About First String Bookkeeping Co.

We're James & Crystal Alfred, the husband and wife team behind First String Bookkeeping Co. We're on a mission to help hardworking trades and small business owners stay organized, know their numbers and run their business stress-free - at least when it comes to their finances. We know your days are long, you're tired and the last thing you want to tackle after a hard day at the job site is bookkeeping...that's where we come in!

First String Bookkeeping Co. was started out of Crystal's love for organization, numbers and improving administrative processes. With a strong background in administration and many years doing the bookkeeping for her own music studio as well as her mom's business, the switch to opening a bookkeeping business was a natural fit.

In 2021, Crystal was laid off due to the craziness going on in the world at that time and spent the next 6 weeks doing a deep dive into youtube to grow her knowledge about bookkeeping as much as she could. Her passion for this field continued to grow and in September 2022 First String Bookkeeping Co. was officially launched - we've never looked back since!

During the past 3+ yrs, Crystal has gained various certifications in the field of bookkeeping and payroll including:

- Bookkeeping Professional Certificate of Achievement from Bow Valley College

- Payroll Professional Certificate of Achievement from Bow Valley College

- Quickbooks Advanced ProAdvisor Certification

- Sage 50 Certified Advisor

How We Serve You

Crystal, the numbers-thinker and your main point of contact, looks after everything from monthly bookkeeping, invoicing, paying bills, payroll, gst filings, receipt management, sending your monthly financial reports, communicating with your accountant & the CRA, etc. All with the goal to ensure you have accurate and up-to-date records to be able to make decisions quickly and based on facts - not guesswork. Clear communication with consistent, reliable support for every step your business takes!

James, the tech-savvy right hand man, handles everything tech-related. From researching, implementation to troubleshooting - he ensures smooth system setups & maintenance, data security and the behind-the-scenes processes that make our systems work seamlessly.

Together, we make sure every part of your business' finances are handled with care and accuracy. With organized books and secure systems, you can move forward knowing the back end of your business is taken care of.