The relationship you have with your accountant shouldn't be one-sided. Yes, it's important for you to have collected all the necessary documents in a timely fashion so your accountant can prepare your taxes properly. In a previous blog, I identified the items you should collect and prepare. I also have a video with tips to help! But what about your accountant? What can you expect from their side of the relationship?
This week, another one of our clients fell victim to Social Engineering. An employee received an email to make a change in another employee’s payroll deposit bank account that went undetected for two months. The business owner had a clearly written policy to never accept written instructions for changes in bank account information. Yet the employee made the change. Our client spent hours filing claims, lost sleep from the horror and frustration of the situation, and spent thousands of dollars to make her employee whole. It’s time to educate yourself on Social Engineering so this doesn’t happen to you.
Regularly, we receive requests to have books “investor ready” and we can help you, too. What exactly does investor ready mean? When you're seeking investment in your company, you need to be prepared to answer any and all questions that potential investors might have. You are going to want to share your vision, mission, and strategic plan and you need to present a clean set of financial statements. Here are a few tips on getting your company and financials ready for investors.
It can be confusing for small business owners to determine what professional service is needed. Typically, more than one service is necessary. Below are the differences in professional services available for you to determine which ones are best for your business.
The last months of the year is a busy time for most businesses. Not just with the approaching holiday season, but preparing for year end as well. To help you get to the finish line, here are some things you can do now to make the end of the year easier.
Just as a personal budget can help ensure enough money is saved for retirement, a business budget can help ensure the company can succeed long into the future. Budgets also help start-ups step off on the right foot. Even without historical expenses data, taking the time to forecast income and expenses for the month, quarter and year(s) ahead will help keep your business lean, efficient and open for business.
We decided to analyze our client’s financial performance for the last two years. (There's no denying it -- we are a bit nerdy!) Not surprisingly, we found that most small businesses had a difficult 2020 year. We noticed a few things when reviewing the data, such as:
It's time to close the books on 2020, but before you close the year in QuickBooks, you need to ensure a few things are done.
We aren’t talking about peanut butter and chocolate (although that is good); we are talking about a part-time bookkeeper and a part-time CFO. That combination lets you do what you do best – create new products and services for your small business.
Accountants love it when they get a clean set of books. The ultimate prize is when the Net Assets with Donor Restrictions account is up to date. A critical step in getting there is a good grant balance tracking system maintained throughout the year. Here are three ways we track restricted grant balances using QuickBooks Online:
