Launching your own business isn’t easy. Nor the small business accounting! After all, you have to think about your customers, whether they are paying on time and even if you are providing them with the best service.
On top of all this, you have to document any payments that you have and also find out if people are paying on time. Things can quickly get out of hand, so it helps to have everything organized so you can run your business efficiently while also getting the best result out of your company
Small Business Accounting – Bank Account
When your business is registered, the first thing that you need to do is open up a business bank account.
This is where you are going to be stashing your business income. If you have a separate bank account then this will help you to keep your records in one place and it will also help to keep things much easier when the time does come for you to pay your tax.
If you are opening up a corporation or even a partnership then you will be legally required to open up a bank account that is specifically designed for your business.
It helps to have a savings account as well.
When you do have a savings account, it is very easy for you to put money away and it also helps to have a business credit card as well.
When you have a business credit card you can then start to build up credit as time goes on and this is very helpful if you don’t have a business credit rating at all.
Small Business Accounting – Your Expenses
In order to make the most out of your business, you need to track your expenses.
This includes the wage for the contractors or staff that work for you. This is a very crucial step when it comes to the growth of your business, so make sure that you build up your financial statements and keep a long record of any expenses that are tax deductible as well.
It’s also a good idea for you to prepare your tax returns and to also have some support options in places such as an accountant or even a financial advisor.
If you are struggling to manage your expenses then make sure that you have a box full of your receipts or for anything that you have purchased online. This will help you to really understand where your money is going.
Small Business Accounting – Bookkeeping
Accounting is a very high-level process and it involves the accountant making sense of all the data that has been compiled by the bookkeeper.
A financial statement will also be built, and there are a couple of ways that you can do this.
The first way would be for you to go down the DIY route and use a software to create your books for you. Another way would be for you to hire an accountant to take care of it all.
Small Business Accounting – Invoicing
When you do start your own business, you will need to send invoice finance bills to your clients.
The problem with this is that in some instances you may not get paid when you want and this can make the whole thing very difficult. If your clients get behind on payments then you will get behind on payments as well, and it is not a good idea for you to get involved with that.
To avoid all of this, all you need to do is invest in a quality invoicing software so that you can send invoices, get paid and more without having to worry about deadlines passing.
Getting paid a portion upfront is always a great idea as well.
Small Business Accounting – Payroll
If you are a new store owner or if you own a business then there is a high chance that you will start out as a one-person show. You may also want to hire a part-time employee to help you out.
In some instances, freelancers can also benefit you as well.
Right away, it’s a good idea for you to find out whether or not an individual is an employee or whether they are an independent contractor.
If you have an employee then you will need to setup your own payroll system. There are a ton of services out there that can help you with this.
If you have an independent contractor then it helps to know how much you are paying every single person who works for you.
You may also want to know important information such as their name, their address and so much more, just in case you need to file something on their behalf or even if you need to document the fact that they do work for you.