Why Hiring a Bookkeeper (Like Me, a ProAdvisor!) is Crucial for Small Businesses
Running a small business is no small feat. Between managing clients, handling operations, and growing your brand, bookkeeping might seem like just another task on your already packed to-do list. Many small business owners attempt to manage their own books, but doing so can lead to costly mistakes, missed tax deductions, and lost time that could be better spent growing the business.
As a QuickBooks ProAdvisor and professional bookkeeper, I understand the complexities of small business finances and am here to help you stay organized, compliant, and stress-free. Here’s why hiring a bookkeeper like me is one of the best investments you can make for your business.
1. Save Time and Focus on Growth
Every hour you spend reconciling accounts or categorizing expenses is an hour you’re not spending on growing your business. Bookkeeping is time-consuming, especially if you're not familiar with best practices and financial software. By hiring a professional, you free yourself to focus on the areas where you excel—whether that's serving clients, marketing your products, or developing new ideas.
2. Reduce Costly Errors
Incorrect data entry, missing transactions, and unbalanced books can lead to financial headaches, penalties, and inaccurate tax filings. A bookkeeper ensures your records are accurate, reducing the risk of costly errors and giving you peace of mind that your finances are in order.
3. Maximize Tax Deductions and Stay Compliant
Tax season can be stressful, but a well-maintained set of books can make all the difference. As a bookkeeper, I keep track of deductible expenses and ensure your records are IRS-compliant. This means you won’t miss valuable deductions or risk penalties due to inaccurate reporting.
4. Gain Financial Insights for Smarter Decision-Making
Understanding your financial position is crucial for making informed business decisions. A bookkeeper provides you with clear financial reports, cash flow analysis, and budgeting assistance, giving you the knowledge you need to scale and manage your business efficiently.
5. Seamless QuickBooks Integration and Optimization
As a QuickBooks ProAdvisor, I not only keep your books organized but also optimize QuickBooks for your specific needs. I can help set up automated workflows, customize reports, and ensure you’re using the software to its full potential—saving you both time and frustration.
6. Avoid the End-of-Year Rush
Scrambling to get your books in order right before tax season is overwhelming. A bookkeeper keeps everything up to date throughout the year, making tax filing smooth and stress-free.
7. It’s More Affordable Than You Think
Many small business owners assume hiring a bookkeeper is a luxury they can’t afford. In reality, the cost of bookkeeping services is often outweighed by the money saved in tax deductions, financial clarity, and time that can be reinvested into the business.
Let’s Get Started!
If you’re ready to take bookkeeping off your plate and gain financial clarity, I’d love to help! As a QuickBooks ProAdvisor, I offer expert bookkeeping services tailored to your business’s unique needs. Contact me today, and let’s work together to keep your business’s finances on track!
Top 10 Things I Miss About QuickBooks Desktop
I can’t think of any.
(updates below) Let me know in the comments below of any that you know.
updates:
I found one (but I don’t use this feature)!:
Unfortunately, QuickBooks Online doesn’t offer the same discount feature/terms as QuickBooks Desktop. The discount must be entered on the bill itself, as there’s no option to apply it when making a payment, unless you create a vendor credit to be applied to the bill when paying.
The Top 3 Reasons Why QuickBooks Users Shouldn't Use American Express Cards
Since I provide monthly bookkeeping services for many clients, I tend to see the same issues with specific bank and credit card accounts. These issues will show up when reconciling these accounts in QuickBooks. In particular, American Express cards present the most problems and slow me down when working on them. I am not certain if this is only limited to a certain type of Amex card, but here are the top 3 reasons why I don’t recommend that businesses use Amex cards for business expenses.
Charges are missing in QuickBooks. When connecting an Amex credit card in the Bank transactions page, all charges, credits, and payments should download automatically. Unfortunately, I have noticed that some charges don’t get downloaded and I can only find them when reconciling. This can be as random as a few Amazon charges or charges in a foreign currency. This can take a long time trying to figure out which ones on the statement are missing when there are hundreds of transactions in a billing cycle. If it was just one charge, then it would be easy to find it just by searching the PDF for the amount. But that is usually not the case.
Posted charges don’t make the statement. QuickBooks Online automatically checks off transactions with a cleared date that falls within the statement closing date when reconciling, making this process usually fast and easy. However, with Amex, even though charges will clear with a posted date that fall on the statement closing date or even earlier, they don’t make the statement. I’ve had one Amazon charge as early as 10/14 that didn’t even make it on the statement with a 10/17 closing date. With multiple charges at the end of the month, it is not as easy as just unchecking several transactions as there is no rhyme or reason as to which ones make the statement or not. This means that reconciling the Amex account each month will always have a difference until this problem is resolved, which is a pain.
Statements don’t import into QuickBooks. Large banks such as Bank of America, BMO, and Wells Fargo provide the option to automatically import statements into QuickBooks. This makes it very convenient when reconciling these accounts. I have even noticed recently that QuickBooks Online will auto-fill the statement ending balance and statement ending date fields with the data from statements imported from Bank of America. Unfortunately, statements still don’t even import from a large credit card issuer such as American Express. I have to ask every one of my clients to upload their Amex statements to me, which is inconvenient for everyone, unless they provide me with account access.
