Tuesday 9 December 2008

Consider a Bookkeeper to reduce costs

By Richard Tang

As a business owner your main objective is to show positive cashflows and profits. Although, accounting is a necessary expense, it is crucial to a business' success in that a good piece of financial information will help you monitor and make informed decisions at the correct time in order to steer your business in the right direction. Therefore, always try to balance the accounting costs by getting an outsourced accountant to manage your accounting services.

Sometimes running a small business can become burdensome at times and this is why small business accounting services can lower costs and yet remain effective for the business owner. It also offers accounting software that eases the whole process of making records and tallying them over and over again.

Some business owner, being fairly entrepreneurial and pound foolish, try to take on the role of an accountant as well and try to do everything on their own. This will result in them not fully focusing their efforts on growing their own business. It is something I will not encouraged at all.

All small business accounting firms have qualified accountants working for them. As the business owner, your responsibility is to identify an accountant you can communicate and have a sense of 'partnership' with. Your sixth sense will be able to tell you all these.

Do not try to test your luck with the authorities. Always make sure your books are kept properly and up to date. In Singapore, there are annual returns to be filed with the tax and company authorities. Therefore, it is always imperative to have your books kept in a timely manner.

One of the key purposes of keeping accounting records is to ensure that you are prepared to provide the information to the tax authorities. Besides this, the information will also come in useful when you assess and monitor your own business' performance.

I would recommend going for a smaller accounting practice who has good and qualifed CPAs. There are small firms who are manned by very strong CPAs who have struck out on their own after many years working for big firm and corporations. These are the best fore you and your business.

Where to locate such small and yet effective accounting firms? Do ask around your business associates or trawl the internet and call around as well. There are nuggets of good and qualified CPAs out there. Go for someone you can relate to, it is an important element in a business relationship.

About the Author:
I run a medical practice which has enjoyed the benefits of outsourcing the accounting function to a qualified bookkeeper who is a ceritfied public accountant. I just wish to share the possibility of reducing your business costs if you were to consider outsourcing. Find out more about outsourcing your accounting functions. Start saving now! Visit Accounting and Bookkeeping Services Singapore by qualified CPAs