Tag Archives: bookkeeping Sunshine Coast

How to find a super Sunshine Coast Bookkeeper

You don’t just want any bookkeeper to help you with your business you want the best bookkeeper you can find in your area.   One who is flexible and understands your business needs.   Trust, the right qualifications and someone who can provide you with the information you need in plain English is what you are looking for.  So how do you find the right bookkeeping fit for your business?

I’ve been a Sunshine Coast bookkeeper helping businesses like you with their bookkeeping needs for the past 16 years and this is what I think makes for a super bookkeeper.

Qualifications, accreditation and experience.

Your bookkeeper should be qualified and be part of a recognised bookkeeping organisation like AAT (Australian Accounting Technicians) They should be a BAS Agent registered with the Tax Practitioners Board so you can be satisfied that your bookkeeper has the required skills, qualifications and experience to correctly code your accounts for GST and prepare your BAS. Use this link to check if your bookkeeper is registered.

Price sometimes relates to experience but if you are simply comparing hourly rates, a more experienced bookkeeper may seem expensive but they are most likely to work significantly faster and smarter.  From my own experience I can get done in a couple of hours what may take a less experienced bookkeeper a full day.

Understand your business needs.

Taking the time to get to understand how you and your business work and adapting the bookkeeping process and software to work as simply and efficiently as possible avoiding time spent on unnecessary processes.

Asks you lots of annoying questions.

This may not seem like a plus but it is.  Bookkeepers are more hands on and are able to ask questions to ensure transactions are correctly allocated, it is better that your bookkeeper ask questions rather than guess.

 Knowing their limits.

Good bookkeepers know when to get advice from accountants and are not afraid to say “I don’t know’.  Bookkeepers have a role and Accountants have a role.

Up to date and well informed.

As I write this I’m on the train home from a day in Brisbane learning all about the new features and the future of Reckon Accounts the accounting software I use and love.    It is important that your bookkeeper is up to date with what is happening in the bookkeeping, accounting and technology spaces. The bookkeeping and accounting industries have evolved considerably over the past few years due to changing technologies.

Your bookkeeper should be keeping you up to date with technology to save time and money by automating processes with cloud accounting packages such as Reckon One or Reckon Hosted the latest offerings in cloud software.

Likable and trust worthy.

If I was asked what was the most important thing in my business I would have to say it was the relationships I have built with my clients.  The trust that my clients put in me sharing their financial detail and lives is something I will never take lightly.

Bookkeeping is not fun but necessary so it helps if like your bookkeeper and feel comfortable discussing your business honestly and openly with them. Your bookkeeper needs this transparency to help you get the most out of your accounting software and bookkeeping.

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Like many business owners you may find it difficult to justify time spent on bookkeeping when you feel your energies could be put to better use in other areas of building your business or following your passion, but bookkeeping is simply an indispensable tool for helping you maintain a healthy business.

Benefits of Regular Bookkeeping

  • Keeping your books up to date and in good order actually will save you time and money in the long run and assist you with making better business decisions.  Accurate bookkeeping not only keeps you up to speed with your spending habits but can also track time spent on jobs and lets you know how much you are making per job.  When your paperwork is in order and easily accessible looking up suppliers bills and following up on client payments is a snap.  By updating your bookkeeping regularly and keeping your source documents in order you can easily see what areas of your business are more profitable than others and make business decisions accordingly.  Reports can be quickly compiled and provided to financial institutions, accountants, advisers and of course the taxman.

Bookkeeping in a nut shell

  • As they say it is not rocket science.  Basic bookkeeping is simply the process of working out how much comes in and how much goes out.  As a business owner your aim is to have more coming in than out and the only way to achieve this is to learn to view bookkeeping as something to be embraced not an annoying chore.
  • Today with all the wonders of technology there a number of easy to use computer bookkeeping programs such as Quick Books (Reckon Accounts).  You can have them locally on your computer or they can be cloud based which enables you to access your books from anywhere in the world via the internet.

The most important key to good bookkeeping is to set aside a regular time each week to bring all your records up to date and to ensure you or your staff get the proper training in both basic bookkeeping techniques and appropriate software.

If, like many business owners you feel your time is better spent elsewhere or you simply can’t stand bookwork then you need a consultant bookkeeper who can assist you with all or part of your bookkeeping needs.

At Beat the Bookkeeping Blues we can help you with all areas of setup and training and hands on bookkeeping from basics to business activity lodgement.

Mobile 0407 089 033

Email: stressrelief@beatthebookkeepingblues.com.au

Web: www.beatthebookkeepingblues.com.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beatthebookkeepingblues

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