Bookkeeping is where I started — and where I've come back to.

I'm Mark Hurrell, founder of EMJ Advisors — Bookkeeping Services. Before I ever marketed an investment strategy or earned a charter, I was an accounting student who genuinely liked the work — the order of a clean set of books, the quiet satisfaction of records that reconcile. I earned a concentration in finance and accounting, passed the CPA exam, and picked up an award for accounting along the way. This business brings me back to those roots.

In between, I spent a career in investment management. It taught me to read financial statements the way a mechanic reads an engine: not just what the numbers say, but what they mean, and what they're about to do. Even then, bookkeeping was never far off — I was always tracking expenses and reconciling records, keeping my own numbers straight.

When I left that world, I did what a lot of the owners I now work with have done: I started my own small business. Keeping the books was part of my mandate from day one — setting up the accounts, running income and expenses through QuickBooks, handling invoicing and accounts payable, reconciling every month, and making sure the numbers were there when we needed them. Doing it for my own company taught me what it actually takes to keep a small business's books clean while you're also trying to run your own. That's the seat my clients sit in, and I've sat in it too.

Why this, why now

Somewhere along the way I realized the part of the work I valued most wasn't the pitch — it was helping people understand their own numbers. A business owner who can see clearly which work makes money, what they owe, and where they stand is an owner who makes better decisions and sleeps better at night. That's what good bookkeeping delivers, and it's what I do now.

I'm a QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and I build every client's books in QuickBooks Online — one clean, current system you can log into from anywhere. Whether you're on QuickBooks already or keeping receipts in a folder on your phone, I'll get you set up and keep you current.

Who I work with

I work with owner-operated service businesses — the contractors, tradespeople, and professional practices who are good at what they do and would rather be doing it than reconciling accounts. If you bill your own time, bookkeeping is almost never your best use of it. That's the whole idea behind EMJ Advisors — Bookkeeping Services: hand off the books, get your time back, and get a clear picture of your business in return.

I keep my roster deliberately small so every client gets attention, accuracy, and someone who actually knows their business — not a ticket number.