– BY MADDIE CRAIG | 2023
WHAT DON'T YOU WANT TO DO?
If you could wave a magic wand, what do you wish was taken care of for you?
This is the question you should ask yourself when you’ve decided it’s time to outsource some of your work. Which part of your business do you most wish you could hand off to someone else?
WHAT ABOUT THE BOTTOM LINE?
If your answer includes handling your business's day-to-day finances such as recording transactions, reconciling your bank accounts, paying invoices, completing payroll, etc…. You should probably look into hiring a bookkeeper!
The first step in this process is to determine whether you need a bookkeeper. While some people are looking for financial consulting or even tax advice, this doesn’t always equal needing a bookkeeper for your business. It’s good to narrow this down and know exactly what you’re looking for so you can avoid wasting the time of both you and your potential bookkeeper.
Next, you should figure out what your budget is for a bookkeeper. Knowing the answer to this will eliminate the decision fatigue in trying to decide if you can hire a specific candidate or not. They’re either in your budget or not. Simple and stress-free.
Then, you should interview your potential candidates. Not every bookkeeper will be a good fit for your needs or industry or will provide the level of detail you may be looking for. It's a great idea to have conversations with more than one option to get a feel for what you may need and get to know who you may be working with to see if they'll be a good fit.
And lastly, choose the best candidate for the job! This is the exciting part!
BOOKKEEPER CHECKLIST
Focus: How much focus do I give to my day-to-day business finances?
Needs Assessment: Do I have a cost in Time, Efficiency, and Expertise that I should be handing off to someone else?
Which Role Do I Actually Need? Bookkeeper vs. Financial Advisor (investing) or CPA? (Tax Advice)
Budget: What can I reasonably invest to save myself time, efficiency, and expertise? Who needs to sign off on the purchase of bookkeeping services? Which of my candidates are in my budget range?
Interview: You wouldn't hire someone to handle important company information without an interview to understand how they'd fit on your team – flow, accessibility, and communication are all important when picking your bookkeeper.
Choose: Make that final candidate choice based on your interviews, testimonials, case studies, and local reputation.
Deciding to outsource the financial responsibilities for your business by hiring a bookkeeper is just the first step forward in a long journey to your business's success so it's okay to take your time to evaluate what will be best for your needs.
