5 Factors to Look for When Finding a Small Business Bookkeeper

Bookkeeping is one of the core tenets of keeping a business healthy. When first starting a small business, tracking and managing financial transactions is often done by the founder or owner, but as your business grows, you may find you need more support from a professional. If you’ve decided it’s time to outsource your bookkeeping and accounting, you may be wondering what to keep in mind as you begin to search for professional support. We’ve rounded up our top five factors to look for when finding a small business bookkeeper to help you get started.

Factors to Prioritize In Your Search For a Small Business Bookkeeper

1. Knowledgeable and Qualified - When finding a bookkeeping company, you want to know they’ll be effective. Look for companies with qualified bookkeepers who are knowledgeable about best practices and your industry. Many industries have specific bookkeeping practices that vary, such as inventory tracking. Check accreditations and inquire about previous experiences, so you can be sure your small business bookkeeper has the technical skills and industry familiarity to support your business.

2. Detail Oriented — Paying attention to details ensures that books are accurate, deadlines are met, and client needs are attended to, all while being mindful of your budget and needs. As you look for bookkeepers, pay attention to how they keep track of details. Can you expect your books on a specific date every month? Are they organized in getting necessary documents from you? Having a small business bookkeeper who is detail oriented can help both of you ensure smooth collaboration, and help you rest easy that nothing is being missed. At KeyLin, we coordinate with clients from their first intake to understand their deadlines, so we can deliver information ahead of time.

3. Trustworthy and Ethical — You’ll be trusting a bookkeeper with your business’s finances and, by extension, your own, so you want to be sure they’ll be deserving of that trust. We understand that trust is built up over time, but being mindful and looking for red flags can go a long way. Ask about clients and check their website and resources to assess trustworthiness. You can also do your due diligence by ensuring there are no non-compliance issues against them. In the finance field, ethics are taken seriously, given the high potential for misconduct. Checking for violations is an easy way to rule out poor financial partners.

4. Technologically Adept — The world is changing and so is the field of bookkeeping. By finding a technologically savvy small business bookkeeper, you’ll have access to virtual accounting and bookkeeping, which means cloud-based bookkeeping, online meetings, more convenient document sharing, and more. This helps you be more in control of your finances, because they’ll always be at the tip of your fingers. The virtual accounting and bookkeeping tools KeyLin uses allow us to integrate seamlessly into your day, instead of being another task you have to make time for. Plus, technology reduces the in-between time of mailing, commuting to and from appointments, and more.

5. Client Focused — Prioritizing relationships, especially client relationships, helps build long-term partnerships of trust, which ensure high-quality work is done over time. See if you can get an idea of what, if anything, the bookkeeper does to prioritize clients. Do they hold regular check-in meetings? Accommodate different schedules? Answer questions readily? You want to make sure that your needs are met, even if that requires flexibility. Ask about current and previous clients to get a sense of the quality of those relationships. If you can, ask your prospective partner for if they have references to see how the clients feel about the bookkeeper. As the client, take this opportunity to check that your needs will be met — this engagement is meant to benefit you, so make sure it will.

Use KeyLin as Your Small Business Bookkeeper

At KeyLin, we meet clients where they are in their bookkeeping journeys. With qualified bookkeepers and accountants on our team, we provide an all-in-one experience for small business owners looking to improve the financial health of their businesses. We’re always happy to answer your questions, help you learn about what we’re doing behind the scenes, and ensure you get what you need out of our interactions. If you’re looking for small business bookkeeping, look no further.

Get to know us by scheduling your free first consultation today.

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