Quick Comparison
| Firm | Credentials | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Dailey Bookkeeping Services | Certified Public Bookkeeper; QuickBooks Online, Desktop, and Enterprise ProAdvisor; Xero Certified; Bill.com Guru | Cloud accounting, file cleanup, software conversions, and remote bookkeeping for service businesses across the United States |
| Quick Bookkeeper, Inc. | Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor; Livonia and Charlevoix offices | Bookkeeping, QuickBooks training tiers, payroll, forensic accounting, and tax return support for Michigan small businesses |
| PETTES LLC | CPA; Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor; member-managed Detroit firm | Outsourced bookkeeping plus tax planning for entertainment clients, medical practices, non-profits, restaurants, and retail shops |
1. Dailey Bookkeeping Services
- Address: 17340 W. Twelve Mile Rd., Suite 200, Southfield, MI 48076
- Phone: (248) 918-4323
- Founder / Owner: Jacqueline Dailey
- Operating Since: 2002 (24 years)
- Credentials: Certified Public Bookkeeper; Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor; Certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor; Certified QuickBooks Enterprise ProAdvisor; Xero Certified Accountant and Bronze Partner; Bill.com Guru; Certified Sleeter Consultant; BS in Business Administration
- Service area: Headquartered in Metro Detroit with remote client work across the United States
- Industries served: Service-based small businesses, cloud accounting adopters, and firms migrating between accounting platforms
- Website: daileybookkeeping.com
From part-time launch to multi-platform practice
Jacqueline Dailey started the firm in 2002 in the Metro Detroit area while running it part-time, then expanded into a full-time operation after a 2011 relocation to San Jose, California. She returned to Metro Detroit in 2013 and kept the client base intact by running engagements through remote tools. That history lets the company anchor a Michigan office while supporting clients in other states.
Software stack beyond a single vendor
Many regional bookkeepers list one platform certification. Dailey carries QuickBooks ProAdvisor status across Online, Desktop, and Enterprise tracks, plus Xero Certified Accountant and Bronze Partner credentials and a Bill.com Guru designation. The firm also holds a Certified Sleeter Consultant credential, which signals depth on industry-specific QuickBooks setups for clients who outgrow generic templates.
File cleanup and migration work
Beyond ongoing bookkeeping, the practice takes on accounting file cleanup, new-software implementation, and identification of apps that fit a client’s operations. Owners who inherited messy QuickBooks files or who need to move from Desktop to Online frequently sit inside this engagement type, and the multi-platform certification list lets the team recommend a destination platform rather than pushing a single product.
Remote-first delivery from a Southfield base
The Southfield office sits on Twelve Mile Road inside the inner-ring suburbs north of Detroit, but client engagements run on cloud accounting workflows rather than in-person visits. That setup keeps the practice accessible to Metro Detroit shops while letting prior clients in other states continue without travel costs.
2. Quick Bookkeeper, Inc.
- Address: 32401 Eight Mile Rd., Livonia, MI 48152
- Phone: (248) 471-9500
- Founder / Owner: Janie A. Palmer
- Operating Since: 2001 (25 years)
- Credentials: Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor; two-office Michigan firm (Livonia and Charlevoix)
- Service area: Metro Detroit from the Livonia office and northern Michigan from the Charlevoix office, with on-site, in-office, and remote-access delivery
- Industries served: Small businesses across general industries, with engagements covering bookkeeping, payroll, forensic accounting, audits, and tax returns
- Website: quickbookkeeperinc.com
A 25-year independent practice with two Michigan offices
Janie A. Palmer launched Quick Bookkeeper, Inc. in 2001 and has kept it independent across two decades of accounting-software shifts. The firm runs a Livonia headquarters off Eight Mile Road plus a satellite at 221 Bridge Street in Charlevoix, which gives clients in Metro Detroit and in northern Michigan a local point of contact rather than a remote-only contractor.
Tiered QuickBooks training program
Most small bookkeeping firms either do the work or hand off training in a single session. Quick Bookkeeper structures QuickBooks training across three tiers labeled Self-Paced, Beyond the Basics, and Enlightened. Owners who want to keep books in-house can pick the level that matches staff experience instead of buying a generic course, and the same trainers handle later questions when the client team gets stuck.
“We do it or teach you how” hybrid model
The firm publicly frames its approach with the line “we do it or teach you how,” and that flexibility shows up in how engagements get scoped. A client can hand off books entirely, run them in-house with periodic review, or shift between the two models as the business grows. The hybrid setup fits owners who start in a hands-on mode and want a paid partner later without changing firms.
Forensic accounting and audit support
Alongside routine bookkeeping and payroll work, Quick Bookkeeper lists forensic accounting, audits, and tax return preparation. That breadth gives existing clients a single firm to call when a partner dispute, an insurance claim, or an IRS examination forces a deeper records review, rather than starting a new vendor relationship under time pressure.
3. PETTES LLC
- Address: 12400 E. 7 Mile Rd., Detroit, MI 48205
- Phone: (855) 773-8837
- Founder / Owner: Marshawn D. Pettes, CPA
- Operating Since: 2015 (11 years)
- Credentials: Certified Public Accountant (Michigan); Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor; degrees from Michigan State University, Northwood University, and University of Phoenix
- Service area: Detroit proper, Hamtramck, Dearborn, and the surrounding Metro Detroit market
- Industries served: Entertainment professionals (actors, musicians, models), medical practices, non-profits, restaurants and bars, and retail shops
- Website: teampettes.com
A Detroit-native firm on East 7 Mile
Marshawn Pettes earned his accounting degrees, worked with credit unions and high-net-worth clients, then returned to Detroit to open PETTES LLC in 2015. The office sits at 12400 East 7 Mile Road on the east side of the city, which puts it inside Detroit rather than in a suburban accounting corridor. For owner-operators who want a bookkeeper inside the city limits, that location matters at tax time and during in-person reviews.
