Saturday, June 29, 2013

Tips For Good Bookkeeping Seattle Business Owners Should Know

By Stacey Massey


While keeping the books can seem a tedious and thankless task to take on, it is nevertheless a necessary evil for business owners to undertake. To make it more palatable, there are some tips for effective bookkeeping Seattle business owners should know. These tips are outlined in the following paragraphs.

To begin with, understand that the basic adding and subtracting (the work of the bookkeeper) is not a real problem. The real problem is the fundamentals on which this work is based. If you clarify that from the beginning, then many other related issues will not emerge.

Bearing this in mind, make sure that your customers are not deluded regarding the charges your business incurs. Your fees, prices and various other costs must be presented plainly. This way, there will be fewer arguments about fees, prices and costs, and that will present fewer issues with your figures.

What also should be made clear is when payment is due from clients. Do not allow them to string you along: have them sign a contract agreeing payment on a specific date and hold them to that date. This prevents any aggravation with respect to late payment, and so keeps your figures in good order.

Total consistency is vital with regard to charges and with regard to dates. No one client should be treated any differently to any other. If you do provide different treatment, this will become common knowledge and will paint you as an unfair businessperson.

Your clients will develop a real cynicism regarding any duty to make payments on specific dates. If you allow preferential treatment for one customer, they will argue that they are entitled to the same. This will have a negative effect on the figures in your books, to say nothing of your customer service.

Another factor that will lead to poorly kept books is an inability to keep on top of your income and expenditures. You should not just be checking these monthly, and even weekly is insufficient. Rather, you should be in the habit of checking these on a daily basis to ensure that everything is going well.

If this all seems like a great deal of effort, or if you just do not have time to carry out that work, then employ a professional. A certified bookkeeper is able to do this work on your behalf. This provides you with extra time to take care of other elements of this business.

Additionally, a certified bookkeeper will be more aware of tax laws and financial constraints than you may be. In consequence, they should be more adroit at keeping your files in good order. And this is vital to guarantee that all your operations are on the level.

In summary, the tips for effective bookkeeping Seattle business owners should know are primarily a matter of good record keeping and good time management. Hiring someone to assist you in this endeavour may be necessary if your personal circumstances demand that you do so. In any event, take heed of the preceding paragraphs.




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