18/01/2020

Bookkeeping For Tradesmen

Image result for tradies

Managing both the job site and bookkeeping for tradesmen can be a real challenge. Tradies have spent a lot of time skilling up in their profession with many being masters of their trade. However, one of the items which is never taught is how to manage your own bookkeeping and how to keep on top of paperwork.

When we speak to our tradie clients, they always say there is never a simple job and managing these jobs can become a nightmare without the right tools. There are labour components, materials purchased, and tasks contracted out, all of which get invoiced at different time frames. Add to the mix: job setbacks, contract retainers, design changes and bad weather and you have a perfect storm.

It is guaranteed that the tradie will complete the job, however knowing whether you made money and more importantly getting paid is not that definite. We believe, as you get busier with work you need to work smarter and not harder. Too often we have heard instances where invoices have not been raised and business owners fall behind in their paperwork as it is not a priority.

Here are some quick tips we have found work well in helping tradies;

Get yourself some help

Although you are a master at your trade, paperwork and finances may not be it. Tradies are excellent at what they do and should be spending most of their time excelling at that, as a result get some help with your back end work. Whether its through engaging a Virtual Assistant (VA) or Bookkeeper it will free up time to book in more paying clients.

Your need to remember that the time you spend doing your bookkeeping is either time you could be charging out or in some cases time you should be recharging your batteries ready for the next day.

Manage your jobs

Assign each unique job with a job number. Train your employees and contractors to use the appropriate job number when they purchase materials or invoice out their time. This information should then be brought across to your accounting application allowing to understand how each job has performed.

With latest job management applications this is all automated for you. Setting up these applications allows you to have common pricing for tasks and build work orders. More importantly you can then assign these to your employee or contractors including location and job priorities based on GPS routing.

Contactors can then complete jobs as they are done via taking photos and / or client signatures and most importantly take payment directly on their smart device from the client, removing the need to chase unpaid invoices.

The better applications then automatically integrate all the information into your accounting software allowing for revenue and costings to be itemised, and you knowing immediately the performance of your business.

Managing of Supplier Invoices & Paperwork

When paperwork gets out-of-control it is difficult to recover and makes it seem like you are drowning in paper. Create simple paperwork habits to stay on top of your bookwork. Keep a folder in the car to put all purchase dockets, invoices and receipts into. Train staff to collect and pass on paperwork when purchasing materials. Keep all fuel receipts in the car glove box. Enter all purchases into your accounting software on a regular basis. A positive routine will help you stay in control of your paperwork.

Want to work smarter and not harder; with latest third-party integrated applications, you can send or take photos of invoices and receipts which integrate directly into your accounting application. This information is digitised allowing for owners to quickly understand what they owe and when it is due. Can you imagine picking up some product from your local hardware store, taking a photo and bang it’s in your accounting software ready to be paid.

These applications not only integrate the data but a copy of the image, so if you ever want to know what each product cost you for a particular job six months down the track, a copy of the receipt is there for your viewing.

Got an account with a supplier? Not an issue, integrate your online login you have with the supplier with the third-party software and the invoices will be fetched automatically. No need to even take a photo.

How easy is that!

This will then streamline the business’s statutory reporting requirements especially where supplier invoices are GST taxable, free or a combination. Introduction of key third party applications which read and interpret invoices, ensures you don’t overstate your GST obligations and remove potential duplicates. Too often we have seen owners overstate their GST due to manual capturing of information.

Paper was so 2019!

Time is precious when running a busy business – don’t waste time by tracking all these features manually!

Want to know more about how to work Smarter and not Harder! Give us a call, we offer free initial consultation and specialise in helping business owners spend more time in their business making money, feel free to contact us.

12/01/2020

Bookkeeping for Cafes and Restaurants

bookkeeping for cafes

Keeping track of finances is a struggle for many small businesses, but the hustle and bustle of a busy café or restaurant can be even more overwhelming for managers and owners. Constant challenges of juggling staff and their shifts and rosters, suppliers, cashflow and produce requires great time and task management not to mention the fine art of multi-tasking. Often items are taken care of in the spur of the moment, based on what is critical at that moment; a supplier who won’t supply any more products, an employee who needs to change availability and so it goes on….. While bookkeeping for cafes may take a bit more attention, that doesn’t mean it has to be harder!

