Posts

Better Bookkeeping Creates an Audit Trail

  When someone coined the term bookkeeping, they could have just as easily called it recordkeeping, because the role is all about keeping records of transactions and ensuring there is a trail and documentation to follow. Having that trail is an essential aspect of running a business because if the Canada Revenue Agency ever has questions, you need to be able to provide answers. Quickly. And preferably in a way that produces the least amount of stress for everyone. This is just one of many reasons to hire someone who has taken a bookkeeping course. Unless you run a bookkeeping firm, you didn’t start your business to learn accounting and that’s understandable. Even though there are a number of great online bookkeeping courses, not everyone wants to take one. Chances are it’s better to hire a professional bookkeeper than to try to manage it “off the side of your desk.” If you do decide you want more knowledge about the bookkeeping process and want to take a more active role in...

Why Small Businesses Make Great Clients for Bookkeepers

Image
If you’re getting started as a bookkeeper, some well-meaning people may have told you to look for established, larger businesses as clients. They’ve likely said something like, “Those kinds of companies have deep pockets and they’ll be around for a while,” to justify why they think bigger businesses make better clients. Truth is, bigger is not always better. Once you’ve completed your bookkeeping program or have taken bookkeeping courses online in Canada, you already know which are your favourite parts of the job and which are the parts that you’d rather limit or skip altogether. You’ve also likely learned about that some of the tasks of a bookkeeper can be a fulltime job in a large company. Perhaps, when you completed your bookkeeping program, you found that there was one part of the job you absolutely loved and want to do day in and day out. There might be something about accounts receivable that simply makes your day better. If that’s the case, looking for a larger bus...

What Services Should Your Bookkeeping Business Offer?

Image
The term bookkeeper itself says much of what the job is – keeping books, recoding the inflow and outflow of money. As simplistic as this may be, there is a lot more complexity in just “keeping books” and there are a number of additional tasks many bookkeepers take on for their clients. One of the benefits of taking a bookkeeping program is learning about the various areas where a bookkeeper can expand their business.  Here are five services a bookkeeper might provide: 1.       All bookkeeping courses online in Canada are going to teach the basics of bookkeeping and this is obviously the first and most important service that a bookkeeper provides. This is the “keeping books” part of things and it involves an understanding of basic accounting principles and practices and includes activities like recording transactions, creating financial statements, preparing year-end documentation and other elements.  In today’s era where software-based ac...

Bookkeeping: Live Online Training in Canada

Image
Bookkeeping is an essential part of any business and is necessary to manage the finances and smooth operation of any business. This is true for all business owners as it performs a  crucial role in business management. It is also a great career choice if you are considering a new career as bookkeepers can very easily be self-employed and work from home or work in accounting or business offices. You can now take a live online bookkeeping certification program to become a qualified bookkeeper. Ashton College is one of the reputable institutions offering a live online bookkeeping program which is accredited by The Canadian Bookkeepers Association This live online bookkeeping program helps individuals understand Canadian bookkeeping standards. It is a smart choice to enroll in Ashton’s Live Online Certificate in Bookkeeping Program as it teaches you various bookkeeping techniques and practices, all without attending traditional classes.  Through this online program, bu...

Do You Have These Top 5 Qualities of a Great Bookkeeper?

Image
There are many bookkeepers helping businesses today who are okay or good, but not great. Perhaps they like numbers but not people, or maybe they became bookkeepers simply because they were good at math or because it was what one of their parents did as an occupation. Most people want to be the best they can be in their career and bookkeepers are no different! There are a number of skills you can work on (or may already have) that are likely to move you from a bookkeeper people describe as “just okay” to one they call “fabulous”. No matter how you approached the field of bookkeeping, having certain skills are bound to push you ahead and make you THE bookkeeper businesses want to work with. We’ve narrowed the top skill list down to five. Do you have these top five skills? Or is it time to looking into bookkeeping course in Vancouver that help you build and hone these skills? 1)       Ability to embrace technology. Decades ago, bookkeepers needed to...

Which Bookkeeping Software Should You Use?

Image
If you’ve just started a small business or thinking of starting one, consider hiring a qualified bookkeeper to handle your accounts, someone who has completed a bookkeeping certification program. However, if you believe it may be too early to bring a bookkeeper on board and for the time being, wish to take care of your bookkeeping needs yourself, you will want to get the best accounting software for your business. Plenty of accounting solutions , such as QuickBooks, FreshBooks, Wave, Sage50, Xero and more, are available in the market today. Before choosing the software you want to work with, you may look at the features it offers, your needs, budget, user interface, whether it offers customization, and so on.   It can be challenging to zero in on the solution that works for you, but you need to spend some time picking the one, as a good software will make your life so much easier. Listed below are a few things you should consider or keep in mind before making a purchase. D...

Why Choose Quickbooks over Free Accounting Software

Image
Everyone has their reasons for choosing one type of accounting software over another. After all, no two businesses are the same, just like no two bookkeepers are. That being said, there are many options available, and it’s worth looking into all of them – free ones like Wave, ZipBooks or paid ones, such as Quickbooks or FreshBooks. Certainly, price is a factor, and free can sound like a pretty good deal, but as the saying goes – “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Longevity While some free software options have been around a long time and are reliable to a certain extent, some aren’t. Others may even fail in the coming years. When you’re looking for a tool to record, store and report on the financial aspects of your business, you need to trust that this tool will be around for the long term. No one wants to open their inbox and get the news that their software is shutting shop or merging with another software provider, changing everything. Support When you need help ...