Cash-in was much higher than cash-out.

Flash forward 25 years, I had no idea that 1990 would be my first try at entrepreneurship. I no longer have the box of index cards (though I did find them and sadly tossed them last summer) and this time around I am using a slightly more complex system of bookkeeping.

But there are lessons to be learned from 1990, most importantly, if cash-in is considerably higher than cash-out, you’re doing something right. Time to get back to my roots.

#IndexCards #Tom #QuickBooks