A simple, straightforward bookkeeping process

Before we start working with a new client, we answer a lot of questions about our process and how it all works. We’re talking about managing the books for their business and having access to all their financial data, so it’s good to ask questions and understand the process.

While we do customize our process a bit to fit each individual client’s needs, here’s a quick overview of the typical process.

Step 1: Review what’s already there

Most clients we work with already have some sort of bookkeeping system in place, whether they’re doing it themselves in a spreadsheet or through a tool like QuickBooks or have previously used another bookkeeping company. So our first step is to review everything and get an idea of how things have been done in the past.

Step 2: Make improvements where needed

I’ve worked with clients who learned their bookkeeping tool on their own and may have made few mistakes along the way. I’ve also worked with clients who outsourced their bookkeeping to someone that messed up their books and ruined their reporting for the prior year.

Once we’ve analyzed everything and know what’s going on, it’s time to clean things up and make improvements. That could mean fixing things for the prior year so the numbers are right, starting fresh with how the books are set up, or providing some training for the client on how to use the software if they’ll be entering some things on their own.

Step 3: Provide the information you need

Every CPA can tell you a story about clients who come in with a giant box of receipts at the end of the year, and somebody in that office has to go through credit card statements and receipts to enter all of that data and file your taxes. But that approach doesn’t give you the reports and business data you really need. Even if the net numbers are right, it doesn’t break it down into spending categories you can analyze and act on to make your business more profitable.

With consistent bookkeeping in a cloud-based software, you can access those reports anytime and anywhere and have the data you need to make informed business decisions. And handing things over to your CPA to file your taxes gets significantly easier, too!

Sometimes clients need to make a change in their bookkeeping, whether that means taking it back in house or using a different bookkeeping firm. Because we use cloud-based software rather than a proprietary system, the account belongs to your business and not to us. If you decide to make a change, all of your data easily goes with you.

Ready to talk about whether our process is right for you? Call us today for a consultation.