I'm Rick, founder of Carolina Coastal Bookkeeping. For more than 30 years, I've owned businesses and helped other small business owners improve operations, simplify workflows, and make better business decisions. After relocating to Wilmington, I'm excited to support the owner-operators, tradespeople, and service businesses that keep this city moving.

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My background blends business operations, bookkeeping, workflow design, and hands-on technical work. Through my operations consulting business, I worked with the Facilities Department at Porter Hospital in Denver alongside electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and grounds crews. Many of them also took on side work and operated businesses of their own. Spending time with them gave me a firsthand appreciation for the challenges of managing jobs, customers, cash flow, and the countless details that come with running a service business.

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I’ve also done a wide range of hands‑on projects myself — installing computer networks, CCTV, card access, intercom, and building management systems, which meant running, fishing, and terminating wire on real jobs. I’ve handled most of the wiring in my own home, replaced HVAC components, installed an in‑ground sprinkler system, swapped out a water heater, repaired sinks and drains, and built furniture and cabinetry in my own woodshop. I haven’t just been around the trades — I’ve had my hands in enough real projects to understand the work.

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Bookkeeping is the instrument panel of a business. When the books are clean and workflows are simple, owners gain visibility into cash flow, profitability, and business performance. My focus is helping small businesses organize their financial information in a way that supports confident decisions, sustainable growth, and less day-to-day stress.

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Throughout my career I’ve been trusted with sensitive financial and operational data, including work in environments requiring federal security clearance. That background shaped my approach to accuracy, confidentiality, and disciplined processes, and I bring that same level of discretion and professionalism to every client relationship.

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Running a business can be lonely. There are challenges you can't discuss with employees, concerns you may not want to bring home, and decisions that don't always have obvious answers. I believe every owner deserves someone they trust to help them think through those challenges. That's the role I strive to fill for my clients: not just maintaining accurate books, but providing clarity, perspective, and a trusted sounding board when it matters most.