This is very important to your bottom line, because if you hire an outsourced bookkeeper or small business bookkeeping services you are going to want people that can get a fast start.  Most Accountants and Bookkeepers will happily learn new accounting software if they need to, but they are often going to have to take more time to get up to speed and they are probably not going to be as proficient on the software.

So if you are looking to get the best value, you are going to want to start with an accounting software solution that almost every accountant and bookkeeper knows already.  In fact, you should be able to find an affordable Quick Book Pro that can help you with your accounting, bookkeeping and even provide training to you if you are doing some of the work in house.

Small Businesses are just not going to benefit from getting locked into a less well known accounting software package, and the cost of chancing over in the future can be considerable.  So if you are just getting started, get Quickbooks for your small business and hire a Quick Books pro to help you set it up the right way to begin with.

If you don’t have a business plan (or if yours is not quite organized or polished), you can use QuickBooks’ tools to create or fine-tune one. Dashboard Accounting is QuickBooks Certified and can show you how to use this (and other tools) to get the job done quickly and easily.

To get started using quick book accounting software for your business plan: select Company > Planning & Budgeting > Use Business Plan Tool.

It’s easy. QuickBooks’ business plan tool allows you to use its lengthy “wizard” tool to walk you through each step of the process. This tool supplies information and asks questions about what’s needed on each screen. You fill in the answers (or select from options). The Business Plan Wizard works in the background to put your data in the correct place.

One of the first things the wizard will ask you is information about your company. If your business is brand new or has yet to establish a track record, you’ll have to give it your best estimate when it comes to sales (its best to be conservative).

Next step is income. Hopefully, you’ll already have data in Quick book accounting. If that’s the case, use the “Income Projection Wizard.” Otherwise, you’ll have to fill in the spread sheet manually.

Income is obviously among the most important aspects of your business data. Expect these numbers to be carefully scrutinized at some point (by your accountant, your bank, the IRS auditor, etc.), so be sure you have the facts and proof to back them up.   

After income comes “expenses.” Here, you can use the wizard or input data by hand. You’ll need to gather some specific details for this section, such as: beginning account balances; assets you own or need to purchase; cash available to invest, and amortization and depreciation… plus numbers on inventory, vendor financing, lines of credit, total credit limits, etc.

Once all of this information is loaded into your Business Plan program (within QuickBooks Pro), it’s time to write up the plan for your business. Using the three sections you’ve already completed, you now have a solid foundation to work with. You’ll also have examples of text-based sections to inspire you. These come in handy when it’s time to put your business approach and details into words.

By assembling your Business Plan step by step, you’ll get a stronger picture of where you are and where you’re going in the year ahead. Even if you never look at your business plan again… even if you don’t share it with another soul… the process of assembling the details and examining your numbers is highly valuable to most business owners.

For a vivid snapshot of your day-to-day financial data, to making sure your plans are on track, be sure to work with a professional outsourced book keeping service, such as Dashboard Accounting. They offer the accounting help you need to ensure your business goals stay on track, so your vision becomes your reality.

At Dashboard Accounting our mission is to…guide you, the small business owner, with professional outsource CPA analysis and forecasting of your critical financials…empower you for making sound business decisions…save you money with outsourced book keeping, tax, and controller services.

Dashboard Accounting may service anyone worldwide utilizing virtual bookkeeping.  You may access your data in REAL TIME with 24/7 REPORTING via your custom “Dashboard”, which clearly depicts your company’s performance on a one page report, utilizing easy to interpret graphs and charts.

Keeping track of your personal life – and your personal finances – can be a task in itself. You may find it easier to employ an outsource accountant to do the job for you, if that’s an option.

But when it comes to your business, getting the right accounting solution is huge! Making that decision – deciding what small business accountant to hire, who you can trust, who you can afford for accounting services – is crucial to your business.

The best small business accountant will partner with you, helping you navigate the details important to the success and growth of your company. Beyond what a simple software program (like quick book accounting software) can provide, the right accountant helps steer you toward your goals faster.

