FAQs
- What types of customers have you worked with?
We deal with alot of small businesses, start up businesses and real estate agents. Our experience is but not limited to the following industries: -Retail -Service -Childcare -Real Estate -Personal -Gyms -Technology -E-Commerce -Marketing - and more...
- What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
While Im a strong advocate of hiring virtual assistants, there are two things that no entrepreneur should ever fully delegate: marketing and bookkeeping. The marketing and the bookkeeping of your business can easily make or break you (just think new Coke and Enron). That said, if bookkeeping is not your forte, hire someone to do it you will save so much in frustration just be sure to keep your fingers in the books . If you choose to hire a bookkeeper, keep the following in mind: 1. Get QuickBooks. For ease of use, I highly recommend using QuickBooks and hiring a QuickBooks ProAdvisor. QuickBooks ProAdvisors have taken certification exams to insure that they know the system. I have used QuickBooks both for myself and my clients since 2006 and highly recommend it for its ease of use/understanding. The online version is great in that you can see the latest version of your books at any time and eliminate the annoyance of emailing files back and forth and wondering who has the latest version. 2. She or he must see both the forest AND the trees. You want your bookkeeper to be detail-oriented AND to see/understand the big picture. She needs to know what happens consistently every month and update your books without bothering you for items she should know about. 3. She or he should know your industry. You dont want to have to train your bookkeeper on your industry language, standard industry income or expense categories or other basics. The more up-to-speed she is, the faster she can hit the ground running and the sooner you will have good data. If she doesnt know your industry however, be sure to give her a rundown of lingo and how you refer to your customers/clients/tenants in order for you to get the most meaningful reports out of the gate. 4. She or he must provide timely reporting. In hiring your bookkeeper, insure that you put in a provision for when you want to see monthly financials. The date will depend on when your bank month ends give her a few days after that date to reconcile your accounts and produce reports. At a minimum, you want to see a profit & loss, balance sheet and cash flow statement. 5. She or he must know accounting terms and still speak English. Your bookkeeper needs to know the difference between assets, liabilities, income, expenses and equity and be able to provide your accountant with the necessary data upon request. At the same time however, if you are not numbers oriented, she also needs to be able to explain the financial statements to you in plain English. 6. She or he must be trustworthy. Hiring someone to keep track of your bookkeeping requires a level of trust between you both. You need to feel comfortable that she will keep track of your information and maintain your confidentiality. At the same time, if she pays your bills and has access to your bank accounts, you must also trust that she will not abuse that privilege. And make no mistake, it is a privilege to have someone (particularly in a virtual relationship) trust you with their finances, their checkbook and their business. Good business sense demands that you protect yourself just in case. I highly recommend that, in addition to a confidentiality agreement and great references with a written contract/engagement letter. 7. She or he must have great communication skills. If your bookkeeper will be communicating with your clients and vendors, she must represent your business as you would. Whether virtual or in-house, its critical that your bookkeeper be a positive force that further enhances relationships. The question of money can, at times, be a sensitive matter. You need someone who recognizes that and communicates appropriately.
- What questions should customers think through before talking to professionals about their project?
I wish that customers realized that not everyone is who they say they are, check their references, creditials and most of all check their knowledge. There are a lot of people out their claiming to know "QuickBooks" or certain financial software, accounting, bookkeeping and other items but merely have receptionist or light office work as their experience. Just like any other profession not all Bookkeepers or Accountants are the sameHiring the wrong person to handle your books can not only cost your almost double to correct the issues but could also cost you your company. Call many companies to get many different ideas of how they could assist you and do not be afraid to question them on their knowledge.