Sporting goods & sports services
Books and taxes for ski tuning and repair shops.
Wax and edge tuning jobs, base repairs, certified binding adjustments, and summer storage fees for skis nobody wants to think about until November all move through one account. Gus sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
January came in at $10,700. The new stone grinding machine went in as equipment, not supplies, since it will run the bench for years, not just this season.
- Tuning bench paymentsTuning and wax jobs
- Stone grinder purchaseShop equipment
- Base repair jobsBase and edge repairs
- P-tex and edge material orderRepair materials
- Binding adjustment feesBinding services
Why your books are different
A ski tuning shop's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a bench and a stack of skis. Your shop runs almost entirely in a few winter months, adjusts bindings under a real liability standard, and often collects summer storage fees that have nothing to do with tuning. When the books do not track that, the whole year gets misread from one busy season.
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1
A whole year's income gets judged by a few winter months
Nearly all tuning and repair income lands between November and March, and looked at month to month without context, the slow season can look like the business is failing rather than simply between seasons.
What we doKeeps the winter rush visible against the full year, so a quiet April or July reads as normal, not as trouble. -
2
Binding adjustment work carries a liability standard other jobs do not
A binding set to the wrong release value is a safety issue, not just a service call, and the certification and insurance costs tied to that work are different from a basic wax job, but usually get lumped together.
What we doKeeps binding service income and its related certification and insurance costs in their own category, separate from routine tuning. -
3
Summer storage fees get mixed into the off-season with no context
A shop that stores skis over the summer for a flat fee collects that income months before the next winter's real repair work starts, and it can look like unexplained cash with no clear source.
What we doKeeps summer storage income in its own line, so it is clearly labeled rather than a mystery deposit in the off-season. -
4
Equipment bought before the season looks like a routine supply run
A stone grinding machine or a new base welder can cost as much as a used car, but bought once before the season starts, the invoice reads the same as a routine materials order.
What we doLogs a stone grinder or welder as equipment the day it arrives, before the season gets busy, so the accountant has time to decide how it gets written off. -
5
Repair materials bought once for the whole season blur the picture
P-tex, edge material, and wax are often bought in bulk before the season starts, and that one large order can make an early winter month look like a loss before the repair jobs start rolling in.
What we doKeeps materials purchases visible against jobs done through the season, so a pre-season stock-up does not read as a bad month on its own.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a ski tuning and repair shop.
Set up once for how you bill and what you carry. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Tuning and wax jobsStandard edge and wax service work.
- Base and edge repairsGouge and core shot repairs billed separately.
- Binding servicesCertified binding mounting and adjustment work.
- Summer storage feesOff-season storage income, kept apart from winter work.
Money out
- Shop equipmentStone grinders and base welders, logged so they get written off right.
- Repair materialsP-tex, edge material, and wax stock.
- Binding certification and insuranceTraining and liability coverage tied to binding work.
- Rent and utilitiesThe bench and storage space, which runs year round even in the off-season.
- Storage rack equipmentRacks and space used for summer ski storage.
- Card processing feesWhat the processor kept before you got paid.
What we watch for you
- Season-to-date income
How this winter compares to the same point last year, since month to month means little in an off-season business.
- Binding service share
How much of the month's income comes from binding work versus routine tuning.
- Storage income
Off-season revenue that has nothing to do with winter repair volume.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked through the winter rush and the long off-season, so filing day is not a scramble.
Ask Gus
Things ski shop owners 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.
No. Against last July, you are actually up a bit. I track the season, not just the month, since almost nothing happens here in summer except storage.
About a third this month, kept in its own line since it carries different certification and insurance costs than a wax job.
Not mine to decide on my own. I keep his hours in their own line no matter what, and the accountant will look at how the work actually runs before it becomes a habit.
The tax side
The tax side of a ski tuning and repair shop.
Most of what trips up this business is a short season that gets misread month to month, and equipment bought once before the rush.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment for the benchStone grinders, base welders, and similar tools can usually be written off in the year bought. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Self-employment tax for owner-operatorsAn owner operating as a sole proprietor or single-member LLC pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, on the Social Security wage base up to $184,500.
- Contractor 1099sA seasonal technician not on payroll who is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- The pass-through deductionA pass-through business can usually take up to 20 percent of profit off taxable income, and that number depends on the full winter season being tracked accurately, not just a few strong months.
Deductions ski tuning and repair shops miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Stone grinder maintenance
- P-tex and edge material stock
- Binding certification courses
- Liability insurance
- Storage rack equipment
- Rent during the off-season
- Card processing fees
- Shop signage
- Website and scheduling software
- Uniforms and safety gear
- Local ski club sponsorships
- Trade show travel
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
A ski shop's year, kept every month.
Almost the whole year runs through a few winter months. Your team keeps you ahead of the season and the tax deadlines both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Mid-season check
Last year's return gets started even as the bench stays busy, and the seasonal technician 1099 list is kept ready as the winter rush continues.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed right as the season winds down, with the set-aside already covering what you owe.
- July
Off-season check
Where you stand for the year, what you will owe, and how storage income is holding the shop over until winter.
- October
Before the season starts
Ahead of the winter rush, Gus looks at bench equipment worth buying and materials worth stocking before the first snow.
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 ski tuning and repair shops. 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 ski shop owners ask first.
My off-season months look empty. Is that a problem?
No. Gus tracks your season against last year's, not month to month, since almost all the work happens in a few winter months by the nature of the business.
How does Gus handle my binding certification and liability costs?
Binding service income and its related certification and insurance costs are kept in their own category, separate from routine tuning, since the liability standard is different.
I charge for summer ski storage. Where does that show up?
Storage income is kept in its own line, clearly labeled, rather than showing up as an unexplained deposit in the off-season.
Do I need to change how I take payments at the bench?
No. Keep taking payments the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement and asks once about anything unclear, then remembers the answer.
My books are behind from last winter. Can Gus catch up?
Usually within a week. Send whatever bank statements you have from the months that fell behind, and Gus sorts through the backlog before the accountant reviews it.
I just bought a new stone grinder. Does that all come off this year?
Usually it can. Gus logs it as equipment, not supplies, and flags it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
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