Good accounting and bookkeeping services can considerably increase the likelihood of business success.
The following two tables from The Small Business Book (Robert Hamilton and John English) make the point eloquently.
Survival Related To frequency of accounting Report
Frequency Survival Rate %
At Last month - 79
Quarterly - 71.5
Half-yearly - 49.9
Annually - 36.0
Survival in relation to accounting records
Accounting Records Survival Rate %
Excellent –good -- 63.0
Average -- 49.8
Inadequate -- 20.1
Poor – non existent -- 2.5
As one can see the difference between average and good accounting can make a 25% difference in business survival.
Until recently small businesses could not afford best accounting or bookkeeping services. Small companies had to rely on part-time bookkeeping services, with no guarantee that the person will be available when needed. Part-time bookkeeping or accounting service providers cannot provide the diversity of accounting and bookkeeping experience needed.
Even for larger companies, there is a shortage of accountants. The number of accounting graduates is down 25% and the number of CPA candidates is down 22%. Since the need for accounting expertise is going up and the supply is down, the salaries for US accountants are increasing faster than inflation.
Companies like General Electric pioneered outsourced accounting and bookkeeping services. Many large companies have followed suit. Typically they have created captive operations with at least 300+ employees.
There is now a new class of vendors (primarily from India) who provide outsourced accounting and bookkeeping services to clients who may need only a quarter-time accountant to clients needing three hundred accountants.
Outsourced accounting and bookkeeping service firms have several advantages:
1. They can train their staff consistently in accounting, bookkeeping, or tax return preparation.
2. They are much less vulnerable in case of employee absences, illnesses etc.
3. The outsourced accounting and bookkeeping service firms have to invest in quality control to retain clients.
4. For one price the customer receives a bundle of necessary skills, all the way from clerical level to controller level.
Outsourced accounting and bookkeeping service firms provide:
1. Flexibility in manpower requirement – one can buy only the required services from outsourced accounting and bookkeeping service firms.
2. The client is relieved of the need to hire, train, and manages staff.
3. The client is also relieved of rent, computers etc.
4. Considerable cost-savings. Outsourced accounting or bookkeeping services cost as little as 1/3rd. the cost of comparable US resources.
One of the arguments against using Outsourced accounting and bookkeeping services is security or loss of control of data. Outsourced accounting and bookkeeping services firms spend considerable time and energy to keep their data secure.
To summarize, use of outsourced accounting and bookkeeping services, can give the business owner a key tool that he can use to get timely, actionable information. It raises the probability of success at an affordable price.
Source By : Santi
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Increase your Business Success - Use Outsourced Accounting and Bookkeeping Services
Friday, July 31, 2009
Advantages of Off Supporting Bookkeeping and Statement
With fast Step in telecommunication, offshore
performing process outsourcing is proving to be a important way to more companies. Hiring a company that is settled in other state may seem minuscule odd, but it offers numerous advantages which the companies are intelligent to leverage.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Advantages of Having A Good Accountant
Good accountants are valuable assets to every business, whether it is a small business or a giant corporation. Contrary to popular belief, good accountants do more than just handle your payroll and your taxes. In many cases, a good accountant can be the difference between business success, and business failure.
One of the biggest advantages of having a good accountant is tax planning. This is more than just simple tax preparation. A good accountant will work with you throughout the year to offer advice that will allow you to operate your business in a manner that gives you the biggest tax advantages. This saves you money. Since your personal finances are greatly affected by your business income, another advantage of having a good accountant is that they will often give you personal financial advice throughout the year as well, and often help you with estate planning.
A good accountant is also acts as a business consultant. They will be able to assist you with various business problems, and have the ability to offer good solutions. A good accountant wants you and your business to succeed, as it is a reflection on them, as much as a reflection on you. Pricing and inventory issues, risk management, and even marketing are all areas that good accountants will be able to advise you in.
When your business faces problems, or has needs that are beyond the scope of the accountant, a good accountant usually has close connections to other professionals, such as bankers and lawyers, who can help you out. They often have connections to prospective customers, suppliers, and investors as well. Often, the accountant’s connections are just as important to you as the accountant is.
Just as professional accountants know other professionals who can help you, other professionals know good accountants. Begin your search by asking for referrals for accountants from your lawyer, banker, or other small business owners.
When you are searching for a good accountant for your business, find out how active the accountants are in the community. You should also look for a Certified Public Accountant. These accountants have passed extensive tests and met educational requirements in the areas of finance. They are also subject to periodic re-certification exams. CPA's often have higher fees than non-CPA's, but it is usually well worth the extra expense.
