Performance, custom & powersports
Books and taxes for overlanding outfitters and builders.
Roof top tent and rack builds, gear sold online and in the shop, sponsorship and affiliate payments, and the demo rig you use for content. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May made $14,000. The TrailBrand sponsorship payment is booked apart from gear sales, so you can see how much of the month is retail and how much is sponsorship.
- Shopify payoutRetail gear sales
- TrailBrand sponsor paymentSponsorship and affiliate income
- Front Runner invoiceParts and materials
- iKamper tent orderRoof top tents and racks
- Shopify transaction feesMarketplace and card fees
Why your books are different
An overlanding outfitter's books go wrong in the same handful of spots.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is gear sold online and installed in the shop, sponsorship deals, and a demo rig doing double duty. When the books do not separate them, you cannot tell what the shop itself is actually earning.
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1
Sponsorship and affiliate income lands mixed with retail sales
A cash sponsorship from a gear brand or an affiliate commission on gear sold through your content often lands in the same account as a customer's tent purchase. Lumped together, you cannot tell how much of the business is retail and how much is sponsorship.
What we doKeeps sponsorship and affiliate income in its own category, separate from retail and install sales. -
2
Sponsor gear installed on a customer's rig muddies the cost
A tent or rack a brand sent for free sometimes ends up on a customer's build instead of the shop's own demo truck, often at a discount to thank them for running the sponsor's gear. Booked at full parts cost against a discounted sale, that job looks like it lost money when the gear was never a real cost to begin with.
What we doKeeps sponsor-provided gear out of the parts cost on any build it goes into, so a discounted install prices out honestly instead of looking like a loss. -
3
A roof top tent and rack package hides two different margins
A customer pays one price for a tent, a rack, and the install. Booked as a single deposit, you cannot tell whether the gear markup or the install labor is what actually earns the shop money.
What we doSplits gear cost from install labor on bundled builds, so you can see margin on each side. -
4
Marketplace fees eat into sales before they hit the bank
Shopify or a marketplace takes its fee before the payout lands, so the deposit in your account is already lower than what the customer paid. Booked as the full sale, your revenue looks understated compared to what you actually sold.
What we doBooks the full sale price as revenue and the marketplace's cut as its own fee, so your top line stays honest. -
5
The demo rig used for content is not a normal sale
A shop truck built out for expeditions and YouTube content eventually gets sold used, often below what a similar build would cost a customer. Booked like a normal customer sale, it looks like a loss instead of the marketing cost it really is.
What we doTracks the demo rig on its own line so its eventual sale reflects real use and wear, not a phantom loss on the shop's numbers.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an overlanding outfitter.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Retail gear salesTents, racks, and recovery gear sold online or over the counter.
- Custom overland buildsFull rigs built out with tents, racks, and electrical, parts and labor together.
- Sponsorship and affiliate incomeCash sponsorships and affiliate commissions, kept apart from gear sales.
- Fabrication and install laborRack mounts, drawer systems, and electrical, sold apart from a bare part.
Money out
- Fabricator wagesKept apart so you can see labor against the work it paid for.
- Parts and materialsRacks, recovery gear, and mounts from Front Runner, Rhino-Rack, and ARB.
- Roof top tents and racksTent and rack inventory from iKamper, Tepui, and Thule.
- Marketplace and card feesWhat Shopify, Amazon, or a card processor kept before you got paid.
- Shop rent and utilitiesThe bay, welding area, and photo or video setup.
- Marketing and content costsEditing, hosting, and event costs for content and shows.
- Freight on gear ordersShipping on tents, racks, and oversized recovery gear.
What we watch for you
- Sponsorship share of income
How much of the month is sponsorship and affiliate money versus real gear and build sales.
- Retail versus build margin
Gear sold online and custom builds installed in the shop often carry different margins. Worth knowing which one pays better.
- Marketplace fee cost
What Shopify or Amazon keeps against what you actually sold. Easy to lose track of when the payout is already net.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things overlanding outfitters ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
It shouldn't. I keep that sponsor gear out of the parts cost on the job, so the discount prices out honestly instead of looking like the build lost money.
Shopify takes its fee before the payout lands. I book the full sale as revenue and the fee as its own cost, so your top line still matches what customers actually spent.
As its own line, separate from a normal customer sale, so selling it below build cost reads as a marketing expense, not a loss on the shop's regular work.
The tax side
The tax side of an overlanding outfitter.
Most of what goes wrong here is what counts as income and what does not. Sponsor product mistaken for a sale, marketplace fees hidden inside a payout, and a set-aside nobody started until April.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Shop and fabrication equipmentWelding equipment and fabrication tools can usually be written off the year you buy them, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Tent, rack, and gear inventoryGear held for sale is inventory, not an expense the day it is bought. What actually sold during the month is what counts.
- Sponsorship and affiliate incomeCash sponsorships and affiliate commissions are taxable income. Free product sent for review is generally not income unless it is sold or kept in place of pay.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions overlanding outfitters and builders miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Welding and fabrication tools
- Freight on tents and racks
- Content editing and hosting costs
- Overland show booth fees
- Google local ads
- Shop rags and cleaners
- Uniforms with your logo
- Tool financing and interest
- Liability insurance
- Demo rig fuel and maintenance
- Shopify and Amazon seller fees
- Photo and video equipment
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
An overlanding outfitter's year, kept every month.
Travel season peaks every spring and summer, and gear sales pick up before the holidays. Your taxes come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, sponsorship income for the year is totaled, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring travel season changed the number more than expected.
- October
Before the holiday gear rush
Before holiday gear sales pick up, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and anything worth doing before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for overlanding outfitters and builders. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions overlanding outfitters ask first.
How does Gus keep sponsorship income separate from gear sales?
He books cash sponsorships and affiliate commissions in their own category, so you can see how much of the month is retail and how much is sponsorship.
We installed sponsor-provided gear on a discounted customer build. Does that job look like a loss?
It should not. Gus keeps sponsor-provided gear out of that build's parts cost, so a discounted install prices out honestly instead of reading as a loss.
Why does our marketplace payout look smaller than what customers paid?
Shopify or Amazon takes its fee before the payout lands. Gus books the full sale as revenue and the fee as its own cost, so your real sales still show up correctly.
Do I write off my tent and rack inventory when I buy it?
No. Gear held for sale is inventory. What actually sold during the month is what shows up on the return, not what you ordered.
We're selling our demo rig used for content. Does that change the books?
Yes. It gets tracked on its own line, so selling it below build cost reads as a normal part of marketing, not a loss on your regular work.
My books are behind after a busy travel season. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever