Good question! Not everyone does. If your business activity is pretty basic, your accountant can handle your bookkeeping when you submit your files at year-end.

However, if your business activity is anything but basic, but doesn’t warrant hiring an employee, then outsourcing your bookkeeping is probably your best bet. There’s more to bookkeeping than just data entry, although a lot of business owners are still tempted to handle the books themselves to save money. Unfortunately, this usually costs them more money in the long run since they aren’t qualified and will make mistakes that your accountant has to fix during year-end. Not to mention, the time you save by delegating the work!

Plus, what sounds more exciting to you: making sales calls and making money, or sorting through your pile of receipts?

Totally! If you have relatively simple books, it wouldn’t take an accountant long to organize things themselves. However, accountants charge a LOT more per hour, and they’re doing the work once per year. That means for one entire year, you don’t actually know if your company is making money or not. That is a ton of time, hard work and resources (possibly) gone to waste! Also, any issues that may arise through the year, like missing payments, duplicate charges, or missing paperwork, won’t get brought to your attention until several months later. It’s hard to remember that far back! Trust me.

We primarily use QuickBooks Online, as we are big fans of automation and cloud-based programs. We are also profficient with QuickBooks Desktop and Sage 50.

At this time, we do not provide support, or work with other bookkeeping programs. If you are already using another program, like FreshBooks, and you’d still like to work together, we can assist with moving your data to QuickBooks Online

The quick answer is no. As we offer on-going services to several clients, we prefer to work in a neutral environment with the ability to access all of our files and data quickly, in case one of our other clients calls with questions or an urgent request.

Honestly, we’re big fans! As a service-based business, we strive to provide the most time efficient services we can. This means utilizing automation software and features, which are more readily available in cloud based programs.

This also allows our clients to access their files and see what’s happening with their finances in real-time.

With that said, it’s important to note the potential cyber security risks! Avoid using the same password with online accounts, and thoroughly research the cloud-programs you’re interested in before creating an account with them.

Communication and team-work are going to be the driving force here! We’ll put together a list of items we need from you each month, depending on your specific situation. It’s your responsibility to send me these items in a timely manner.

If you’re a busy bee, let us know! There are always options to making this system more streamlined, and we’re willing to work with you to make this as easy as possible. After all, our job is to make your life easier by taking away the stress of your bookkeeping.

Although technology has made our lives easier in many ways, like the ability to work remotely, it can make us more vulnerable to cyber-security risks.

For sharing files, we like DropBox since it’s quite user friendly. Avoid sending sensitive information via email.

To reduce risks on our end, HBS devices and accounts are protected with Antivirus and Malware software, Two Factor Authentication, fingerprint locks, and complicated passwords. For physical documents, our filing cabinet is locked with a key, along with cameras and an alarm system on-site.

The engagement letter I have you sign when we start working together explains the terms and conditions of our services. It’s not a contract, and you’re welcome to cancel anytime.

We just ask for a heads up if you do decide to change bookkeepers. Preferably 30 days in advance, to give us time to wrap up any outstanding items and transfer your file.