Industry-specific bookkeeping pages
Plenty of Detroit accounting firms list “small business” as a single category. PETTES publishes dedicated service pages for entertainment accounting, medical practice books, non-profit reporting, restaurant and bar accounting, and retail point-of-sale tie-ins. Each page covers the unique chart-of-accounts items and reporting cadence those sectors need, which signals that the shop sees these as standing client types rather than one-off engagements.
Bookkeeping plus tax under one roof
The firm pairs outsourced bookkeeping with tax planning, tax preparation, and incorporation services. For a Detroit restaurant owner or independent musician, that means one team handles monthly books, year-end returns, and entity setup without separate hand-offs. The CPA credential at the top of the practice also opens the door to representation work when an audit or notice arrives.
Mission rooted in local small-business growth
The firm publicly states a mission centered on small-business and non-profit development, with Marshawn framing the move back to Detroit as a way “to teach others and to make a difference.” That stance shows up in the client mix, which skews toward owner-operated entertainment, food service, and neighborhood retail accounts rather than national chains or corporate finance work.
Reference Notes
Firm details in this directory pull from each firm’s own website, professional profiles, and third-party business listings rather than secondary aggregators. Dailey Bookkeeping Services data draws from the firm’s about page, Jacqueline Dailey’s about.me profile listing her credential stack, and her LinkedIn record showing the 2002 founding and Greater Detroit operating base. The Southfield address and phone match the company’s Yelp listing and Facebook profile.
Quick Bookkeeper, Inc. data comes from the shop’s own about page at quickbookkeeperinc.com, which lists both the Livonia and Charlevoix offices with full street addresses and direct phone numbers, plus its training and services pages. Founder identification ties to Janie A. Palmer’s LinkedIn profile listing her as owner of Quick Bookkeeper, Inc.
PETTES LLC details pull from the practice’s own about-us, services, contact, and industry-specific pages at teampettes.com, the firm’s LinkedIn page confirming the 2015 founding year and Detroit base, and the Better Business Bureau profile listing the East 7 Mile address. Phone numbers come from the company’s contact page and BBB listing.
Selection Methodology
This directory applies four filters to Detroit-area bookkeeping firms:
- Independent or founder-led ownership. Each firm operates as a privately held practice with an identifiable founder still active in the business. National rollups, private-equity-owned multi-state platforms, and franchise networks fall outside the scope.
- QuickBooks ProAdvisor credential held by the owner or named staff. Every firm listed maintains active Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor status, verified through the shop’s own website and at least one third-party source.
- Minimum five-year operating history. Each firm has served the Detroit market for at least five years under the same ownership, with the longest-tenured here at 25 years.
- Bookkeeping as a core service line. Firms that operate as pure CPA tax-only practices, payroll-only shops, or audit-only practices fall outside the scope.
The following national and franchise providers fall outside the inclusion scope because of rollup ownership, automation-only models, or non-local delivery: Bench, Pilot, QuickBooks Live, BELAY, Bookkeeper360, Bookminders, Supporting Strategies, Bookkeeper.com, and 1-800Accountant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does a QuickBooks ProAdvisor credential actually verify?
A: The Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor program is run by Intuit and confirms that a bookkeeper has passed Intuit’s exams on QuickBooks Online or Desktop product features, file setup, and troubleshooting. The credential renews annually, so an active listing in Intuit’s Find-a-ProAdvisor directory shows a bookkeeper has kept current through the latest product updates rather than passing once and stopping.
Q: Should a Detroit small business hire a bookkeeper or a CPA?
A: A bookkeeper handles day-to-day records, bank reconciliations, accounts payable and receivable, payroll runs, and monthly financial statements. A CPA typically focuses on tax returns, audit work, and signed financial statements for lenders or regulators. Most Detroit small businesses need a bookkeeper monthly and a CPA seasonally; some firms in this directory cover both roles, while others coordinate with an outside CPA for tax work.
Q: How much do independent bookkeepers in Detroit charge?
A: Detroit-area bookkeeping fees vary by transaction volume, account count, and whether the engagement includes payroll, sales tax, and accounts-payable handling. Hourly rates for an experienced independent bookkeeper in the region commonly fall in a range above standard administrative-support rates, while monthly flat-fee packages depend on bank-statement size and software setup. Request a written quote that ties fees to scope rather than open-ended hours.
Q: Can a Detroit bookkeeper work remotely with my business?
A: Yes. Each of the three firms here delivers at least part of its work through cloud accounting platforms (QuickBooks Online, Xero, Bill.com), secure document portals, and screen-sharing reviews. Dailey Bookkeeping Services in particular built a remote-first practice that serves clients in multiple states from a Southfield base. On-site visits remain available locally for owners who prefer in-person handoffs.
Editorial Note
This directory was researched and compiled on 2026-05-11. Firm credentials, addresses, phone numbers, founding years, and service descriptions were drawn from each firm’s own website and at least one independent third-party source (LinkedIn, Better Business Bureau, Yelp, Facebook, or Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce). Verify current contact information directly with each firm before engagement, since office hours, satellite locations, and credential renewals can shift between editorial updates.