Start 2012 off right in your small business

The arrival of the new year gives small business owners a chance to fix some of the problems that may have dogged them through 2011. Those whose accounting systems were haphazard, or who didn't have a clear policy about vacations and sick time should take advantage of the fresh start that 2012 offers.

If you're likely to show up at your accountant's office during tax season with a pile of disorganized receipts, invoices and ledgers for 2011, get yourself some accounting software designed for small business owners. And start using it right away. If you're not sure which one would be best for you, talk to your accountant or to another business owner whose line of work is similar to yours. Many small business owners have poorly kept or nonexistent books because they don't have time to keep track of what they spend and earn. Or they feel intimidated by accounting. The solution is to get some help. Your accountant or another owner can help you find a good bookkeeping service. Or hire an accounting student at a local college. Students are eager for the work. If you need help learning to use the program, visit www.score.org. SCORE is an organization that offers free counseling to small business owners. You can search for a counselor whose savvy about accounting software. Keeping good books is not just about being organized. It's also about knowing what's going on with your business. If you can't easily look at your receivables and your expenses and know what your cash flow is, then your company can run into financial trouble. Getting your books in shape for 2012 now won't take long. And don't wait till your accountant yells at you in March or April. By then the year will be a quarter or a third over and you'll have to backtrack to get yourself organized. It will be a waste of your time.

 

Great reminder! Accounting is one of those things that small businesses tend to push under the carpet until they're facing down a deadline. It's also one of the things that is easily outsourced for companies that don't have an employee with time to handle the books.

The first of the year is an excellent time to get your p's and q's in order so you're not playing catch up later on. Thanks for the information!

 

SCORE is a wonderful organization - I used them for an offline business in the 1990s and they really helped. The reminder about accounting is something I really need to take to heart. I'm one of those "shoebox" people and if I would get organized it would really save me time when it comes to taxes. Each year I say I'm going to change - hopefully this will be the year I actually do it!

Thanks for the reminder.

 

New year come with new strategy & new strength, So go for it & make new strategy for deal new opportunities.Success of a business is depend upon it's financial status.If the financial status of a business is good then the growth of the company is better.In a small scale company financial status play most important role.To mange your account you can hire a Bookkeeper.Now days a lot of organization that is offering Online Bookkeeping Services.

 

Everybody talks about having a New Year's Resolution at the start of each year. For accounting firms, especially small businesses, the start of the year is the best time to get organized and invest in tools that would greatly help the company. Getting a sophisticated accounting software could help a lot in gaining accurate accounting results and improving the services that they offer.