about us
Committed to Your Financial Success
Why Choose Us
Trusted by small businesses for our expertise and personalized approach.
At Balanced Books, we take pride in being a trusted partner for small businesses by offering unparalleled expertise and a personalized approach. Our team of seasoned professionals is dedicated to understanding the unique needs of each client, ensuring tailor-made solutions that fit perfectly with your business goals.
We go beyond numbers, providing insightful advice and proactive support that helps you navigate financial challenges and seize opportunities for growth. When you choose us, you’re not just getting a bookkeeping service; you’re gaining a reliable partner committed to your success.
EXPERT TEAM
Our professionals bring years of industry experience.
PERSONALIZED SERVICE
Tailored solutions to fit your unique business needs.
PROVEN RESULTS
Helping clients achieve financial clarity and success.
Who we are
Your Financial Partners
in Success
At Balanced Books, we simplify financial management for service industry and franchise owners, freeing you to focus on growth. Our precise bookkeeping services lift the burden of financial tasks, while our customer-centric approach ensures clarity and responsiveness.
With a foundation built on integrity, transparency, and professionalism, we create long-term partnerships rooted in trust. Our collaborative team shares knowledge and drives innovation for your financial success. Whether you run a small service-based business or a franchise, we have the expertise and experience to support your unique needs.
About the Owner
Crystal Stapleton, CPA
Crystal has over 24 years of experience in the accounting profession, in both public and private practice. She earned her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license in 2006 and subsequently obtained an MBA degree from California State University, Stanislaus, in 2012.
Crystal is also a QuickBooks ProAdvisor and is QuickBooks certified! Crystal has held various accounting and finance positions in her career and has successfully saved companies over one million dollars by redesigning and implementing new business processes. Crystal’s goal is to help your business succeed!
Crystal enjoys traveling with her husband and two children. Crystal’s family is very spontaneous, loves adventures, and enjoys exploring new destinations.
Management Staff
Meet the leaders guiding our team
Delia Black
Office Manager
Delia joined the Balanced Books team in November 2018. She has over 27 years of experience in customer service and management in a retail environment. She looks forward to the challenge of polishing and perfecting any task. We truly appreciate the customer service, practicality, reliability, and efficiency that she brings to the team.
Karen Chance
Operations Manager
Karen joined Balanced Books in October 2015. She graduated from California State University, Stanislaus with a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. Karen has over 12 years of experience in the agricultural accounting world. Karen's dedication to excellence, efficiency, and organization makes her a vital member of the Balanced Books team.
Norma Madruga
Training & Development Manager
Norma joined the Balanced Books team in July 2017. She graduated from California State University, Stanislaus with a degree in Liberal Studies. Norma specializes in prioritizing tasks, thrives in challenging situations, and strives to deliver only the best. She provides continuous improvement for Balanced Books processes.
Amanda Greener
Accounting Supervisor
Amanda Joined the Balanced Books team in January 2018. She graduated from Modesto Junior College with a degree in History in 2017. Amanda has over 12 years of experience in Customer Service and loves to help others succeed. She is extremely organized and strives to learn new things that will help her to grow in her career. Her attention to detail is on point!
Jennifer Velazquez
Senior Bookkeeper
Jennifer joined the Balanced Books team in October 2021. She is currently attending California State University, Stanislaus to earn a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. Jennifer has over 5 years of experience working in customer service.Jennifer is recognized for her willingness to learn and always maintaining a positive attitude!
Chelsie Whetstone
Bookkeeper
Chelsie joined the Balanced Books team in November 2020. She graduated from California State University, Stanislaus with a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources. She has over 12 years of experience in customer service and is recognized for her upbeat communication style and her enthusiasm for learning and growing in her career.
Jose Naranjo
Bookkeeper
Jose joined the Balanced Books team in June 2022. He graduated from the University of California, Merced, with a bachelor's degree in Management and Business Economics. In 2023, Jose became a Certified Bookkeeper! He enjoys helping others and loves a good challenge. Most recently, Jose joined the Winton School District Board, where he strives to make a difference for the next generation of students.