You will be spending quite a bit of time with your accountant during the life of your business, so make sure that you spend quite a bit of time talking with potential accountants before settling on one. Ask them how they will handle your taxes, what their fees are, what services they offer, what experience they have, and even who their other clients are. The accountant that you choose will have access to all of your financial information, and will be an integral part of your business. Make sure you choose the right accountant the first time.
Source By : http://www.globalbx.com/a_Advantages-Of-Having-A-Good-Accountant.asp
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Why Do We Need Accounting Services?
Off late, many firms have come up in India and in other part of the world to cater to accounting needs of businesses across the world.
What is there in accounting that attracts so many people to jump into the bandwagon? And why is accounting so important? Why do you need accounting services?
The answer to the importance of accounting to you depends on who you are.
Firstly, you could be an individual or an organization having economic transactions with an enterprise. For instance, you could be a supplier of goods or services on credit to the enterprise, a banker who has lent money to them, a customer who wants to buy goods or services from the enterprise, or a contractor who has agreed to build plants and buildings for the enterprise. Any of the above will be interested in knowing whether the enterprise is credit-worthy, and if so, to what extent. Put simply: before you enter into a business deal with these people, you would want to know if there is any chance of your losing your money from the deal because of their inability to pay you.
Secondly, you could be a regulatory agency of the government: the IRS, the SEC or any such agency. Then you would want to ensure that the enterprise
(a) Complies with the laws of the land relating to financial transactions, i.e., Pays the required amount of tax, pays the appropriate dividends out of its Profit, provides for depreciation and bad debts, etc.;
(b) Discloses its costs, sales, profits and capital to the general public;
(c) Provides data relating to its borrowings, so that future lenders know the Current level of its borrowings.
You could also be an Analyst for a fund that has put its money in the enterprise or a firm of stockbrokers. Your interest could then be to ensure that your clients' interests are safeguarded. You could even be a judge in a court, having to decide a dispute involving the enterprise. You could be a prospective shareholder or an analyst in a financial newspaper.
If you are any of the above, you will have many questions regarding the financial health of the enterprise that you would wish addressed.
Since the company has to answer so many questions from so many diverse parties, it makes a lot of sense to have one standardized form of collecting and displaying all this information. Any of these parties can pick up a published accounting statement of the enterprise and analyze it, by itself or in comparison with a previous statement of the enterprise, or in comparison with a similar statement of another enterprise in the same line of business, and arrive at its decision.
This makes the life of all these interested parties easy. But why should the enterprise be interested in this information?
Actually, the owners of the enterprise are probably far more interested in this information than outsiders. They would like to know
a) Whether the enterprise made any profit during the period, and if so, what are The dividends they are likely to declare;
b) Whether the financial condition is sound, and the future outlook for the Business is bright; and
c) Whether the operations are being carried out in an efficient manner, and if Productivity and cost levels are on par with industry standards.
The management of the company would like to have information relating to:
a) Setting targets for future periods,
b) Measuring the performance of various departments and business units,
c) Evaluating the performance against a target set previously, and
d) Highlighting areas for improvement and taking remedial action.
For these reasons, data is required about financial transactions of the enterprise. Without standard accounting methods, the task of gathering and analyzing this data is nearly impossible.
And it is for this purpose that experts all over the world try to sell their expertise and help enterprises in compiling standard books of accounts and then generating necessary reports for various parties interested in the enterprise.
Steve is a qualified accountant (Indian CPA) and co-founder of APT Services, the fastest growing outsourced accounting service provider in India. Steve has over 10 years of expertise in audits, accounting (both US & Indian GAAP), and payroll and tax preparation services. For details on services provided by APT Services, log onto http://www.aptservicesonline.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_S_Walker
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Accounting Service - Hire a Bookkeeping Firm to Crunch Your Numbers
countingAre you a whiz at figuring out finances? Most of us aren't, and that's why business owners need somebody else to do it for them. Bookkeeping services are a great way to do this. Let them take care of the numbers, so you can focus your efforts where they are best used and take care of your sales and profits.
Why You Should Consider Accounting Outsourcing
In the past, business owners had to hire and train accountants to work in-house. Even the smallest companies had to hire somebody to work the numbers. There is a new way to get the job done and cut costs. These days, more and more businesses are outsourcing accounting services.
There are lots of advantages to doing this. First, it saves you the cost of hiring an accountant. For a small business, this can be a big relief. For larger businesses, it can also save costs and keep your business running more smoothly.
Accounting and bookkeeping services are experts at what they do. This means that you don't have to deal with the headache of crunching numbers yourself. These companies have years of experience and lots of staff to help you with all of your accounting needs. Outsourcing your bookkeeping puts your finances in the hands of someone you can trust.
