If you own a small business, then it is a good idea to find a bookkeeper who can help with managing your financial records. The right bookkeeper can help you to manage cash flow and cut costs within your company. There are a few things that you need to think about before choosing a bookkeeper who is the right fit for your business:
- Education: Just because someone is good with numbers doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be a good bookkeeper. Consider the accountant’s level of education, and make sure they have had formal training and have learned about ethics, tactics, strategy, procedure, and policies relating to accounting.
- Experience: Ask the bookkeeper about their experience, and look for someone who has as much experience as possible. You will want to consider the balance between experience and cost, because bookkeepers with more experience will also charge more money. So, determine your price range, and then find someone within that price range who has the most experience. You may also find a bookkeeper who has experience in your industry.
- Software and Technology: There are many great tools available to make it easier to manage your business books. Find a bookkeeper who is familiar with technology tools, such as integrated banking solutions, electronic bill management, online banking, and other time saving features.
- Reconciling, Reporting, and Data Entry: The basic task of data entry to keep up with daily and weekly transactions is important, but you also want to find someone who is familiar with reporting and reconciliation. They need to make sure the information is being tracked with accuracy. Also, the purpose of tracking the numbers is to analyze the data, and reporting tools can help you to see the bigger picture so that you can make effective decisions in your company.
- Tax Preparation: Tax season is a busy time of year for many companies, and most business owners don’t have the experience to handle their taxes on their own. Your bookkeeper can help you gather the information that is needed for your tax accountant, so that your taxes can be prepared quickly and efficiently.
Before you choose a bookkeeper to work with, you should talk with them about each of these points so that you can make sure they are a good fit for your company. At GoodAccountants.com we have a variety of bookkeeping professionals for you to choose from.