Running a successful startup and turning it into a well-established business requires managing various departments, including processing, sales, administration, production, and much more. Often, accounting and bookkeeping are the minor priority areas for businesses and are neglected when there are insufficient resources, either funds or human professionals.
However, when the business starts to expand, business owners require accurate and error-free financial insights so they can make informed decisions. As companies grow and the number of employees increases or businesses onboard more customers, keeping track of business finance while ensuring that books are updated becomes more complex. In addition to this, the finance team may also get tired of staring at spreadsheets and learning accounting software. Businesses find themselves falling behind and losing track of receipts, and they are concerned that they'll overlook crucial deductions or pay late fees that are costly to them. This is when companies need to hire a professional bookkeeper and outsource bookkeeping operations.
Outsourcing Bookkeepers - A Brief Overview
Whether it's a startup or a small business, financial transactions need to be managed and tracked. Sales, costs, payroll payments, and cash flow are a lot to keep track of on top of running the business. Company owners are aware of the need to maintain accurate records, not just for meeting compliance or to safeguard their interest in the event of an audit but also if they intend to sell their company in the future.
To do so, bookkeepers are hired to keep records of sales, purchases, payments, and receipts. They input the data into accounting software and assist businesses in understanding their financial standing. Processing receipts, payments, and expenses are only a portion of the process. A qualified bookkeeper will interpret the data, spot trends, and explain how companies may use the processed data to scale their operations. They will give business owners a complete set of year-to-date accounting records, giving an overview of the company's financial situation and enabling authorities to make decisions quickly based on reliable information.
With precise bookkeeping, businesses can also access valuable data about a company's performance, like how profitable it is, whether marketing initiatives are working, and more.
Top 4 Benefits of Outsourcing a Bookkeeper
1) Lift Burden From In-house Financial Team
Good bookkeeping is the foundation of any business aiming to thrive in a fast-moving economy. A skilled bookkeeper performs several things, including ensuring corporate taxes are filed, invoices are generated, and employees are paid on time while ensuring that business financial records are up to date.
While businesses might believe that handling their books alone will save money and help them better understand the company's finances, that's not true in every case. Every minute in-house spent adding up the numbers is time they could be spending developing, running, or expanding the company’s operations. Hence, businesses lift the burden from their financial teams by hiring a professional bookkeeper to assist them.
2) Help Business Entities to Better Understand Financial Standings
Business owners may have operations, budgeting, and sales knowledge. They are probably not a skilled accountant. They may be aware of the price but often fail to realize that paying vendors a few days early can result in a 10% discount. A bookkeeper can assist in managing cash flow. Knowing how much money is in the business accounts no longer suffices as a business expands. Sooner or later, business owners will need to know how much money they need to bring in and spend. However, cash flow issues can result from keeping track of everything in the thoughts. A professional bookkeeper will manage business accounts, including payable and receivable, to keep cash flowing.
A dedicated bookkeeper will be able to identify abnormalities early because they are focused on the client’s books. In the long term, it will be more cost effective to deal with discrepancies immediately. A knowledgeable bookkeeper can help streamline processes such as establishing a calendar to track bill due dates or standardize documents' storage.
3) A Bookkeeper Will Help Businesses Stay Compliant
State, as well as federal rules, govern the business sector. To fulfil requirements, the corporate sector needs to prepare and file an array of Taxes including federal excise, payroll, and State income taxes. As the regulatory landscape is evolving and businesses are finding it hard to meet compliance, bookkeepers could save the day, as they are experts at planning, keeping records, and filing. In order to avoid penalties and reduce the stress of meeting deadlines, outsourced bookkeepers will make sure procedures are in place to ensure that corporate taxes are filed and paid on time.
Another thing a seasoned bookkeeper may help with is keeping track of operational, wholesaler, and on- or off-premise retail licenses. They can guarantee that business licenses are renewed before their expiration dates and can offer any required reports. An expert bookkeeper can handle this to ensure their clients don't miss a deadline if they have loan covenants to uphold or investor reporting to produce. Year-end tax season can also be less stressful if businesses have a committed bookkeeper. An outsourced bookkeeper has maintained financial records, which makes giving tax experts access to business tax records simple.
4) A Bookkeeper Can Save Money
Along with the tax season compliance issue, a bookkeeper is probably less expensive than a tax expert. The amount of work an accountant has to perform to prepare a tax return is reduced if businesses have a bookkeeper on staff who timely documents all financial transactions. A competent, seasoned bookkeeper will have a general understanding of prices. They are knowledgeable about every business sector, familiarizing them with the costs of office supplies, phone service, and bank fees. This eliminates the risk of overpaying, thanks to the abundance of information available.
A bookkeeper will ensure that payments are made on time to creditors so they don't incur late penalties or interest. Additionally, bookkeepers are also experts in making business budgets. They can produce reports that contrast business budgets with actual spending and identify discrepancies. They can help create budgets for upcoming years. Even in the case of a startup, getting a bookkeeper on board early will spare owners from doing bookkeeping on their own. The moment has come for people who have already started their businesses to consider the advantages a bookkeeper may offer.