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Small Business Accounting Hidden Secrets Medium Matt Oliver
Introduction: Small business accounting hidden secrets medium matt oliver. You are not sure if your small business is profitable enough because you have never be worried about accounts?
No worry today we discuss book keeping for small business hidden secrets medium matt oliver in the details that helps you for understand the hidden secrets of accounting.
If you have an online store and you still keep a paper and pencil accounting, you should update an immediate. And it is that business accounting is one of the most important tasks of any online business, but it is difficult to carry it when you do not have a minimum financial base.
Therefore,in this post, we are going to give you some basic notions about basic accounting so that you can start a profitable business and be able to financially manage about basic accounting so that you can start a profitable business and be able to financially manage your dropshiping store in the most professional way possible.
What Is The Accounting Of A Company For?
No matter how many sales you generate in your online store, if you don’t keep track of your resale business, things may not go as well as you think.
You need to have a real picture at an economic level about the most important points of your business since sales or cash inflows are not valid indicators to know the real situation of a company.
That is why it is necessary that you keep the accounting of your company correctly.
Accounting Concepts For Small Business
Rational and logical accounting is necessary for all types of business. The first thing to get acquainted with is accounting basics and we share a few below.
Bookkeeping
It is the source of information for any type of financial statement. Books keep records of the financial activities of a company or an individual.
The goal of accounting is simply to record and summarize financial transactions in a usable form that provides financial information about a business or individual,” says medium Matt Oliver.
Most companies manage their accounting system through general ledgers or in a computerized way with accounting software, or in a hybrid way (physical books and software).
Balance sheet
“A balance sheet is simply a picture of a company at a specific point in time, usually at the end of the month or year. By analyzing and reviewing this financial statement, you can determine the “current financial health of a company,” says Matt Oliver.
The balance sheet shows your total assets: current assets, such as checking/savings accounts, and other current assets, including receivables. But it also shows all current liabilities, loans payable, etc. Equity includes retained earnings of capital and investments.
The categories and format of the Balance Sheet are based on and conform to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or GAAP. This is the standard to follow for the preparation of financial statements.
Capital
It is the money coming from the capital and from the investments that the entrepreneurs have contributed. It also refers to the excess of income over expenses that contribute to profit after owner withdrawals and deposits.
Bills
They are the operations that subtract money. Expenses include loans for your business, monthly expenses such as salary, electricity and water bill, rent and other expenses, and cash withdrawal.
Entry
Refers to the amount of increase in the owner’s equity as a result of sales and other business activities and operations.
Bills
It is the antonym of rent, that is, the amount of the decrease in the owner’s equity.
Choose accounting method
Before you file your first tax return, you need to choose the best method of accounting for your business.
cash accounting
It is a simple form of accounting that tracks income when it is received and expenses when it is paid.
accrual-based accounting
This method counts money when it is “earned”, rather than received (and the same with expenses). For example, if a customer signs a large contract, the method will count the money as earned, even if the customer hasn’t paid yet. It is a more complex method but it allows to give a long-term image of the company.
Something especially useful for SMEs when informing investors or making quick scaling decisions.
We recommend consulting with an accounting specialist to find out which method is best for your small business.
What records must you keep?
What are the financial records you need to monitor the development of your company? Everyone.
You must keep track of the documentation that shows the income, expenses, deductions, and credits shown on your tax returns. This documentation may include:
- Entry
- Bank statements and credit cards.
- beads
- canceled checks
- Bills
- Proof of payments
- Financial statements from the bank or your accountant
- Previous tax returns
- W2 and 1099 forms
- Any other documentary evidence that supports an item of income, deduction, or credit shown on your tax return
And not only these documents must be kept until they are delivered to the tax collector. You must keep most records for at least three years, although for some operations you may want to keep records for about five years.
Accounting Control Checklist
- The following is a recommended checklist for precious book maintenance.
- Weekly Accounting Tasks
- Enter all transactions into your accounting software or Excel spreadsheet.
- Categorize your transactions as they are classified differently on your tax return.
- File or scan receipts to keep everything in order.
Monthly Accounting Tasks
Reconcile your bank accounts to protect yourself from any income or expenses that get out of control.
- Prepare and send invoices (if applicable) in the shortest possible time.
- Pay suppliers and other bills to avoid paying interest at all costs.
- Review outstanding invoices to process accounts receivable and ensure cash flow.
- Check your financial situation. You should ask yourself things like “Do I have enough money to continue trading?” You need to check how much cash is in the bank and how much you expect to receive soon.
It is best to schedule a time dedicated to managing the finances of your business. Keeping good records also means your life will be easier when it comes to quarterly and annual income taxes for your business.
Hidden Accounting Secrets for Small Businesses
Keeping your accounts up to date takes organization and planning. These two fundamental pillars will facilitate your work and allow you to reduce costs, saving time and money.
In addition to taking this into account, understanding some aspects of basic accounting is essential to ensure the viability and smooth operation of your business.
Get rid of the paper
The Bench app automatically pulls data from my bank account, so my accountants can see what was going on without me having to download statements and send them. But one task was still time-consuming: scanning receipts.
Bench provides you with a team of bookkeepers who do all the accounting for you. They automatically import transactions, categorize them and prepare monthly financial statements for you. You can track your finances and communicate with your team through the Bench app and they even file your taxes for you at the end of the year.
Automate your business
In case you don’t know, you have to choose between the cash or accrual method of accounting. In cash, you only recognize revenue when you receive it, such as when you deposit the check into your account. On an accrual basis, you recognize revenue when it is earned, for example, after you complete a project and write an invoice. I was using the cash method of payment, which meant I needed to be chasing down late bills or payments. The process of finding the data was not only time-consuming, but also annoying as it could cause friction with customers.
conclusion
If you’re a small business owner or entrepreneur, you have three accounting options: software, a traditional accountant, and online accountants, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
- Accounting software costs $9-$70 per month, but it has a high time cost, little personal support, and is subject to potential errors.
- Traditional bookkeepers will charge you between $20 and $40 per hour and will protect you from mistakes. With any bookkeeper, you should be prepared to spend a couple of hours every month, in case they need more information before categorizing transactions, or if you need to hand over hard copies of transaction records. And if your bookkeeper is juggling a lot of clients, expect a lag in communication, especially during tax season.
- Online bookkeepers will set you back from $119 per month and you should expect to spend less than an hour per month sorting through transactions.
And last but not least, with a confident understanding of your books, you’ll be prepared to make sound financial decisions on behalf of your SME or small business.
On the other hand, if you don’t have time to learn and have other challenges to meet, you can outsource your bookkeeping to an outside professional.
However, it is important that you know the terminology and how operations work to at least estimate if your business is on the right track.