As bookkeepers, we love online accounting platforms like QuickBooks Online and Xero. These online softwares help to have quick access to your financial information in real time. They help you keep track of important documents, they offer tons of benefits such as invoicing from your phone that help you get paid faster and so much more! However, like any good business they want to sell their softwares to as many people as possible. To do this they advertise how “user friendly” they are. By doing this, they create the impression that “anyone can do it!” All the sudden everyone is rushing to purchase their own copy, expecting overnight to become a bookkeeping master! This is true if you want to take the time to invest the 100+ hours of training they offer (but they don’t advertise that!) We often get calls from business owners saying, “Hey can you come to our office for an hour and train my mom/brother/wife/employee how to use QuickBooks?” First of all, we love that you care enough about your business to take control over your bookkeeping! Second, we care about you enough to tell you that its not worth the risk. Your friends and family are GREAT, but we highly recommend you find a GREAT bookkeeper!

So, what makes a bookkeeper great?

They Ask Lots of Great Questions

Your bookkeeper will care about everything happening within the life of your business. Part of the way we show we care is by asking questions! They may ask questions like, “What are your expansion plans?” Knowing the answer to this question allows us the opportunity to provide key financial reports for decision making. We can offer suggestions based on our experience working with similar businesses with similar goals. Very few people recognize the value that a bookkeeper can bring as a business planning advisor. Another great question we ask, “If you could solve one challenge, what would it be?” bookkeepers by nature are problem solvers. By learning what challenges trouble you the most we can help you start brainstorming solutions.

They Keep Up With The Industry

We know where to look for important industry knowledge and changes that are taking place that will effect your business. Spotting these changes in advance will give you an edge on your competition and save you a lot of precious time. Being unaware of the changes coming can be very time consuming and costly to your business to correct those accounting mistakes. One of the resources bookkeepers rely on to provide accurate accounting services is the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). What’s the GAAP you my ask? It’s a collection of commonly-followed accounting rules and standards for financial reporting. The GAAP helps companies find key insights into their own performance and minimizes the risk of incorrect financial reporting by having adequate checks and balances in place.

They Will Seek To Understand Your Systems and Processes

Another way your bookkeeper will show you they care is by taking the time to understand your systems and processes. The reason we need to understand all of your systems and processes is so we can ensure we don’t miss a single detail that affects your financials. The biggest benefit to you as a business owner: having a bookkeeper who is a problem solver. We work with so many businesses that operate on different systems. If we see a gap in your business and we can find a way to streamline a process and increase efficiency, we will let you know. In the end it makes both of our jobs easier and more enjoyable.

They Have Great Connections With Other Accounting Industry Professionals

How have your investment and retirement portfolios performed relative to the market? How is your debt to equity situation? What about employee benefits packages? We won’t answer these questions for you, but they should absolutely be addressed to ensure your business stays healthy. Our accounting partners are available to take our calls, answer our questions and guarantee that we make sound decisions as a team.

Hire a GREAT Bookkeeper!

We understand the quick convenience of hiring a family member to do your bookkeeping. However, we can almost guarantee it would become more of a headache than a convenience in the long run. Plus, no one has the time to train up an amateur to QuickBooks pro in an hours time. There’re so many wonderful benefits that come with hiring a great bookkeeper. It’s an investment that will help your business to continue to sustain and grow. A great bookkeeper is an asset, a teammate and someone who will quickly become one of your biggest sources of support. Don’t mix family with bookkeeping…. hire a great bookkeeper instead!