If you’re a Las Vegas business owner, you need a Las Vegas bookkeeper. It’s easy to fall into the trap of taking care of your bookkeeping yourself to save money, but a qualified professional handling your books can help put you toward financial success because it’s their job.

Handling all of this can also result in a lot of wasted time that you could spend doing what you love—running your business.

Vet Each Las Vegas Bookkeeper With These 10 Qualities in Mind

The Vegas valley contains a vast number of bookkeepers and accountants that have the chops to crunch your numbers and do your taxes, so how do you know which one to choose? Finding someone with the right certifications is easy, but you’ll be much better off with someone who has integrity and fits in with your company culture.

Check out these 10 qualities that would benefit your team and help your business.

1. Experience. The more experience a bookkeeper has, the more likely they’ll be able to handle whatever issues crop up over time within your business.
2. Knowledge. Ask these questions: Is the Las Vegas bookkeeper accredited? Are they familiar with a variety of bookkeeping systems? How and where were they educated?
3. Willingness to learn. Banking systems and technology often change. Bookkeepers should be willing to learn these new systems to better serve their clients.
4. Honesty. This person is going to have access to private information. Do they have a reputation for honesty? Request references from past clients. If a mistake is made, will they be up front with you?
5. Reporting transparency. Accuracy is one of the most important traits of any Las Vegas bookkeeper. According to a FoxBusiness.com article by Enrico Palmerino, when they are on top of their data entry that means you have accurate records “at your fingertips” and can act quickly if issues arise.
6. Excellent time management. You never know when you’re going to need financial records. Does your bookkeeper have everything current and ready?
7. Communication skills. A good bookkeeper communicates their knowledge clearly. They also practice good listening skills and will ask as many questions as possible to make sure you’re both on the same page.
8. Credit management. Many business owners use credit cards. A good accountant will help you come up with a credit management plan so you don’t end up accruing excess debts or fees.
9. Reputation. Ask around to find out what kind of reputation your prospect has. You can also check their grade on the Better Business Bureau website or check out review sites like Yelp.
10. Reliability. Is this person going to be there when you need them? Is your prospect willing to help you out if an emergency arises outside normal hours? Be sure to get clarification on whether there’s a fee for emergency calls.

We’re Here to Help with a Free Consultation

If you want to save time and money, hire a Las Vegas bookkeeper to help you take care of your business. Contact us here at LLB CPA and Associates. With our years of experience and caring staff determined to work hard for your business, you’ll be in great hands. We even offer free consultations, so when you’re ready to find a bookkeeper, give us a call.

As the saying goes, there’s no rest for the wicked. When it comes to start-ups and small business bookkeeping, entrepreneurial founders must be downright sinful, as balancing the books takes some getting to grips with and is a job that’s never quite over. For those of you who aren’t yet completely comfortable with how bookkeeping differs from accounting, suffice it to say that the former broadly involves a daily system of documenting and categorizing transactions, as well as reconciling bank statements.

Establishing a reliable bookkeeping regime doesn’t need to be cause for despair, however. You’ve got this far in launching your idea into a fully-fledged business, so bookkeeping should be a piece of cake in comparison. Or at least, it can be if you follow the steps set out below on how to make sure your bookkeeping is up to scratch, organized and – more importantly – error free.

Choose a bookkeeping method that best suits your needs.

Organization is the number one trait required of any decent bookkeeper, and this comes in the form of a sensible bookkeeping system. You have several options, ranging from simple do-it-yourself packages to more detailed and involved software that does much of the work for you. Possibilities include:

• Excel spreadsheets
• Cloud-based software, such as Wave or Kashoo
• Outsourcing the work remotely to an online provider, such as Bench Accounting
• Hiring a local certified public accountant firm to do your bookkeeping for you

Decide on an accounting method for tracking income and expenses.

Here your options are simpler and constitute either the cash or accrual method. The former credits and debits expenses and revenues at the time of receipt or payment, whereas the latter does this at the time of the transaction itself. In fact, since businesses must use the accrual method if annual revenues amount to at least USD$5 million, as a small business it’s likely you will be using the cash method.

Organize receipts and keep track of your expenses.

It’s all very well deciding on an accounting method as mentioned above, but however great the method you choose, it will be futile if you don’t effectively keep track of expenses via your chosen method! Doing this is vital if you intend to claim deductions for things like travel and overheads, which you should be doing in order to qualify for some of the unique tax breaks available to small businesses.

Many start-ups sensibly seek help when it comes to their bookkeeping needs, to get themselves on track and compliant from day one. If this appeals to you, Larry L. Bertsch, CPA & Associates works with many small business owners in Las Vegas and offers a complete spectrum of small business bookkeeping services. Call (702) 471-7223 today, and we’d be happy to talk you through your number crunching options!