Because cash flow is the blood that keeps your business alive, your outsource bookkeeper is like the nurse that keeps tabs the pulse of your small business. And if your bottom line is hemorrhaging, outsource CPA services — like those at Dashboard Accounting — can show you what to do, and where to apply the pressure so your business can heal, recover and thrive.

Having adequate cash flow is essential to keep your business running. If you run out of available cash, you run the risk of not being able to meet your current obligations such as your payroll, accounts payable and loan payments.

Quick book accounting is helpful, but often quick book pro is not enough. You need a professional outsource CPA. The right small business accountant can give you the data and statistics you need to prepare for what’s ahead. With 24/7 reporting — showing you exactly where your money is, how your cash flow is, and how you business is doing — you can make small business decisions with confidence.

Sometimes it’s the small decisions that can knock your business off course… the smaller invoices that actually add up to disaster. For instance, expenses below $100 may slip under your radar as seemingly insignificant. But just a handful of those “minor” expenses that slip past you each month can add up to thousands of dollars over time. Unless your small business bookkeeping services has constant reporting and updates, you put your business at risk.

The starting point for avoiding a cash crisis is allowing Dashboard Accounting to develop a cash flow projection for you. As your outsource CPA, they can help you develop both short-term (weekly, monthly) cash flow projections to help you manage daily cash, and long-term (annual, 3-5 year) cash flow projections to help you develop the necessary capital strategy to meet your business needs.

You also can have reporting on historical cash flow statements, to help you gain an understanding about where all the money went so you can make positive adjustments to do better as you move forward.

You’ve heard the gurus say its better to work ON your business rather than IN your business. Today, the right accounting resources help make that actually possible. Getting the complete financial picture – when you need it – keeps you efficient and productive as you navigate your road to success.

Financial success often comes at a price — and all that money you earn for your hard work is then taxed by the government. Small business accountant services from an outsource CPA can help your small business accounting to ensure you’re prepared for the changes ahead — especially when it comes to preparing and paying your taxes.

Everyone has to pay taxes — you can’t avoid it — but you CAN avoid paying too much.

As your income grows, and as you reap more rewards as a small-business owner, it helps to be aware of your personal bottom line — before your next bonus goes to the IRS instead of to your wallet.

You deserve to keep what you earn — or as much of it as possible!

Dashboard Accounting small business accountant services can help. As your small business accountant and outsourced book keeping services, we can also advise you, personally, on strategies to minimize your income tax implications. It’s the bookkeeping help that can actually save you money.

Something as simple as knowing your personal income tax rate can help you calculate your 2009 tax liability for unexpected income, retirement planning or investment income. We offer tools to help guide you as you estimate your average tax rate, your current tax bracket, and your marginal tax rate for the 2009 tax year — depending on your filing status (married, single, etc.)

For instance, if you’re married, and you’re planning on paying yourself $137,500 for 2009… well, you may want to consider a pay cut!  Earning anything over $137,050 moves you into a higher tax bracket — from 28% to 33% — which means you’ll hand over a whopping 5% more in taxes than had you stayed a slightly lower pay. 

Of course, many small business owners don’t realize this until it’s too late. The right accounting service — one that includes personal evaluation and advisory services as part of the package — can help you make the necessary adjustments to prepare for such situations. It’s like having a CFO without the added expense.

Analyzing “how much should a small business owner should pay themselves” is one example of how having the right outsource CPA and small business bookkeeping service can sometimes mean thousands in savings each year.

You can find out more, and check out our Marginal Tax Rate calculator at “Resources” at the Dashboard Accounting website, http://www.dashboardaccounting.com.

Dashboard Accounting’s reputation for providing quality, personalized financial guidance to small businesses is reflected in over 20 years of experience.  Dashboard Accounting is experienced in all matters of accounting, bookkeeping, controller, and financial reporting.  We utilize professional bookkeeping help and accountants to manage our clients’ bookkeeping and accounting with Quick Book accounting software.  By utilizing Real Time Book keeping service our team is able to organize and streamline the financial administration of small business owners. 

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.

You may not understand everything about small business bookkeeping and accounting, but you probably do know it takes both time and commitment to do a good job. 

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.

A Business Owner utilizing a traditional bookkeeping accountant, in which they send all their financial information to bookkeeping firms at the end of the month, may wait weeks before receiving the results of the financial reports.  Months could pass before the Business Owner realizes potential problems, and the losses could be huge!

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.

Spend a little time to become a Quick Book Pro.   The possibilities are endless.   In fact, Dashboard Accounting has put together a five part series to give you some “bookkeeping help”

 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.