Let’s not forget, unfortunately businesses in hospitality have the highest percentage of failure, due to poor record keeping. Without timely information, this does not give owners valuable insights to make the right decisions. As a result, with little to no data, decisions are made on emotions.

Choosing the right software is a crucial first step to making bookkeeping for cafes and restaurants easier to handle and helps you stay on track each day. Xero ticks many of the boxes we see that owners of cafés and restaurants require. Everything from managing their daily cashflow, supplier payments to integration of key third party applications to manage shifts and rosters.

Managing of Supplier Invoices

With latest third-party integrated applications you can send or take photos of invoices and receipts which integrate directly into your accounting application. This information is digitised allowing for owners to quickly understand what they owe and when it is due. This removes the embarrassing situation when suppliers won’t supply more stock due to unpaid invoices. We all know, no stock means no sales.

Statutory reporting for cafés and restaurants can also become an issue with many supplier invoices being GST taxable, free or a combination. Introduction of key third party applications which read and interpret invoices, ensures you don’t overstate your GST obligations and remove potential duplicates. Too often we have seen owners overstate their GST due to manual capturing of information.

Paper was so 2019!

Managing Staff

Managing staff in any business can be challenging, however add the issues of shifts, rosters and awards and this adds a whole lot of complexity. Most accounting applications such as Xero provide payroll components which are suitable to manage staff, however where this does not suffice, third party applications exist which allow owners to manage rosters, capture hours worked (including time of the day) which is then subsequently compared to awards, making the paying of employees a whole lot easier.

It’s important to stay organised for the sake of your business and your employees – you don’t want to spend unnecessary money overbooking your staff or being short on hands during peak hours.

Selling to Customers

Once you have managed your supplier invoices and rostering of employees you need to remember the main objective as to why you got into business; selling to customers. Having the right tools to capture customer orders and sales is pivotal in understanding the success of a menu and customer satisfaction.

Add to this the different ways of selling a meal from client facing to delivery via Uber or Deliveroo, it is important to segment how sales are made. Point-Of-Sale (POS) applications take the hassle out of managing menus and pricing, orders and segmentation. With easy setup and user interaction it allows for business owners to understand what works, what makes money, and more importantly, what makes the customer happy.

Time is precious when running a busy business – don’t waste time by tracking all of these features manually!

Contact us for a bookkeeping consultation and be sure to visit us on Facebook!

30/06/2015

Get Your Business Ready for Tax Time

Tax time.

Just the phrase alone is enough to make business owners cringe – but with some simple preparation and organisation of your records and documents throughout the year, tax time doesn’t have to be so stressful.

tax time

Whether you’re doing your bookkeeping by yourself or you have hired an experienced bookkeeper to monitor your accounts, there are a few things you can do to make tax time a little bit easier to manage.

Keep thorough records throughout the year – Don’t make the mistake of throwing receipts, invoices or any other business-related documents out throughout the year. You might need them come tax time! If you don’t, better to be prepared rather than stressing out once tax time rolls around. Not sure what to keep and what you can toss? Ask your bookkeeper for some tips (or just play it safe and keep it).

Know when to call in the professionalsDid you start a business this year or has your business grown? Sometimes it’s best to just let the professionals take over – bookkeepers are a valuable asset for any business as they manage your finances and keep you on track (and organised) throughout the year. That in itself is worth every penny to a busy business owner.

Don’t wait until the last minute – You know when tax time is every year, so don’t wait until the last minute to start preparing. Throughout the year, your bookkeeper can offer tips and suggestions that will make tax time less stressful, not to mention half the work will be done when tax time approaches if you keep your documents, invoices and receipts organised all year long.

Peace of mind – Cut down on clutter around the office and make it easier to communicate with your bookkeeper by implementing cloud-based accounting software into your daily routine. Through cloud-based software, your bookkeeper will have direct access to your accounting program from a remote area, making it easier for both of you to do your job as it grows.

For many, tax time is stressful, but it doesn’t always have to be dreadful. Stay up to date and organised with your files and look to a professional bookkeeper to help you stay focused and prepared at all time!

Contact Galaxi Bookkeeping for a consultation and be sure to visit us on Facebook!

25/03/2015

Improve Inventory Management with Xero

Any business that deals with inventory is going to love the new update in Xero – inventory management! No more trying to track what you have in stock manually or waiting until the end of the month to see where you stand in terms of goods, the new update in Xero gives you a real-time look at what products are selling…and which ones aren’t. The easy to use program also provides business owners with a variety of customising options to suit the needs of any industry.

