We will start this blog post with a very simple question “How do you make a cup of tea?” That’s an easy one you may say. There are simple steps and order in which you must do things:
1. Fill up the kettle with water
2. Boil the kettle
3. Place a teabag in your favourite mug
4. Pour boiling water into your favourite mug
5. Brew the tea for a few moments
6. Remove and dispose of the teabag
7. Add milk
8. Add sugar
9. Stir the tea
10. Enjoy the hot beverage
Some may disagree with the 10 steps above. You may not like sugar in your tea or add milk to begin with. The point is although we have the same desired end result we may all approach the method differently. There is no right or wrong way (although putting milk in first is just wrong!) it is about the method that is the best and works for you.
Now what does this have to do with accounting or your business I hear you cry! Well, the point very well hidden above is maintaining your business bookkeeping and financials is very much like making a cup of tea. It is about finding the right method that works for you but more importantly one that gives you the accurate financial information the business requires.
Using software to manage your company bookkeeping
At Whittock Consulting we recommend Xero bookkeeping software to our clients. As part of this we believe moving to Xero should be the start of a working process review. One that results in a bespoke way of working that benefits both you and your business. Features on Xero that you may wish to look at include:
• Updating the company chart of accounts to be bespoke for your business
• Setting up a bank feed
• Tailoring the sales invoice theme to match your own invoicing
• Setting up auto invoice reminders to chase payment of invoices
• Ensure all customer and supplier details are entered for ease of use
• Favourite the reports you will use for speed of access
• Set up tracking codes to monitor company performance
• Look at third party apps to make data entry quicker for you such as Receiptbank
Whittock Consulting are happy to assist clients with all of the above and feel it is important that Xero works for you rather than just rolling out the standard vanilla version to all clients. So if you are reading this thinking is my bookkeeping software working for me, just sit back, follow points 1-10 above and have a think over a nice cuppa or indeed contact us on 01225 58 57 56 or email us at [email protected]