If you are a small business owner, you may simply need a outsourced book keeping service or bookkeeping help. These services help keep you up to date and organized; they can keep you posted on transactions that may not be known to you — or even clear to you — so you get an idea of what’s going on with your financials. Solid accounting keeps your business going forward. 

Figuring out payroll can be a headache unto itself. With so many different small business payroll services available, you need to have an idea of what you specifically need them to do for your business in order to find the right one.  It helps to find bookkeeping firms that treats your small business as well as it treats big companies. They should take the time to explain the accounting help they offer. Communication between both parties has to be open and trustworthy.  Professionalism is a must.

You’re already aware that the accounting of a business is a system of recording and summarizing financial transactions so the data can later be analyzed, or used to communicate with others. The accounting process packages financial information for a variety of individual or business purposes.

Small business and entrepreneurs just starting out should remember the Accounting Equation — The value of the things you own (called assets) is equal to the value of what you owe for the things (called liabilities), plus what you don’t owe for (called equity). Of course, transactions can get a lot more complicated… but these principles remain.

For a small business owner, however, financial matters need to be taken care of by a professional. Outsourcing accounting service may be the solution — and often the missing link — in an otherwise well-run business.

Basic knowledge of accounting and bookkeeping is something you need to have. But for today’s small business, small business bookkeeping services are a must for those passionate about success. Dashboard Accounting helps you drive your business forward.

Dashboard Accounting’s utilization of Real Time Virtual Bookkeeping provides Daily, Weekly, and Monthly financial reports that are available to view at anytime.  This means the Business Owner no longer has to wait until the end of the business cycle to analyze the company’s performance!

The timely financial reporting gained from Real Time Bookkeeping is an invaluable benefit from utilizing  Dashboard Accounting for your company’s accounting needs.  The Business Owner is empowered to make intelligent decisions and allows time for critical adjustments to prevent weeks of lost income.

Let Dashboard Accounting be your company’s small business accountant, and enjoy all the cost savings that outsourced book keeping provides.  Dashboard Accounting uses Quick Book accounting software and has Quick Book Pro advisors.  Dashboard Accounting is centrally located to easily accommodate bookkeeping Cleveland and bookkeeping Akron needs or may service anyone worldwide utilizing virtual bookkeeping.

 In Quick Book Pro Tips, Series 3 of 5,  learn how to customize your invoice.

Inside Quick Book accounting software, click the create invoices from the home page.  
 Select the Customize icon above the invoice. 

 Here you can:

• Add your company logo to the printed or e-mailed invoice and move it to a different spot on the invoice
• Add or change how your company name and contact information appear on the invoice
• Change the font that’s used for different fields
• Add or remove the status stamp (Paid, Pending, Received, etc.)

 To make additional changes, select the Layout designer at the bottom of the screen:

• Change the invoice title, including the font that’s used, and then move it to a different place on the form
• Rename the date, invoice number, bill to, and ship to fields
• Prevent $0.00 from printing on progress invoices
• Move your company logo to a different spot on the invoice
• Add or remove fields and columns on the invoice
• Print the customer balance on invoices
• Rename a field or column
• Change the order of the columns on the invoice
• Add special sections to the invoice, such as warranty information, legal disclaimers, notes to customers, or contractual details
• Add a remittance tear-off section or special instructions
• Add lines and borders around different fields on the invoice
• Align quantities on the printed invoice
• Add page numbers to the printed invoice
• Change the printer settings that are used when you print the invoice

Preview the form: The final step in customizing your form is seeing how the form looks onscreen and in print preview.

We have QuickBooks ProAdvisors on staff.  Contact Dashboard Accounting today, as your small business accountant, we can prepare customized forms for you and assist you with all other QuickBooks tasks.

Most small to medium-sized businesses utilize outsourced bookkeeping for several primary reasons:

1. You save time and money.
2. You can take advantage of tax savings.
3. You don’t have the hassles of hiring, training, and supervising a full time bookkeeping accountant.  Dashboard Accounting functions as your part time bookkeeping service.

See for yourself the benefits of an outsource CPA to perform as your book keeping service.  Contact Dashboard Accounting today to learn how we can perform your virtual bookkeeping and assist with your quick book accounting software.