Start Your Own Personal Assistant Business 1 Of 5 - Know Your Values
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Now that you've got your online accountant system in place schedule in each week/month to keep your bookkeeping binder up-to-date. In between updating place all your receipts and invoices in a plastic folder so that everything is together when you come to update your system--it would be too time-consuming to add each receipt as you get it!
Then there are the bookkeeping chores, the website building and maintenance, the blog, the tax forms to be filled out, legal questions to be answered. What happened to our social life, family life, and fun life? We find we are micromanaging ourselves to death. Micromanagement is a mindset that focuses on our own concept, if you will, of perfectionism. While we are expert at some aspects of our business, we need to admit and accept that we may not be expert at others.
An in-house small business bookkeeper comes in many shapes and sizes. They can be family, friends, someone you hired off of a recommendation and someone who fills not only your bookkeeping gap but other gaps in your business as well. They can be friendly, moody, helpful, a pain in the butt etc. They also get sick, have feelings, have a life and other fun things. People are an essential and diverse asset to your business but that doesn't mean that we always have to use people to drive all the functions of our business.
Have your Related Homepag teach you how to run a few simple reports. You don't have to be a bookkeeping ninja but it makes sense not pay for something that is simple to do. The first report that I recommend you learn how to do is your profit/loss report. It's always good to know how your business is doing from a revenue, expense, and profits perspective.
This will obviously add to your overall start-up costs and isn't really necessary. I have a "smart ring" service that my telephone company offers with a separate phone number and distinctive ring. That way I can immediately tell if a call is business or personal. This service only costs me $2.00 per month and is a great feature.
If you're thinking about hiring a bookkeeper, then it's going to be one of the best decisions you'll ever make for your small business. Besides the obvious benefit of having much more free time to enjoy your life, instead of being stuck filling out paperwork and balancing numbers, there's also going to be a definite financial advantage - hiring out these kinds of tasks will free up your time to work on the sales and marketing areas of your business. Remember, sales and marketing generates cashflow, doing the books does not.
Lastly, there is no need to train someone for the position. Again, that is more time wasted when you could be taking care of more important tasks. Bookkeeping companies work with a wide variety of industries and know the ins and outs of your business. You just send them the information they need and they will take care of the rest.
Take the time to review the reports so you can spot any irregularities before they blossom into problems. Not sure how to read a cash flow statement? Get a check/electronic funds transfer (eft or "auto debit") transaction detail instead. It will help you see where the cash bookkeeping service is going.
Social networking lets you establish thousands of connections, build your expertise, attract new customers, and keep in touch with current customers. You have to keep your marketing alive and promote at the places where your target audience resides. Even if Peggy has had some customers for 10 years, that does not mean Peggy is the only bookkeeper in town and other bookkeepers are not targeting her loyal customers. Peggy's customers may be using social networking even more than she does. Social networking is big. Peggy should be there. You should be there too.
Choosing a professional business name for your bookkeeping business will be one of the most important decisions you make. You want to choose a name that projects the ideal image of how you want your business to be perceived. Easier said than done, right?
But being a freelance Related Homepag is mainly about building relationships with your clients. And especially in the beginning of these relationships, there's going to be a lot of what I call babysitting. You have to teach them how to treat you - what's acceptable behavior. In the process you're teaching them how you're going to work together.
Hiring a professional is obviously going to cost you some money. How much will depend on the expertise of accountants in your area, as well as the demand for accountants in your area. I can't really tell you what to expect for accounting services as there are to many variables.
With an online bookkeeping service, you pay for only the hours you need to maintain your books. However with an in-house Related Homepag you must pay someone 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, even during slow periods. An online bookkeeping service allows you to pay for services only when you need them.
The better the relationship your online accountant has with your bookkeeper, the better life will be for you. It's a great way for you to have a check and balance system on your bookkeeper. Tell your CPA about the services that bookkeeper will provide and ask your CPA to periodically evaluate the bookkeeper's work.
