We are often contacted by businesses that are in need of a massive business bookkeeping clean up. Most prospects will tell us that their bookkeeping product is up to date and very clean. However, that is rarely the case. If you have found yourself in the middle of a bookkeeping nightmare take these four simple steps to clean up your mess.
1. Get serious about it
The first step is to identify that you have a business bookkeeping mess and that you are willing to do whatever it takes to get things cleaned up and caught up. Nothing is more frustrating than working with someone that clearly is not serious about getting the job done.
2. Hire a professional
It is important to work with a bookkeeper or bookkeeping service that actually knows what they are doing. If you are using QuickBooks you might consider hiring a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor. Also, check to see if you can find a Certified Bookkeeper to work with. Lastly, it is always a good idea to tap your business network to see who your colleagues use for their bookkeeping needs.
3. Follow Your Bookkeeper's instructions
When you bookkeeper asks for something you should provide it. It is really frustrating to continually ask for the same information. Having your statements available online is probably the best thing you can do. Make sure you have access to ALL your statements including bank accounts, credit cards, lines of credit and payroll reports.
4. Stay on top of it
Once you have found an individual or business bookkeeping service to clean up your mess it is important to stay on top of your bookkeeping. You don't want to spend all your efforts on cleaning up your bookkeeping system if you don't intend to maintain your bookkeeping on an ongoing basis.