Starting And Managing A Small Business
De CidesaWiki
Location - It's usually best to look for a local bookkeeper, rather than one from interstate. If your business is on the Gold Coast for example, it's probably best to look for a Gold Coast Online accountant. Sure, with skype video calls, email, you can keep in touch with someone in another area, and send documents in the mail. But if you're like most people, you'll want to meet these people at least once when you first get started, and maybe save money by dropping in documents and receipts yourself. So your first step is to find a Gold Coast Bookkeeper, depending on how far you are willing to travel to meet with them.
What are the typical terms of their service agreement? Your prospective online accountant should be able to outline for you the "typical" terms of the agreement such as acceptable methods of payment, due date, late fees/penalties, etc.
There are also accounting software they might suggest to centralize each transaction. Keeping up with your bookkeeping needs might get messy for some time but as time goes by and your business expands, it would be more complex than before. Having tax service help would help you set everything up. By that time, you can also avoid having to bring your accounting work at home just to get everything done.
Many people run for cover when your start talking about creating a business plan, but it really is a wonderful tool to make your business grow to the next level. A business plan gives you all the information you need at your finger tips. Your business plan then becomes a reference tool and can help guide you in the choices you make in you business life.
Unless your situation prevents you from attending a client site to work, you might find it is easier to get the clients, work for them for a while and then look at whether it is feasible to do their work from home. Most clients work can be done off site, but sometimes it comes down to the relationship you have built up with the client and the trust you have with that person. Clients who would not consider an off site service may be happy for you to do their books off site after a few months.
Keep doing the exercises listed here. Spend time reading business message boards, websites and magazines. Jot down topics that interest you and learn more about them. The process may take some time, but the end result should be well worth it.
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. Online accountant 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.
There are various different systems one can use to keep track of all of the money that they make online. It is important to choose one and stick with it. Changing your system can make things confusing for you and for your accountant which can create problems when dealing with the IRS. It is also important to have a separate bank account dedicated solely to your business. This will help to keep the money separate from your normal household funds. Having that separate account will create a record that your accountant will use when helping you with your taxes.
There are numerous benefits to outsourcing your bookkeeping to an online service. Remember that most business owners don't have a strong accounting background to keep their books clean. It is always smarter to rely on professional bookkeepers rather than going at it yourself.
Invoices - Paid -- this section is for your outgoing business expenses that have been paid or you've paid at the time Online accountant was rendered, i.e. that ream of paper that you bought from the office supplies store. Staple each receipt on to a blank piece of paper rather than just putting them directly into the ring binder. This just makes it easier to see at a glance all your receipts and you can also make notes on the paper. Also write on the top of each invoice/piece of paper the method of payment.
Text: I am helping a new customer write his budget for next year. We looked at his income and expenses for the past two years and then made some honest projections on what he will be making and spending next year. I also explained how new tax laws will affect his finances.
If they haven't been in business for at least 5 years, have they ever worked in an accounting or bookkeeping company before they became a Online accountant? Again, this shouldn't be a deal breaker but should give you some idea of their experience level.
Let's suppose you asked your friend Judy to refer a good bookkeeper. Judy knows your neighborhood and works in the financial industry. Judy refers you to a bookkeeper she highly admires, Peggy. You go to Peggy's office, talk to Peggy for a while, and become a customer. Everybody is happy. If you lived in small-town America and had hours of free time every day, this would work.
Categories - probably the most important section of your listing and should reflect what you are rather than what your business does. You can choose up to 5 categories, but the first one by default should be "Accountant". The remaining 4 will depend on the services you provide, but could include things like "bookkeeping service" and "Payroll Service".
