3 Tips for Finding a Reliable Bookkeeping Service

Once you’ve decided that your small business or nonprofit needs a bookkeeping service, you may be at a loss for where to start.

Choosing a bookkeeper is an important decision. The right bookkeeper can save you time and money, freeing you up to focus on your mission instead of getting lost in the nitty-gritty.

However, the wrong bookkeeper could create more financial headaches than you had before.

Don’t worry! Good Steward Financial Company can help guide you to the right choice.

We are a virtual bookkeeping service that helps small businesses and 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations thrive through our full-service bookkeeping and accounting, as well as QuickBooks bookkeeping services, cash flow management, and fractional CFO services.

Good Steward Financial knows the difference a good bookkeeper can make, and we want to share our 3 best tips for finding the right, reliable bookkeeping service for you.

#1: Decide What Kind of Bookkeeper You Would Like to Hire

Within the category of bookkeeping, you have a few different options. You can hire:

• A freelance bookkeeper
• A traditional bookkeeping firm
• A virtual bookkeeping services

Each option has its pros and cons. For example, a freelancer may have lower rates, but they are also one person. As such, they cannot be as available as a bookkeeping service with multiple employees.

If you are a very small business, such as a sole proprietorship, a freelance bookkeeper may be a good fit.

For businesses and nonprofits looking to grow, a bookkeeping company is usually a better choice.

Both traditional bookkeeping firms and virtual bookkeeping services will have a larger staff that can assist you with a variety of bookkeeping and accounting services.

A virtual bookkeeping service can be of particular value to small businesses and nonprofits because they are able to offer more flexibility.

Virtual bookkeeping services provide your organization with the exact services you need, and they don’t make you pay for extra things you may not need.

#2: Ask Whether Your Bookkeeper Has Relevant Experience

No matter what bookkeeper you choose, make sure that your bookkeeper has the experience, both in the bookkeeping industry and in the types of bookkeeping that you need.

Some bookkeeping firms hire bookkeepers fresh out of school because they are cheaper. However, those cost savings come at the expense of experience.

That’s not to say that a newly graduated bookkeeper can’t be effective, but to ensure peace of mind, don’t gamble. Look for a bookkeeper with 5+ years of industry experience or one hired by a firm with a proven track record.

As a small business or nonprofit, you may also want to consider whether a bookkeeping service has worked with organizations like yours before. A local coffee shop has different bookkeeping needs from a national chain.

What kind of services can your bookkeeper provide? Your business will need some (or all) of the following:

• Account reconciliation
• Payroll processing
• Cash flow management
• Financial report preparation.
• Annual audit assistance
• QuickBooks bookkeeping services

Determine what you need from a bookkeeping service, and make sure that your bookkeeper can perform those services.

#3: Reach Out to Your Community

You already ask friends and colleagues for their recommendations on TV shows and restaurants. Why not add bookkeeping services?

Reach out to other small businesses or nonprofit organizations in your community to see if they have any recommendations.

You can also use online communities to guide your decisions. Look up bookkeeping services in your area, and see if they have any reviews or case studies that can give you a sense of how they work.

Virtual Bookkeeping Services with Good Steward Financial Company

Once you have a bookkeeping service that you are interested in working with, contact them!

At Good Steward Financial Company, we are always happy to answer any questions you have about our full-service accounting and virtual bookkeeping services or any of the other services we provide.

From cash flow management to fractional CFO services, we leverage our expertise to make sure that your small business or nonprofit succeeds.

Give us a call today at 336-347-3851 to find out how Good Steward Financial can help you or use our easy, online form.