Inventory Management

What else can you look forward to with the new inventory management update in Xero? Let’s take a look:

  • Quickly track the quantities of your goods – There’s no more guesswork involved with tracking how much inventory you have in stock or the value that inventory has – the new update makes it easy to track these numbers using the cloud software, so you can see data on any device anywhere you’re located. This feature allows you to have even more control over what or how much you purchases for your business.
  • Easily track your inventory’s profitability – No one wants to have an inventory that’s not making any money. With Xero’s feature, you can now see which of your products are selling and the amount of profit you are making – a priceless feature when you’re trying to maximize your profit margin. The new update also tracks the value of your inventory in real-time, giving you the most up-to-date assessment possible.
  • Manage inventory efficiently – In addition to tracking inventory purchases and sales, the newest Xero update allows businesses to quickly input the current inventory into a database, which in turn speeds up the invoice and quote process from the beginning.

Any business working with an ever-changing inventory will thoroughly appreciate the newest update in Xero. The inventory management feature in Xero provides essential tools to any business owner – tracking profitability and quantity is sure to speed up how you do business! Take a look at this video to find out more about this innovative programme:

Contact Galaxi Bookkeeping for a consultation and be sure to visit us on Facebook!

25/02/2015

Increase Your Business with Sales Quotes

Increase Your Business with Sales Quotes

Did you know that one of the best (and most efficient) ways to increase the amount of business you do is to provide sales quotes? Sales quotes – also referred to as price quotes – often mean the difference between landing a contract and not. Many small businesses make the mistake of not preparing or sending sales quotes quick enough, and in the world of business, timing is everything!

Increasing cash flow and getting invoices paid are two of the most common areas of difficulty for small businesses. Staying on track with clients from the start – such as with the sales quote – is a good way to increase your business and get paid when the job is done. Here are a few ways to increase your business with sales quotes:

  • Send out a detailed sales quote – In many instances, a sales quote is the first impression potential clients have of your business. Clients want to do business with companies who provide clear and concise quotes, as well as detailed terms and conditions, prices and services they will be receiving.
  • Don’t wait too long to respond – Sure, while you don’t want to be hasty and send out a poorly thought out quote, you also don’t want to make the potential client wait too long – they’ll probably move on to the next business. Use a cloud software that provides sales quotes capabilities to easily manage and create sales quotes no matter where you are.
  • Follow up – After two or three days, follow up with the client if you have not heard a response. Communicating with a prospect increases the chance of a sales quote being accepted before things cool off after the initial meeting.

Use cloud-based software to your advantage! Software programs, such as Xero, are designed to make a positive impact on your business by organising your data and providing you access to your spreadsheets and sales quotes from start to finish. Increase your business with sales quotes and see what a difference it makes!

Contact Galaxi Bookkeeping for a consultation and be sure to visit us on Facebook!

04/02/2015

Bookkeeping Tips for Non-Profits

Bookkeeping Tips for Non-Profits

Whether you’re a small business owner or the leader of a non-profit, your bookkeeping goals are important no matter where you work. Non-profits have a unique challenge of needing to be diligent with spending and need to keep focus on providing an adequate amount of funding to a cause! In many respects, non-profits run just like businesses, so it makes perfect sense that non-profits would use the same effective record-keeping software and tools. Since you want to ensure you make the best financial decisions, here are some bookkeeping tips for non-profits you can easily implement into any process:

Start with Bookkeeping – This first step is also one of the most important. In order to understand how to track your business expenses and monitor money or donations, you need to create a system for bookkeeping. Unlike a traditional business, non-profits are generally run on donations or private funding, in addition to using volunteers to run a good portion of the non-profit. Cloud-based bookkeeping software makes tracking cash donations, invoices and cheques easy to monitor no matter where you are.

Prepare for the Annual Audit – Every year, it’s the same stressful story, looking for last minute documents, receipts and financial statements. Using cloud-based bookkeeping software means you can quickly and simply upload images of any documents into the software for future reference. This makes it easy for you to go back and look at invoices or receipts throughout the year and makes the annual audit relatively stress-free. All you need to do is provide an auditor log-in access on read-only files and it’s more efficient for everyone.

Streamline the Process – Through non-profits, volunteers come and go on a frequent basis. Creating a streamlined bookkeeping process makes it easy for people to learn as soon as they come in and keeps the machine well-oiled and running smoothly. Create a guide for new volunteers to follow and be sure to review documents twice a year to ensure the bookkeeping is clear and concise.

