I am all for outsourcing bookkeeping.  However, I am very hesitant to outsource bookkeeping to someone that I have never met it person.  After all, if they do a bad job they could cause me to lose money or end up with a mess to clean up, which is expensive also.

That is why I outsource my bookkeeping to a company that is located within 30 minutes of my office.

Dashboard Accounting can work with anyone, anywhere via the web.  However, if you are looking for Akron Bookkeeping or Canton Bookkeeping – or even Cleveland Bookkeeping – then you are in special luck because Dashboard Accounting is a local outsourced bookkeeping company and you can stop down in their offices and meet the real people that will be helping you better manage your business.

Give them a call and schedule a visit.  They are located just north of Akron, Ohio and it is easy to get to, right off of Route 8.

Are you a Quickbooks pro?  Probably not if you are not a CPA or a bookkeeper.

That is why every business owner needs to think about outsourcing their bookkeeper needs or finding a virtual CPA to work with.  These people will be Quickbooks pros and they will be able to answer your Quickbooks questions, help you set up Quickbooks to work with your business well and to keep your Quickbooks books up to date and accurate.

Being able to dabble with your Quickbooks is one thing.  Being able to manage the financial portion of your business in a book keeping system accurately and regularly is entirely another issue.

If you are not going to take the time to become a Quickbooks Pro then find someone that is within your budget and offers outsourced bookkeeping services and have them help you build a bigger, stronger and better managed business.

You might be thinking about better financial management for your New Year’s Resolution.  That is a great one if financial management is a problem for you.

But better financial management does not have to mean you start doing a better job of managing the money in your business all by your self.

It could also mean you work more closely with your accountant.

It should also mean you outsource bookkeeping and make sure someone is keeping your Quickbooks updated.

You might need a Quickbooks Pro to help you buy and set up your system for better financial management.

And you might want to consider a payroll company or a bookkeeper that knows how to use payroll software small business editions so you can make management easier.

Better financial management of your small business is a great resolution for 2010 – but trying to do more yourself could mean you will find yourself right back where you started in a few months.  Why not take advantage of our free consultation and see what Dashboard Accounting can do for you to improve your small business financial management?

Most small business owners I meet are not happy with their bookkeeping.  They may feel like it is OK or they may feel it is a pain, but rarely are they thrilled with bookkeeping.  Even when they have a great person in house doing the books, talk to them when that person submits a 2 week notice and you will find a very panicked business owner.

So what is the best small business bookkeeping strategy?

While one size does not fit all businesses, here are some tips to consider.

1. Outsource bookkeeping to a company with multiple employees and a system in place to handle your needs, even if someone leaves.
2. Use Quickbooks, do not go for cheaper bookkeeping software, because ultimately most book keepers and accountants are used to Quickbooks and it will save you money.
3. Keep your books up to date and document everything.  Playing catch up with your books is more difficult.
4. Record checks as you write them.
5. Review your business books at least once a month.
6. Periodically verify that taxes and bills are being paid if you are outsourcing the payments.
7. Work with a Quickbooks Pro that knows how to get the most out of the business accounting software.

If you’re a small business owner there is a good chance you clump all your financial activities together.  This can make the whole financial process very intimidating because you are combining sales tax, book keeping, unemployment, sales forecasting and many other activities together into one big mess of tasks.

The easy way to approach it is to break it into many smaller buckets of necessary tasks and outsource the parts that you do not want to do.

For example, you can use small business bookkeeping services like Dashboard Accounting to keep your books current, but that does not mean they need to process your payroll or do your year end taxes.  Many small business owners do not realize that they do not need to use the same person for all of these things.  In fact, it could be better to use multiple companies for different kinds of things as a way to have balance and checks in place to assure accuracy.

Plus, you never want your expensive CPA to be also updating your Quickbooks account weekly.  That is just going to be more expensive than needed.

An outsourced bookkeeper can help you protect your data.   Any business that has lost their accounting computer data has a higher chance of business failure.   By using Dashboard Accounting to outsource your bookkeeping, you can be confident your data is backed up and secure. 

There are many different backup methods available.  When choosing the right option, consider these questions:

• Will the data be available when you have a hard disk failure
• Will the data be available in a disaster, such as a flood
• How long will it take to have your data restored
• Is your data secure
• How often is your data backed up

You may need a combination of backups to solve your needs and protect your data.   

Outsourcing bookkeeping to a company is a huge value.   We take away the complexity of determining if your data is safe and secure.   A professional bookkeeping company like Dashboard Accounting does nothing but maintain great people and systems in the United States that do bookkeeping for companies in Cleveland, Akron or anywhere.  There is a good chance Dashboard Accounting can lower your costs, improve your bookkeeping and eliminate the bookkeeper churn headache.

You might wonder how popular outsourced bookkeeping services are.

Among business owners that value their time and efficiency, outsourced bookkeeping is very popular.  Having a team to back you up is something that will help any business succeed.

One way you can tell it is popular is by the number of referrals an outsourced bookkeeper gets.  You only give referrals after you start to trust someone and really depend on them.  Once an outsourced bookkeeping firm starts getting a steady steam of referrals you can be sure they are doing something right.

It is easy to refer out a good outsourced bookkeeping firm because people always have trouble keeping their books up to date, working with Quickbooks and paying taxes and payroll.  These are all things your book keeper can take off your hands so you can get more done.

If you are considering hiring an outsourced bookkeeping company, be sure to ask them for referrals and make sure to call them.

A small business accountant can assist you with obtaining money for your business.

One key to successful business start-up and expansion is your ability to obtain and secure appropriate financing.   Raising capital is one of the most basic of all business activities.  Raising capital may not be easy; in fact, it can be a complex and frustrating process.

However, if you are informed and have planned effectively, raising money for your business will not be a painful experience. Professional guidance should be considered in this quest, especially as to the financial information for the loan proposal.

This Financial Guide focuses on ways a small business can raise money and explains how to prepare a loan proposal.

Finding Sources Of Money

There are several sources to consider when looking for financing. It is important to explore all of your options before making a decision. These include:

• Personal Savings. The primary source of capital for most new businesses comes from savings and other forms of personal resources. While credit cards are often used to finance business needs, there may be better options available, even for very small loans.
• Friends And Relatives. Many entrepreneurs look to private sources such as friends and family when starting out in a business venture. Often, money is loaned interest free or at a low interest rate, which can be beneficial when getting started.
• Banks And Credit Unions. The most common source of funding, banks and credit unions, will provide a loan if you can show that your business proposal is sound.
• Venture Capital Firms. These firms help expanding companies grow in exchange for equity or partial ownership.

For additional information, see the Dashboard Accounting website.   Dashboard Accounting can assist your company with bookkeeping in Akron and Clevelan.   We can be the accountant for your small business, handling your bookkeeping and payroll.

Doing payroll can be a very difficult chore for small businesses.  It is not that the tasks are difficult.  However, if a business owner is busy generating sales, doing work, hiring, training and running everything it can be hard to make sure you get all the documents filed and keep everything up to date.  That is why you should use small business payroll services from a good virtual bookkeeping company.

The fact is, missing filling a payroll report or tax payment will not suddenly cause people to show up at your door demand money the next week.  That would almost be better.  What actually happens is month, maybe  years go by until finally you start receiving letters.  By that time, you have probably forgotten the issue and may have trouble finding the needed documents.

Not caring for your payroll taxes in a professional way can lead to many future problems and put your future company in serious peril.  This is just something that is better to do right the first time.  Future you will thank you.