How to Prioritize Bookkeeping When You Have Other Priorities

Are your books a mess? Finding it hard to track expenses and income when your business requires your attention elsewhere? You’re not alone! Many small business owners, especially those just starting out or those experiencing a change in client volume, have difficulty keeping their bookkeeping in order, let alone able to prioritize bookkeeping.

However, accurate bookkeeping is essential for not only maximizing your tax deductions but ensuring the financial health and stability of your business.

You’re busy. You need a simple and effective action plan. Here it is:

1. Get a fresh start with a bookkeeping clean-up.
   • Set aside a few days or as much time as possible to focus solely on your books. No distractions.
   • Enter all expenses. Upload receipts to have digital copies.
   • Reconcile all account statements.
   • Hire an outsourced, virtual bookkeeper for a “clean-up”. Many bookkeepers offer this service prior to tax time to get your books in order before April!
2. Develop a plan for moving forward.
   • Determine your biggest bookkeeping pain point. Is it tracking receipts, keeping up with mileage reports, or managing inventory? There are apps for that!
   • Set rules within your accounting system to automatically categorize recurring transactions.
   • Schedule a regular time each week to make sure your books are kept current. If you’d rather focus on revenue-increasing aspects of your business, consider hiring a bookkeeper for these monthly tasks.
3. Implement your plan.

A plan is only effective if it is actionable. An actionable plan is only effective if it becomes a habit. Now that you are up-to-date and have a plan, stick to it!

Clean and accurate books are one of the best resources you can have as a small business owner! Still looking for that perfect virtual bookkeeper? We’d love to chat! Request a FREE consultation here, and we’ll be in touch soon!

Congratulations! You made the smart choice for your business and are in the process of hiring a virtual bookkeeper! Now the question becomes: how do you know who is the right bookkeeper for your business and industry?

It’s important to tackle this process as you would any interview. After all, you’ll be hiring this virtual bookkeeper to take on important financial duties. They’ll have access to your records, and their involvement in your bookkeeping will contribute to your financial success and accuracy.

We’ve prepared some suggested questions to start out your bookkeeping interview process below:

1. Which accounting software programs are you familiar with?
2. What are your bookkeeping qualifications?
3. What types of financial reports do you prepare monthly?
4. What tasks can you help with?
5. How would you describe your work style?
6. What is the average time to return an email or a phone call?
7. What are your bookkeeping package options (weekly or monthly)?
8. What experience do you have in my industry or field?
9. What type of clients do you currently have?
10. Can you help with the growth of my business?

After these questions, you’ll have a good idea of the knowledge of your virtual bookkeeping candidates, their work-style, and their experience. Before hiring a virtual bookkeeper, you need to be sure they are not only a good fit on paper but will help contribute to the culture and vibe you want to create within your business. A healthy rapport with your bookkeeper will ensure a positive, and successful, relationship for years to come!

Still looking for that perfect virtual bookkeeper? We’d love to chat! Request a FREE consultation here, and we’ll be in touch soon!