What Can A Bookkeeper Do For You?
You’ve finally taken that leap of faith – you’re starting your own business. You are the boss now, pursuing work you love with passion. There’s no denying, it’s a dream come true. You thrive on coming through with excellence for your clients because you love your work. That’s why your customers come to you for what they need – you go the extra mile for them.
But does going that extra mile leave you time at week’s end to balance your books? Fill out your tax remittances? Plan for your business’s future? Oh how you wish it did, but often it does not. With the dream comes the rude awakening: there’s a lot more to running your business than just, well, your business.
That’s when it’s time to turn to another professional, someone with the same passion for excellence that you have: it’s time to hire a bookkeeper. But why would I pay someone my hard-earned money to do something I could do myself? What does a bookkeeper have that I don’t?
Skill:
Let’s be frank. Some people are just better than other people at working with numbers, and many of those people have sought long and specialized training in that field. If meticulous ledger-keeping is not your strength, forcing yourself to do it is liable to cause you unneeded stress that could adversely affect the quality of your primary work.
Time:
By the time you’ve finished the work you’re hired to do, how much time do you have left to sit down and do your books? How many hours do you want to spend chasing down those overdue invoices? Even if you’re able to keep your own books, are you then missing out on soccer games, school plays, family gatherings, or quality time with friends? Is it worth missing these precious times when a hiring bookkeeper could free you to make memories and build relationships?
Knowledge:
A bookkeeper must stay abreast of the latest procedures for collecting GST, for workers’ compensation claims, pension forms and all those other time-consuming government documents. Your bookkeeper already knows how to administer payroll and invoicing in the way that serves your business best.
Experience:
An experienced bookkeeper works for many clients and has a history of dealing with whatever needs their client has. Faced with an uncertain or delicate situation? Chances are your bookkeeper has “been there, done that”, and will immediately know a way forward that will give you peace of mind.
Perspective:
Your business is the focus of your days and your view of the world, as it needs to be. A good bookkeeper, however, offers you a detached, impartial set of eyes through which to view your business’s needs and challenges. When work has your head spinning, your bookkeeper can be a steady voice in the whirlwind. They can remind you about the big picture and the long haul, and give you the right advice to weather the storm.
If you’re still not convinced, try this: close your eyes and imagine your typical week. Now imagine your typical week when a tax deadline looms. Or when that special customer is three weeks late paying an invoice again. Or when that client relationship you’ve been cultivating for months finally results in an offer of work – but your schedule is too jam-packed right now to take it on. Now imagine these scenarios again, but this time put a bookkeeper into the mix. Imagine emailing your monthly financial data to your bookkeeper and… going to a movie? Imagine invoices going out and being paid with actual predictability. Imagine that new, exciting contract nestling neatly into your schedule and making you look forward to challenging, rewarding work every single day.
That’s the real dream come true. Looks like it’s time for you to hire a bookkeeper.