Basics of Small Business Accounting

Saturday, July 14, 2012
Accounting is a key function of any business-big or small. Good accounting practices are necessary to maintain an accurate set of books which in turn are necessary for taking business decisions, raising capital or bank loans and of-course for knowing how much money your business is making. Many small business owners ignore the fact and consider it boring and unimportant as accounting is a monotonous task, and anyone can get bored very easily while maintaining the day-to-day accounting and financial transactions. They would rather focus on things they think are more critical to their business, such as marketing/sales. While marketing/sales may be the most critical activity for any business the finance or accounting department cannot be ignored. For a small business to succeed accounting is as important. Without accounting, your small business might not reach its full potential. Importance of Accounting for a Small Business Decision Making Accounting is a way for you to keep records on your business performance. A business owner should be able to see how the business is performing over the years. Accounting helps in making better business decisions and is useful in the growth of a business.

Obtain Funds/Loans A detailed and correct set of accounts are important when a business is seeking outside financing. A financial institution would be reluctant to assign a loan unless the financial state of affairs of a business is presented in an acceptable manner. Taxes With good records, preparing an accurate tax return will be easier and filing will more likely be done on time. Poor recordkeeping may result in underpayment or overpayment of your taxes. Small business accounting is no rocket science and accounts can me maintained in a simple and proper way. Small business accounting software’s such as QuickBooks and Peachtree are available in the market which could reduce the efforts in maintaining the accounts of a business. Any person with basic knowledge of accounting and work on these software’s. Small Business Accounting Outsourcing In a small business it is often seen that due to high overheads small businesses are not able to or rather cannot afford a qualified and experienced accountant to manage the day to day accounting activities of the business. Hence the owner either ignores the accounting aspect of the business or does it himself. Both the cases can be harmful in the near future. Ignoring the accounting activities can create problems in the future and if the business owner does it himself then his time is divided between daily routine aspect of the business and thereby giving little time to more important aspects of the business, i.e. marketing/sales.

Accounting outsourcing can be the answer to these problems. Many small businesses in developing countries such as USA, Canada are considering accounting outsourcing. Advantages of Accounting Outsourcing - Cost minimizing, usually saving of 50% as compared with an in-house accountant - Up to date books, have access to up to date books at any given period of time - Fast and accurate - Concentrate on other important aspects of the business Outsourcing Accounting sets every small business owner free from all accounting hassles so that they may better concentrate on the growth of their organization. If you own a small business and are worried about proper maintenance of accounting transactions, then you must try out these accounting outsourcing service providers, as it will perfectly manage your financial activities without increasing company expenses and responsibilities. Online bookkeeping and Bookkeeping Outsourcing have vital effect in today's world. Businesses of any sizes can benefit from this combination. Outsourcing bookkeeping through the web based platform is a great offer in today's era.