The Second Desk

Meet Shawna Nielsen, the Owner Behind The Second Desk

When you call The Second Desk, you get Shawna Nielsen. She is the whole business, and she built it around one idea: business owners do not always need another employee or a complicated solution. "Sometimes, they simply need a capable and trusted person at a second desk," she writes, "someone who can see what needs attention, get it organized and help keep it moving."

That is the job as she sees it. Shawna does not want to be the face of your business, and she will not tell you how to do your work. "They're great at their job," she says. "They just need someone to do the lifting behind the scenes."

Rooted in Burk's Falls and the Almaguin

Shawna grew up in Burk's Falls and came to North Bay as a teenager to attend Canadore College. She served in the reserves here, including with 26 Service Battalion and the Algonquin Regiment, then moved with military postings to Borden, Petawawa and Ottawa. When it was time to come home, she returned to the Almaguin region, where she has family ties and appreciates the small town feel.

That is also why her focus is on the Almaguin region and surrounding communities, including Powassan, Trout Creek, South River, Sundridge and Burk's Falls, an area she feels is underserved for business support. She also serves businesses in North Bay, where she has longstanding connections.

From a Family Construction Company to The Second Desk

Shawna learned the back office firsthand. She and her husband started his residential construction company together. She helped write the business plan and did the market research, then ran the books and the office while he did the work he loves and stayed the face of the business. She did it alongside a full time job, a bachelor's degree, and later her MBA. As the business grew and Shawna balanced her full time job with her MBA studies, they hired office staff, and she set up the systems and trained and oversaw the people who took it on.

Her own career ran through education, the public sector and not for profits, in administration, financial oversight, governance and process improvement. She and her husband had been discussing what might come next in her career. When her position at Canadore ended, she decided it was time to start her own business, where she could continue contributing to the community.

What to Know Before You Hand Your Books to Anyone

Shawna believes business owners should maintain control of their own books. She wants you to own your QuickBooks or Sage file and give her access to it, so you can log in any time, day or night, and see where you stand. If you ever move on, you simply remove her access. You never have to ask for your system back.

Second, be clear about what you expect your bookkeeper to do. For example, who files the WSIB report, you or them? Third, keep the lines of communication open, so either of you can ask a question when something does not sit right. And expect your paperwork back. For example, when collecting November's receipts, she might return October's. If the CRA ever comes calling, the business owner is ultimately responsible for ensuring the records are available, even when a bookkeeper or accountant handles them.

She sees the information in your bank account, not the money. She does not sign your cheques and will not take that on. What she learns about your customers, your prices and your spending stays with you. If she works for one plumber, the next plumber never hears a word of it.

Bookkeeping for Trades and Contractors in the Almaguin and North Bay

Shawna knows the picture: receipts in the truck, in the wallet, on the desk, and with luck some of them in the shoebox. The customer who needs you now comes first, so the paperwork slides into nights and weekends and time away from family. Some owners don't know what they made or what they owe until tax time.

Her fix can start small. An envelope in the truck, and on Friday afternoon, when you get out of the truck, the envelope comes in. It's a simple habit that helps keep receipts organized and available for bookkeeping. Keeping the books up to date each month helps owners stay on top of their financial picture and reporting obligations for HST, payroll and WSIB. But accurate bookkeeping requires more than a bank statement. "Esso" on the statement might be gas, a chocolate bar or a car wash, and those are processed differently. The receipt tells the full story.

One area where paperwork can easily fall behind is invoicing. Government deadlines come with penalties, so they tend to get attention. But late invoicing has a hidden cost: when invoices aren't sent promptly or outstanding payments aren't followed up on, cash flow suffers. That can leave business owners struggling to pay their HST and other government obligations when they come due.

Office Support Without Hiring Another Employee

How she works depends on the needs of the business. Some owners need help with a one time cleanup or project, while others want ongoing support, perhaps more through a busy summer and less in a quiet winter. Services may be billed hourly, particularly when the scope of work is unclear, or at a fixed monthly fee for defined hours or responsibilities, giving owners a predictable cost. As an independent contractor, she provides support without the commitment of hiring another employee.

The bookkeeping can be done remotely. For filing systems and new processes, she may visit the business and look at how things actually work. Beyond the books, she helps with invoicing, accounts payable, payroll administration and account follow up, along with office and records management, forms, procedures and tracking tools that help keep a business from falling behind.

Help for Not for Profits and Small Boards

Local not for profits, volunteer groups, associations and boards are her third group. Shawna has sat on boards herself. Where there is a lot of turnover, or a new and inexperienced board, she often sees a lack of clarity about the difference between governance and operations, and that confusion can create conflict and frustration that contributes to further turnover. Someone on the board who understands the difference gives it continuity.

What to Expect When You Call The Second Desk

The first conversation is free. You talk through what is taking too much of your time, what is falling behind and what is no longer working, and you both see if it is a fit. It might not be her: preparing income tax returns or dealing with complex tax matters is a job for an accountant, and she will tell you so. She also turns down anyone who wants help skirting the system. "Integrity means a lot to me," she says.

What she hopes a contractor tells a buddy on a job site is that he called her, she was easy to talk to, she used plain language and she never judged the mess. "It doesn't matter if it's a mess," she says. Shame does not get a problem sorted out. By the end, she wants you to feel organized again, with your head back above water and room to breathe.

She keeps her own balance too. Shawna learned a few years ago that burnout is real, and she makes time for family and friends. Her measure of a good year is building a solid foundation for The Second Desk, growing a strong client base and knowing she's made a meaningful difference for the business owners she supports.