Hi, I’m Candie Conat—Master Bookkeeper, Numbers Cruncher, and Dog Lover.For over three decades, I’ve been helping small business owners kick chaos to the curb, get their numbers organized, and finally feel confident about understanding their bottom line. Because let’s be honest—winging it isn’t a business strategy.
I live in the woods of Northern Michigan with my husband, Mike, and our two dogs, Calvin & Chester. I love Fall—especially the month of September—and the chance to be outside walking the same forest trails we’ve loved for nearly 35 years (and snowshoeing them in winter). When I’m not in the woods, you’ll probably find me porch sitting, battling my husband in Wordle, enjoying cocoa, laughing at my dogs’ silly antics, and trying to keep up with the never-ending tumbleweeds of dog hair.
I also have a deep love for animals—dogs and cats alike. Since 2009 I’ve volunteered with AC PAW, a local rescue, serving in many different roles over the years. Today, I’m proud to serve as the Board Secretary for the AC PAW Spay & Neuter Project—a mission that’s near and dear to my heart because prevention is the key to reducing suffering and giving pets (and their people) healthier, happier lives.
My JourneyOne zero can make a big difference. Three can change your life.Back in 1986, fresh out of high school, I landed a job in the Proof Department in the basement of a local bank. My glamorous task? Sitting at a proofing machine, feeding checks through one by one. The machine would stamp the MICR code across the bottom—that string of funky-looking numbers that told the computers exactly how much each check was written for and how much to deduct from the customer’s account.
It was monotonous work—until one day, a few months in, I ran a $100 check through as $100,000. My supervisor could have fired me on the spot, but instead she pulled me aside and “strongly suggested” I take a good hard look at whether this was really where I wanted to be at 18 years old. She suspected I was bored out of my mind. Spoiler: it wasn’t. And I am glad I took her advice.
My cousin had been hounding me to come work for him at his large electrical contracting company. I’d been stubbornly saying no—determined to “do my own thing” (whatever that meant at 18). But after that conversation at the bank, I finally gave in. I started at the front desk as an admin assistant—back then, it was simply called being a Secretary.
Before long, I began assisting the head bookkeeper at Davis Electric, a woman named Sandy who had been with the company for 35 years. At 18, young and dumb in life, she seemed tough, hardened, and maybe even a little bitchy to me, LOL. But in reality, she was brilliant—sharp, no-nonsense, and willing to share her vast knowledge with me. I was honored to learn from her. Little did I know she had plans to retire in a few years, and she gradually began training me to take over. Three years later, Sandy moved on—and I became the head bookkeeper.
Since I was a kid, I’d always said I wanted to own my own business—but once I started working for my cousin, I kept putting it off, unsure of what I really wanted to do. Then, in 1994, my mom passed away after a battle with cancer at just 58. Losing her was devastating—and it was also the push I needed to stop saying “someday” and actually do something.
In January of 1995, Blue Skies Bookkeeping was born. At first, I was simply “the bookkeeper”—untangling messy accounts and keeping the wheels turning. But as the years went on, I realized my real gift wasn’t just in cleaning up the books—it was in teaching business owners how to understand their numbers and use them to make smarter decisions.
That shift is what ultimately became My Back-Office Coach: the next evolution of my business and my mission. Today, I don’t just manage the books; I help business owners ditch overwhelm, organize their finances, and create the business of their dreams—all while holding onto their sanity.
Why It Matters
When you understand your numbers, you don’t just “get by”—you thrive. You make smarter decisions, stress less, avoid nasty tax-time surprises, and create more freedom to provide for your family.
Over the years, I’ve worked with everyone from salon owners to contractors and builders, pet services to nonprofits, Shopify merchants to brick-and-mortar store owners. The industries may be different, but the challenges are the same: messy books, unclear systems, breakdowns in communication, and business owners who just want to breathe easier and build something they love.