You are not only paying for what they DO, you are paying for what they KNOW.
I could do brain surgery, but you may not like the results!
How long would it take you to fix your machine yourself? Would you know what parts are broken, and have the ability to order replacements? Would you know it was repaired correctly so as to not break some other part in the sewing machine?
I am also a Certified Bookkeeper. Several years ago, I had a client that had a cafe. She had three employees. To do her paychecks, she'd spend a couple hours doing it herself, not getting to spend that time with her very young twins, or working in the cafe, and able to avoid having to pay an employee to work plus she'd get the tips. She was also not comfortable with the payroll taxes and getting all the calculations for the tips correct. There was always the worry about if her payroll was correct. And she spent an entire day each quarter trying to do the state and federal payroll reports.
She eventually hired me to do the payroll. She'd call me with the hours and the tips. 10 minutes later, I'd fax back the paycheck information and prepare her quarterly and annual reports. Is that 10 minutes worth only 1/6 of an hour at minimum wage?? In those two hours, waiting table and collecting tips, my client could make $60+ herself. At the end of each quarter, she could work in the cafe all day. I'd have her payroll reports done in an hour. She didn't have the stress of not knowing if they were correct or not, and I wouldn't be stressed because I'm educated and trained in my job.