Hiring A Bookkeeper
Bookkeeping is a part of operating a small business you simply can’t avoid. Not only is it necessary for you to see where your money is going and coming from, your federal government wants to make sure you don’t have anything up your sleeve. Between keeping a handle on your own revenue and making those in the capital city happy, you may wish to let someone else do the heavy lifting.
One thing to consider before hiring a professional bookkeeper is how much work you will need them to perform. If you are operate a rather small business, there is probably no need to keep a bookkeeper on the payroll full-time. Remember, full-time employees require vacation, medical insurance, workers compensation, and other benefits. If your business does not generate enough invoices, checks, and bills to keep track of every day all day, there really is no reason to pay someone that much of a salary. In fact, there is a strong possibility that you could not sustain it. Hiring a bookkeeping service on a temporary basis would work much better.
Also consider how much experience you have personally keeping books. If your business performs numbers small enough that you can handle things yourself, you might be able to get away with recording figures on your own. Don’t forget, though, that this takes away from time you could be spending contacting clients, marketing your business, and performing the actual job. If you are somewhere in the middle as far as experience and the amount of business your company generates, you may even be able to allow computer software to do the bookkeeping. Keep in mind that the software always changes, so time will be needed to learn new systems.
Once you have decided that you will hire someone to perform bookkeeping services, don’t just contract the first service you see. Look at how long they have been in business. The longer they have been around, the more experience they have and the more trusted they likely are. Also inquire at the Better Business Bureau or its equivalent about any complaints, if any, they have received about the company you are considering. Be sure to ask potential bookkeeping services if they will customize their work for you and if they offer temporary services if need be.
Simply hiring a bookkeeping service based on your needs is the way to go. Use common sense and hire a bookkeeping service that does what you need them to do. If they offer a service other than what you are looking for, keep shopping.