Finally, with improvements in technology, it is easier and more convenient than ever to outsource. These days we can communicate instantly with anybody in the world through e-mail and teleconferencing, and it's absolutely free. This ensures easy communication with your bookkeeping service. It has never been easier than it is today to communicate.
What Accounting Services Can Do For You
At the very least, professional services do your accounting work and keep your records. These services have skilled staff and the latest bookkeeping software to make sure the job gets done. Instead of one accountant or a small accounting department, you have an entire company whose only job is to keep records for clients.
Most companies offer other services as well. They may prepare tax documents, profit and loss income statements, quarterly reports and other options. When you are checking out accounting services, see what they have to offer. Most have a variety of package deals that you can choose from. You can customize their service for your particular business.
Since data protection and security is important, these companies specialize in keeping records safe. They have the best data protection software possible, and you can be sure your data is secure. When you are checking out bookkeeping services, see what kind of software they are using.
No matter how big or how small your business is, you always have bookkeeping needs. It saves you time, work and money to simply outsource your bookkeeping needs to a company that specializes in accounting. They will have experience, bookkeeping tools and expertise that will take the headache out of crunching numbers for you. With an accounting service, you can leave the number crunching to the folks who do it best, so you can concentrate on your business.
Louisiana accounting firm provides dependable, precise accounting services, with unbeatable convenience. They will pick up and deliver your bookkeeping to you every two weeks, on time and done right. For more information, visit http://www.asu-llc.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Stratton
Monday, May 18, 2009
How a Professional Book Keeping Service Saves Your Business Time & Money
If you do not have an in house accountant, most probably you need to outsource bookkeeping to a professional accounting firm. Book keeping is necessary in every business as it ensures that all transactions are accounted properly. At the end of your company financial year, you must submit your finance statements for tax purpose. Therefore, it is important for you to have a well-maintained book.
Before you hire any accounting firm, make sure that you conduct a thorough research first. Ask around for recommendation. A reference from your business associates, friends and family members is the best way to ensure that the firm is experienced and reputable.
A capable bookkeeping company can help the company to save money in the future. The book keepers are good at financial analysis and decision making. They will analyze the financial health of your company and make sound recommendations on the things that can be improved.
Also, by outsourcing bookkeeping to another company, it can free up your time. This will ensure that you have more time to focus on what you do best. You also do not need to hire a full-time accountant to do your accounts. This can help you cut down cost and invest the money into other areas of your business. With a reliable company, you do not need to worry about accounting and bookkeeping anymore.
When you are deciding on which accounting firm to hire, make sure that you shortlist a few companies and compare the quotes. Some companies charge a higher rate because of their reputation and area that they are based in. So, take your time to talk to a few companies and choose one that fits into your budget.
Some companies offer online accounting service too. You just need to submit all the necessary documents and they will do the legwork for you. Once everything is done, they will upload all the documents onto a secure site and you can view them online.
A good accounting firm can help your company save time and money. Get a company that can offer you the expertise and good customer service at a right cost. To look for a list of companies, you can either go to Google or check out your local directories like Yellow Pages. You should be able to find a list of candidates to shortlist.
It is important to keep track of your business transactions for tax purpose. Proper maintenance of books will save you a lot of trouble in the future.
For more information on bookkeeping service, visit the website below now:
Click Here --> Book keeping service at 361dc.
Feel free to publish this article on your website, or send it to your friends, as long as you keep the resource box and the content of the article intact.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cheow_Yu_Yuan
Book Keeping Tips for Small Businesses
It is important to maintain a clean accounting book of your business for tax purpose. This will save you a lot of hassles in the near future. Book keeping is the process of maintaining all the records and transactions of a business. Transactions that are tracked are revenue, expense, profits, net profits, dates of transactions and other details.
The reason why book keeping is important to small businesses is because it allows the owners to know exactly what is happening in their business. To make your business grows, you must know the numbers well. Details like revenue and expenses are important numbers that you cannot afford to miss out on.
If you are running a start-up, I will advise you to outsource book keeping to a professional accounting firm. As the number of transactions and details of your business are manageable, you do not need to hire a full-time book keeper. You can now easily find professional accounting firms that help you to maintain your book at an affordable rate.
To save hassles, it is advisable to maintain your book regularly. It should be done either weekly or bi-weekly. This is to ensure that all transactions are noted and enable you to know the current status of your business. Healthy cash flow is what makes a business flourish. You need to make sure that your business cash flow is always positive.
Professional book keepers will either use their own software or a spreadsheet to maintain your book. You must provide them with all the necessary documents such as receipts, invoices, payment vouchers, etc. All other documents that used to track the transactions of your business must be provided.
