How to Do Bookkeeping with BOS (Step-by-Step)

BOS used to run entirely on WhatsApp — no app to download, just a chat. WhatsApp is gone as a channel now, but almost nothing else changed: the same natural-language logging, the same voice notes, the same automatic evening briefing. What's new is a dedicated app, which means Quick Actions — one-tap buttons for the transactions you log dozens of times a day — alongside the natural language that was always the core of it. Every example message below is a real phrasing BOS understands, not a simplified mockup.

What you need before you start

Download BOS from the Play Store or App Store, or use it in your browser at bos.chuksforge.com if you'd rather not install anything. Sign up with your business name and the kind of business you run — retail, fashion, food, services, and so on — so the prompts and examples you see afterward actually match your business instead of reading generically.

Step 1: Record a sale

Type or speak a message describing what you sold and for how much, the way you'd naturally say it out loud. BOS parses the item, amount, and quantity from ordinary phrasing — no rigid format required, and "k" for thousand works exactly the way it does in everyday Nigerian texting.

sold 3 bags of rice for 15k

BOS confirms the sale was recorded, with the amount and item read back to you so you can catch a typo immediately. Other phrasings work exactly the same way — "sold dress 12k," "made 2 outfits and charged 15k," or item-first phrasing like "rice sold, 15k" are all understood. Logging the same sale over and over during a busy stretch? Tap the "Log a Sale" Quick Action instead — same result, two taps instead of typing.

Step 2: Record an expense

Expenses work the same way sales do — describe what you spent and on what, or tap the "Log an Expense" Quick Action for something routine.

spent 2k on transport

For a compound sentence that covers both a sale and its cost in one message, BOS handles that too — for example "sold shoes at 10k, bought at 6k" records the sale at ₦10,000 and attaches the ₦6,000 cost price to it in the same step, so your profit margin is captured without a second message.

Step 3: Track a sale on credit (customer debt)

Informal customer credit is normal in a lot of Nigerian retail, so it gets its own tracked category rather than being lumped in as a generic note. Mention that a sale was on credit and who it's for.

sold rice on credit to Amaka 8k

That balance is now tracked against Amaka specifically. Check it anytime, for one customer or your whole debt book.

how much does Amaka owe me

When Amaka pays some or all of it back, record that too — a repayment is recognized as reducing the debt (and correctly counted toward your sales total, not silently absorbed as if it never happened).

Amaka paid back 5k

Step 4: Check your numbers, any time

No end-of-day export or report screen to hunt for — just ask, or check the dashboard.

• "today's sales" — everything recorded today, total and itemized
• "today's expenses" — same, for spending
• "how much did I make this week" — totals over a stated period

Step 5: Get an automatic daily briefing

You don't have to ask at all, every day — BOS sends a complete business briefing automatically each evening: total sales, total expenses, net profit for the day, a business health score, and a flag on anything that needs attention, like a customer debt that's gone quiet or stock running low.

Step 6: Fix a mistake

Typed the wrong amount, or need to undo an entry entirely? Both are handled conversationally rather than through a separate edit screen.

• To correct a detail: "that sale was actually 18k" — BOS updates the most recent matching entry rather than creating a duplicate.
• To undo an entry outright: "cancel" (or "redo") on the transaction in question reverses it cleanly, including correctly adjusting any linked debt balance if it was a credit sale.

Step 7: Export your full history to Excel

Need your records outside the app — for a loan application, an accountant, or just your own backup — export them as a spreadsheet on demand. A plain "export" pulls your full sales and expense history; you can also ask for a sales-only or expenses-only export specifically if that's all you need.

export

Step 8: Generate an invoice

Need to send a customer a proper invoice instead of just logging the sale? Say who it's for and how much.

invoice Amaka for 20k

BOS generates a PDF invoice instantly — no template to set up, no separate invoicing tool, and no lag between logging the sale and being able to actually bill for it.

Bonus: inventory, reminders, and multi-staff use

Beyond core bookkeeping, BOS handles a few adjacent jobs worth knowing about: low-stock alerts when inventory you've logged is running out, arbitrary self-reminders ("remind me to restock rice on Friday"), and a business-advice knowledge base you can ask general questions against, the same way you'd ask a person. For businesses with staff recording transactions on the owner's behalf, an invite-code system lets a staff member log in on their own phone, so every entry they record shows up correctly under the right branch without the owner needing to hand over their own device.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to download an app to use BOS?

Yes — BOS is a standalone app, available on Android, iOS, and the web. It used to run entirely on WhatsApp with no download required; that channel has since been retired in favor of the dedicated app, which kept the natural-language logging and added one-tap Quick Actions.

Is there a free way to try BOS?

Yes, BOS has a free tier covering your first transactions each month, with paid tiers for businesses recording higher volume. Current pricing is on the BOS page, since it's reviewed periodically.

Can my staff record sales without using my personal device?

Yes — an owner can generate a one-time invite code that lets a staff member log into BOS on their own phone, so they record transactions independently under the correct branch.

What happens if I record a transaction wrong?

Send a correction in plain language, like "that sale was actually 18k," and BOS updates the entry — or say "cancel" to undo it outright, including reversing any linked customer debt balance.

Can BOS generate an invoice for a customer?

Yes — say something like "invoice Amaka for 20k" and BOS generates a PDF invoice instantly, ready to send to the customer.

The takeaway

BOS didn't abandon what made the WhatsApp version work when it became an app — it kept the natural-language logging and voice notes, and added what a dedicated interface makes possible: Quick Actions for the transactions you do every day, instant invoicing, and a proper dashboard. Every step above is still just talking to it the way you'd talk to a person keeping your books; there's just a home-screen icon for it now instead of a WhatsApp thread.

Christian Chukwuka

Founder & AI Systems Engineer