9 BIG Bookkeeping Mistakes Made By Startups

Small business owners have fewer resources at their disposal than large corporations. This frequently results in the manager wearing multiple hats and having to deal with issues in the back office.

'Bookkeeping' is one of these tasks.

Bookkeeping is the daily recording of your company's financial transactions into organized accounts. It can also refer to the various recording techniques available to businesses. For several reasons, bookkeeping is an essential component of your accounting process. When transaction records are kept up to date, you can generate accurate financial reports that measure business performance. Detailed records will also come in handy if you are subjected to a tax audit.

Bookkeeping may appear to be a simple enough task at first glance, especially if you are familiar with the top bookkeeping practices. On the surface, managing the accounts yourself is also a good money-saving strategy.

But here's the sad truth: there's a lot of room for error. Furthermore, many small business owners are prone to bookkeeping errors that jeopardize their success.

To avoid the headaches that come with poor bookkeeping, you must be aware of the pitfalls that can cripple your business. What exactly are they?

Let's find out in the following guide!

Many business owners, regardless of size, do not seek professional bookkeeping and accounting assistance. Instead, they do all of the work themselves or hire inexperienced workers to do it. When inexperienced people handle bookkeeping and accounting, you run the risk of messing up your financial records or missing tax deadlines. Despite this, some business owners consider hiring bookkeepers and accountants to be a waste of money rather than an investment. It also demonstrates how much they value their time. Managing your finances without the assistance of an experienced bookkeeper and a professional accountant can become tedious and time-consuming. Time is money, and business owners who know how to delegate tasks appropriately can free up time to focus on growing their businesses. Hiring an experienced bookkeeper and a professional accountant is the most practical solution. Accountants will help you with taxes and financial decisions, while bookkeepers will prepare your books and financial statements.

Whether you're self-employed or own a small business, you'll almost always have to wear several hats and do them well. You work hard for your money, and the last thing you want to do is split it between the taxman and your bookkeeper. Furthermore, if you outsource your business bookkeeping, someone else will manage all of your critical accounts and financial reports.

Outsourcing may appear to be cost-effective, but it can harm both your business and your wallet. Bookkeeping is simple to learn, especially if you have an easy-to-use app.

Your goal is to expand your business, and as it grows more extensive and more complex, so does bookkeeping.

A bookkeeper does not require a strong financial background or a degree. You can learn to be a bookkeeper from home and save money.

For businesses, improper or poor receipt and record keeping are common. It is easy to misplace receipts or forget about small, seemingly insignificant expenses. Maintaining accurate records and a proper filing system monthly can save you time and money on your income taxes. It can also provide the documentation required if you are audited by the IRS. In the event of an audit, keeping accurate records of income and expenses could save you thousands of dollars in taxes.

Accounting is one of the determinants of your small business's success. Whether it's a small payment or a large transaction from customers or clients, it's critical to ensure that every financial transaction is properly recorded and categorized in your accounts.

Regardless of how small your company is, taking the bookkeeping process seriously provides you with an accurate picture of its success and allows you to learn exactly how well (or poorly) you've performed over a given time.

The following small business bookkeeping error is related to the previous one. It can become a problem if you do not have a separate bank account for your personal and business finances. Using a single bank account can cause confusion between your personal and official business spending. If you are audited, the IRS may request a complete record of your purely business-related spending. It is best to keep separate bank accounts for personal and official business. At the end of each month, make sure to reconcile your bank statements and accounts. This will assist you in correctly identifying the source of your funds and will help you avoid potential auditing issues.

Bookkeepers work both manually and with a computerized system. Nonetheless, it is critical to keep a backup of your company's data at all times. It's a good idea to plan ahead of time in case an unforeseen issue causes you to lose your data. Having backups (both for your paper and digital files) is critical for your business to recover faster after a loss. Making these small business bookkeeping mistakes can harm the success of your operations. Avoid these common bookkeeping mistakes by learning from them. Choosing to go through the right process — no matter how tedious it is — will always yield positive results in the end. The best part is that you won't have to put yourself through unnecessary stress or waste resources because you did everything correctly the first time.

Regardless of the size of the organization, it is critical that business and personal expenses be recorded separately at all times. One of the first things that small business owners should do is open a business account and deposit all of their company's earnings into it.

The next step is to collaborate with an accountant to create an earnings management strategy that defines how cash is separated from the business to cover personal expenses. Your earnings management strategy will be guided by factors such as how much of your profits must be reinvested back into the organization, when payments for large business expenditures must be made, your seasonal cash flow requirements, and your long-term personal financial plan.

Your bookkeeper should always be aware of what is going on in your company. Your small business must keep complete records of its transactions, and it is even more critical that this information is communicated to the bookkeeper.

Small mistakes, such as purchasing products or services, particularly those with monthly recurring expenses, and failing to notify your bookkeeper, can lead to serious problems later on.

Aside from clear communication with your bookkeeper, keeping a paper record of all transactions (big or small) makes it easier to track all of your income and expenditure.

Keeping track of your accounts receivable is a chore. When you're counting on the money to come in and it doesn't, it can be stressful. After all, you are a company. You provide a service or product and expect to be compensated.

Establish payment terms so that your customers know when to pay and your request for payment does not appear unexpected. Keeping up with your books will help you streamline your invoicing so that you can get paid on time and pay your bills in the same manner. Simple.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to bookkeeping, small businesses must be extra cautious. This is because many businesses lose money as a result of these minor errors. Many of these can be avoided by hiring a professional to commit to regular bookkeeping.

Hiring a professional may appear to be an unnecessary expense. Nonetheless, a completed account will benefit you in the long run. Best wishes!