Bookminders

In 1991, Tom Joseph founded Bookminders with the idea that he could attract top-tier talent if he offered a flexible work environment. It is a concept he devised when implementing an accounting system for his father's business after the Joseph’s family business lost their bookkeeper in 1984. Tom, who had early exposure to Apple computers in his job at Westinghouse, bought an Apple IIc computer along with accounting software and formed Steele Financial Services. The original idea of having his uncle run the system was a failure, but Tom’s sister Diane was able to grasp the new technology and agreed to take on the role if she could work primarily from home. Tom and Diane transformed a lengthy process into one that took only a few hours, completed mostly from her home office. In an era before the internet, this was a radical concept. Despite this initial success, the idea was not scalable given the lack of internet infrastructure and led to the closure of Steele Financial Services.

Over the next seven years, Tom continued his career in factory automation.

When Tom launched Bookminders in 1991, he enlisted the help of Diane’s twin sister, Lynne.

Over the years, the company transitioned from using floppy disks and shared email accounts to a customized, cloud-based platform that supported remote work long before it became mainstream. Today, Bookminders is a provider of outsourced bookkeeping for nonprofits and mid- to large-sized businesses.

A focus on building resources tailored to non-profits and small to mid-size businesses, along with the opening of the Philadelphia office in 2006, led to Bookminders’ emergence as the premier outsourced bookkeeping service in Pennsylvania. Over the next decade, its innovative concept and in-demand services resulted in the launch of two additional locations: a Cherry Hill, New Jersey office and Eastern Maryland. The strong, employee-centric culture and remote opportunities attracted an influx of staff. Finally, with an abundance of resources and growing demand, Bookminders expanded its footprint beyond the Eastern United States with a Central Texas location in 2022 and Indiana office in 2024.