If your business is growing, you can only get away with Do-It-Yourself bookkeeping for so long.
Maybe you have a really great spreadsheet template you found online. Maybe you even shelled out for some accounting software. But as your business expands and your financials get more complex—you’re going to get up one day, look at yourself in the mirror, and say, “I need to hire a bookkeeper.”
While there’s no hard-and-fast rule to when you should bring on hired bookkeeping help, there are some common, telltale signs that entrepreneurs experience just before they reach the tipping point.
If you’re suffering from any of the following symptoms, it’s probably time to hire a bookkeeper.
DIY bookkeeping takes up more time than you can afford
According to a Gallup poll, 39% of small business owners work more than 60 hours a week.
Don’t take your own time for granted. Not only does overworking lead to burnout, but every minute you spend on a task has a dollar equivalent.
First, start tracking how much time you spend per week on bookkeeping. Then, using an online calculator, determine how much your time is worth, and figure out how many “dollars” you spend on bookkeeping per month.
Compare your “salary” as your own bookkeeper against the price of professional bookkeeping. Once you treat the time you spend bookkeeping as an actual expense in cash, you’ll have a better idea of whether you should keep doing it.
Your books are never up to date
When you fall behind on bookkeeping, your books stop reflecting the actual state of your finances. That makes it harder (sometimes impossible) to understand cash flow and accurately gauge the health of your business.
For instance, if your Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) hasn’t been updated in six months, you can’t subtract if from your revenue in order to determine how much profit you’ve earned in that time.
Which means you’re blind to how much money you’re actually making—and the steps you can take to increase your income.
What’s more, if your books aren’t up to date, you’ll have a ton of catch up bookkeeping to do during tax season, making a typically stressful time of year even more difficult.
With a qualified bookkeeping solution, you can expect to receive monthly financial statements, so you’ll know where your money is going to and coming from.
Source Bench.co