Andrew Samano
Bookkeeper
Andrew joined Balanced Books in November 2022. He graduated from the University of California, Merced with a degree in Management & Business Economics and has over 4 years of experience in customer service. Andrew thrives on learning new concepts, improving his skill set and creating processes and procedures in his work routine.
Randi Souto
Administrative Assistant
Randi joined the Balanced Books team in October 2022 with over 5 years of experience working in customer service. She thoroughly enjoys assisting clients and other members of the Balanced Books team with any task, great or small. She is dedicated to the success of the team! Randi is recognized for her willingness to always lend a helping hand.
What Our Clients Say
Real stories from satisfied clients
Our clients’ satisfaction and success are the ultimate measures of our effectiveness. We take pride in the long-term relationships we’ve built and the positive impact our services have had on their businesses. Hear directly from our clients as they share their experiences and the benefits they’ve gained from partnering with Balanced Books.
Anna Eshoo2020-07-08I have used Balanced Books for my yoga studio for the past 5+ years! Everyone is always very helpful! Each time I walk in, I am always greeted by a friendly and warm face. They take wonderful care of their clients and I highly recommend them to anyone in need of their services. I can count on them for a quick response to any help I might need.Alta Fernandes2020-06-10Balanced Books should be considered "essential" to businesses big and small. We are excellent "jewelers" - NOT "book keepers" ...and they let us focus on doing what we do best - while they focus on what they do best. CAN we do our books? Sure. SHOULD we? WHY - when we can rely on Balanced books to do all of our financials. From daily banking, to sales tax, paying vendors, checking and double checking to make sure we are ready for year end reporting, and SO much more. We consider Balanced Books "essential" to our business. I highly recommend them.Nathan D2020-06-02Crystal and her team have been great to deal with, they have been handling my Agency books for 7+ years. I can't be happier. Karen is always available to help with payroll and making sure my books are always clean. They have really gone above and beyond during this COVID 19 with all the PPP stuff and getting the reports needed to file to us quickly. They have always been on top of explaining new policy's as they keep changing. Thank you again Crystal and team.Sue Micheletti2020-06-01I couldn't be more pleased with the transition of our accounting services for the Turlock Chamber of Commerce to Balanced Books. What an amazing group of professionals. Helpful, courteous, patient, knowledgeable, hardworking. And that's just a start. We transition during a very challenging time in the business world, and it has been seamless for me. My sincere appreciation to Crystal and her entire team at Balanced Books!Adrian Harrell2020-05-04Balanced Books is a partner and a great resource to have. Balanced Books has been managing our payroll for several years. The professional individuals such as Crystal Stapleton and Karen Chance are knowledgeable and provide instrumental services so I don't have to worry about running payroll and paying the respective state and federal agencies. Being a Certified Public Accountants (CPA) and knowing HR laws allows the company to provide invaluable information in time of need. Being tech savvy, Karen is able to log into our system and enter payroll data remotely. This is a huge cost saving for a small business in making certain all the information is up to date, correct and relevant. During the cornonavirus pandemic, Balanced Books was there very step of the way to provide information as things changed, almost on the daily basis. Crystal was one of the first people to send out emails with lists of resources for small business clients to review and take advantage of. Balanced Books is certainly a partner that no small business owner should be without. They provide expertise in book keeping, payroll, etc, so I can concentrate on running my business.jcgarvey19932019-04-03Crystal and her team are awesome! They have helped me with little things that could have turned into big problems. Thank you for being awesome balanced books!Karissa Lucca (Kris)2018-09-17These gals are amazing! They keep my books clean on a quarterly basis and is very consistent in their work. Highly recommend!Matthew Davis2016-10-05We've referred a couple clients to Crystal and her team and each and every one of our referrals have been handled with the utmost professionalism and sense of urgency regardless of their size or billable size.