How to Find a Good Bookkeeper for Your Small Business

Hiring a bookkeeper is one of the best decisions you will ever make for your small business. Besides the benefit of leaving you with valuable time to focus on other aspects of the business, instead of spending hours doing all the paperwork by yourself, hiring a good bookkeeper comes with additional financial advantages. A bookkeeper will help you keep updated financial books, track profit and growth, file business taxes and oversee other financial aspects of your business.

Bookkeeping is a crucial part of any business that you shouldn’t take with levity. That’s why finding the appropriate bookkeeper is essential for the growth of your business. However, most business owners struggle with how to hire a good bookkeeper. When you’re looking to hire a new bookkeeper, you must take the time to find the best fit for your business.

How to Find a Good Bookkeeper

1. Confirm their credibility

First, before hiring a bookkeeper, you need to ensure that they are good at what they do and have an outstanding reputation from their past or present clients. Asking your trusted family, friends, or other small-business owners for recommendations is an excellent way to gauge their credibility.

Perhaps you couldn’t get any worthy recommendations; you can still find a good bookkeeper online. If you’re hiring one you discovered online, checking out their client’s online reviews is essential. But you can’t entirely trust online reviews. Speak directly with their clients; this will give you a clear idea about their profile and work experience. Use this information to determine their trustworthiness.

2. Verify their bookkeeping experience

Secondly, it is critically important that the potential bookkeeping hire has verifiable bookkeeping experience in your particular industry or experience with an organization similar to yours. For instance, if they’ve only worked in the restaurant industry, they may not know how to keep the books of a construction company.

Ideally, hire someone who has experience in multiple industries. This way, not only will the bookkeeper understand the unique bookkeeping requirements of your industry, but they will also be able to provide great financial insights.

3. Ask for their qualifications

Again, make sure that your prospective bookkeeper is fully licensed and certified. A good bookkeeper should be well-trained and have a basic understanding of business accounting; hiring an untrained bookkeeper can be bad for your business. They are more likely to make mistakes that will cost you a lot of money.

4. Ensure they have experience with accounting software

A good bookkeeper should have proficient knowledge of modern accounting technologies. Accounting software like Microsoft Excel makes the bookkeeping process more efficient and helps minimize errors and prevent financial losses. Ensure that the prospective bookkeeper is well-trained and has experience using accounting systems and software. They should also be able to process online payments.

5. Choose one with diverse knowledge

Small Business Accountants Gold Coast – In addition to their bookkeeping knowledge and skills, hiring a candidate who knows different accounting aspects, such as reconciliation, accounts receivables, etc., can leverage your business in essential times.

Conclusively, a bad hire can hinder your business’ financial growth; that is why you must take your time to research prospective candidates. Hire someone who understands the financial structure of your business, someone who uses modern bookkeeping technologies to make bookkeeping more efficient and keep your data secure.