Managing your books is a cumbersome but critical task for any business. It is very time-consuming, frustrating, and could mean working late hours. However, it has to be done to know the worth of your business and to satisfy the government for taxes. You also need to do this on a regular basis to get an accurate idea of your financial health.

How do you make this a stress-free task work for you?

Some small and medium businesses either employ part-time bookkeepers or do the work themselves. No matter how it is done it is still a mundane task involving shuffling papers and working extra hours. Often there is a twinge of doubt that you are not doing something quite right or are missing important information.

Ask any entrepreneur why they went into business and you'll get a hundred different answers. Odds are that "do bookkeeping" was not on the list even though bookkeeping is the core of any successful business. It is the way to measure growth, keep cash flow positive and track expenses.

Bookkeeping is like learning to play a musical instrument. The secret is to learn the fundamentals and create a system that works for the company.

Here are a few tips that could prove helpful to make the right decision for bookkeeping and accounting needs:

Don't mix business and pleasure:

Get a business credit card to enable you to separate your business expenses from your personal. By this time you have already started your business checking account. So adding that business credit card will help you establish and build business credit and points. Co-mingling funds between personal and business is not a productive or efficient way of doing business and can prove to be a headache at tax time.

Keep it simple:

When creating your business in your accounting software don't create too many categories in the chart of accounts. For example, office supplies will be a sufficient category rather than separate categories for paper, letterhead, printer supplies, etc. This complicates profit and loss and adds time to the day-to-day activities when items are being expensed.

Automate your invoicing:

There are many online invoicing services that allow you to schedule invoices for clients who are charged on a regular basis. You will find that most accounting software has the ability to memorize invoices that reoccur monthly. The day of the reoccurrence can even be set such as the first of the month.

Use the right accounting software:

There are many accounting software packages out there that you can use to assist you with your accounting and bookkeeping needs. Of course, I highly recommend QuickBooks but there is also a wide variety of Open Source software which is free to download. Additionally there are a wide variety of free manuals and tutorials online.

Outsource to a virtual bookkeeper:

Outsourcing to a virtual bookkeeper saves time, money, worry, and headaches. Many business owners take two common approaches to tackling the issue of bookkeeping. They try to do it themselves - which is time consuming and can lead to costly mistakes. They pay large firms to do it - which is unnecessarily expensive. A professional bookkeeper has the skills and experience to do the job right. There are many advantages to outsourcing your books. Save money, save time, and the need for extra help. The biggest benefit is your bottom line.

• Books that are inaccurate do not reflect the true health of the business

• Being clueless at any level about where the money is going is not being in control of your business.

Business people need to focus on the business:

There are many aspects to running a business and the most important is earning money. Some things just have to be delegated in order to maximize time and productivity. Bookkeeping can be a painful and time consuming process and many business owners do not have the expertise or knowledge to get the job done right. Time spent on bookkeeping activities is time away from making money.

Fran McCully of Your Administrative Solutions specializes in bookkeeping/accounting, database and business-plan development, and human resources. Fran partners with small businesses, mirco companies, solo-preneurs and individuals. To receive your free report, "Know Your Cash Flow," and discover additional resources from Fran McCully, Financial Strategist and Bookkeeper, please visit http://www.YourAdministrativeSolutions.com

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A limited company considered as a form in incorporation that limits the liability amount undertaken by shareholders of the company. Such company commonly known as a limited liability company (LLC). A limited company formation separates the shareholders form the debts of the company. Hence, if the company suffer financial loses during normal business activities, the personal assets of shareholders cannot be used by creditors. Beacuse, a number of such companies passed down through generations, ownership transfer considered as an easy process in a limited company. Such a company provides protection to company members during business-related lawsuits by securing their personal assets. A limited company considered as the ideal form for a person who is forming the company for the first time as it protects financial welfare of the company members. Even, during bankruptcy the assets that can be seized also limited. Apart from providing security to personal assets, it offers a number of advantages in the form of tax benefits, opportunities for saving money, as well as, the benefits that the government offers. Such a company formation also requires less paper work along with requirements relating to holding formal meetings and keeping records as compared to other company forms.

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