The price of a book keeping service usually depends on the amount of work that needs to be done. Depending on the size of your business and transaction volumes, book keepers will quote you a fair rate for the service.
If your business deals mostly with cash, it is extremely important that you get a book and record all the daily transactions. Cash is harder to track and therefore simple recording should be done daily.
Before you decide to hire a company, conduct a research on the Internet. Go to Google or Yellow Pages to look for a list of accounting firms. Shortlist a few and call them up. Tell them what you need and gather some quotes before hiring one.
Book keeping is necessary for tax purpose. Therefore, it is important for you to maintain it properly to save your company a lot of trouble.
For more information on bookkeeping service, visit the website below now:
Feel free to publish this article on your website, or send it to your friends, as long as you keep the resource box and the content of the article intact.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cheow_Yu_Yuan
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tips to Find a Good Accounting Bookkeeping System Service
Where should you start a search to get a good accounting book keeping system service located near your home? Finding an accounting book keeping may not be something you are excited about doing, but I have found that with the proper research it is not impossible. In fact, coming up with a local accounting book keeping system is just like finding any other service, and I have found that all it takes is a little bit of time and a couple of resources. Here are some tips you should remember as you seek out an accounting book keeping system service.
Once you know what you are seeking in an accounting book keeping system service, then you should start thinking about location. It is true that there are many accounting book keeping system services that are willing to come to you within a certain area, but you need to understand that it is more likely that you will be expected to make an appointment and go to them. With that in mind, limit your search to providers in your area and to which you would not object to traveling.
| If you would like to view more of my articles on book keeping services, please feel free to visit my accounting book keeping website! |
Friday, April 10, 2009
Financial Bookkeeping Services with Professional Bookkeeper
Bookkeeping services is an important process of any small business and other large size of outsourcing bookkeeping and accounting firm.
Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions. Transactions include sales, purchase, income and payments by an individual or organization. Bookkeeping is usually performed by a bookkeeper.
The accounting process is usually performed by an accountant. The accountant creates reports from the recorded financial transactions recorded by the bookkeeper. There are some common methods of bookkeeping such as the Single-entry bookkeeping system and the Double-entry bookkeeping system.
Accounting is the art of recording, summarizing, reporting, and analyzing financial transactions. An accounting system can be a simple, utilitarian check register, or, as with Microsoft Office Accounting, it can be a complete record of all the activities of a business, providing details of every aspect of the business, allowing the analysis of business trends, and providing insight into future prospects.
Bookkeeping titles vary based on the size of the business. The following list is just a sampling of titles held by bookkeepers:
• Accountants
• Auditing Clerks
• Financial Clerks
• Billing Clerks
• Cashiers
• Payroll Clerks
• Tellers
A Professional Bookkeeper, known as an accounting clerk or accounting technician, is a person who records the day-to-day financial transactions of an organization. A bookkeeper is usually responsible for writing up the "daybooks." The daybooks consist of purchase, sales, receipts and payments. The bookkeeper is responsible for ensuring all transactions are recorded in the correct daybook, suppliers ledger, customer ledger and general ledger. Financial Bookkeeping Services provide high skilled accountant with Professional Bookkeepers.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
How to Find Bookkeeping Clients
Running your own accounting and bookkeeping business is an exciting thought until you remember you need clients to make money. We show you where to find clients. It's much easier than you think. You will be offering a service that every business needs: bookkeeping and accounting services.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Bookkeeping and Accounting Basics
By Attorney Stephen Fishman
Learn the basics of accounting and bookkeeping for your small business.
Many new business owners are daunted by the mere idea of bookkeeping and accounting. But in reality, both are pretty simple. Keep in mind that bookkeeping and accounting share two basic goals:
- to keep track of your income and expenses, which improves your chances of making a profit, and
- To collect the financial information necessary for filing your various tax returns.
There is no requirement that your records be kept in any particular way. As long as your records accurately reflect your business's income and expenses, the IRS will find them acceptable. (There is a requirement, however, that some businesses use a certain method of crediting their accounts: the cash method or accrual method. For more information, see Cash vs. Accrual Accounting. )
Depending on the size of your business and amount of sales, you can create your own ledgers and reports, or rely on accounting software.
Three Steps to Keeping Your Books
The actual process of keeping your books is easy to understand when broken down into three steps.
- Keep receipts or other acceptable records of every payment to and every expenditure by your business.
- Summarize your income and expenditure records on some periodic basis (daily, weekly, or monthly).
- Use your summaries to create financial reports that will tell you specific information about your business, such as how much monthly profit you're making or how much your business is worth at a specific point in time.
Whether you do your accounting by hand on ledger sheets or use accounting software, these principles are exactly the same.