These bookkeeping tips for non-profits are crucial in making sure the finances are in order at all times. Staying organised and simplifying the process are just two important components in the success of any non-profit.

 Contact Galaxi Bookkeeping for a consultation and be sure to visit us on Facebook!

15/12/2014

Budgeting with Xero

Budgeting with Xero

In any situation dealing with finances, budgeting is very important. It keeps spending in control and helps business owners allot a certain amount of money for necessities and expanding the business through hiring, services or supplies. Budgeting with Xero – or any number of accounting software programs – will help you stay on track and organized when it comes to your sales, spending and profits.

Budgets don’t have to be overly complicated, either. They can be as simple as you need them to be – such as managing income, cost of sales or goods and gross profit. Xero is a powerful tool when it comes to budgeting and can provide business owners with various tools and reports that keep the entire team aware of financial standing. Xero, for example, makes budgeting even easier. Business owners can choose to input financial information into Xero directly or choose to export Xero reports onto an alternative template, such as through Google Docs or Excel. This http://findviagra.com/generic-viagra-advantages/ versatility allows business owners to create and manage budgets on any platform that makes them feel most comfortable.

There are also advanced settings to utilize when budgeting with Xero. Options allow you to create a range of budget scenarios so you can see how your budget is affected should you decide to be a bit tighter with spending or want to see where your budget will be in an optimistic setting. Creating different style budgets will help you see business performances easier and allow you to make adjustments accordingly.

A business can’t survive without some type of budget in place – whether you do it the old fashioned way on a piece of paper or look toward a quality accounting software program like Xero. Budgeting with Xero brings all the information to your fingertips so you can see exactly where your money is going!

Contact Galaxi Bookkeeping for a consultation and be sure to visit us on Facebook!

01/12/2014

Bookkeeping Tips for Startups

Cropped image of woman's hands calculating home finances at desk

There are plenty of things to consider when getting a business off and running – bookkeeping being one of the most important, and often neglected, aspects of any startup. Creating a business takes so many components it can be difficult to keep records of spending, invoices and other financial considerations. These bookkeeping tips for startups will help you create effective and useful habits from the start!

Keep personal banking separate from business – During the early days of a business, it’s easy to get caught up in spending personal money for business-related expenses and supplies. Before getting started, open up a banking account to manage these expenditures! Whether you do bookkeeping yourself or hire a professional, separating the two accounts early on will keep things organized and easy to manage.

Devote time to reconciling your books – As a startup, you need to know where every bit of money is coming and going. Create efficient habits by devoting a specific time of day or week to managing invoices, paying debits or monitoring cash flow and spending. Getting into this habit from the start will help you stay sane when the business – and bookkeeping – becomes more in depth. Of course, you can always turn to a professional bookkeeper to take the hassle away!

Look for accounting software – One of the most effective bookkeeping tips for startups is to look for accounting software to help you easily keep track of your finances. Cloud-based accounting software, such as Xero, makes a number of bookkeeping aspects easy to manage no matter how experienced you are at accounting or finance. Accounting software easily allows you to send and receive invoices, create reports and a plethora of other valuable services for any startup.

These bookkeeping tips for startups are some of the simplest options to implement into any business – start with good habits early on and build upon them to stay efficient and organized as the business grows!

Contact Galaxi Bookkeeping for a consultation and be sure to visit us on Facebook!

24/11/2014

Christmas Bookkeeping Tips

christmas bookkeeping tips

The Christmas season often passes by in a blur, but bookkeeping doesn’t stop! For some industries, the holiday season is a time to slow down and catch up before the New Year rolls around; however, some bookkeepers experience long hours and an extensive workload. Don’t let the extra work increase stress – these Christmas bookkeeping tips will keep you sane and on top of things.

Work in advance – Now is the time to create a to-do list and start working on it. The more you get done before the holiday rush, the more time you have to spend on the in-depth projects. Set up staff pays before leaving the office so you don’t have to worry about it during the rush of the holiday season. Scheduling payments in advance is convenient and the staff will be happy to receive payments on time – though it’s important to make sure none of the scheduled payments fall on a public holiday.

Stay focused – One of the best Christmas bookkeeping tips is to reconcile all of the accounts before you leave the office for the holiday. No one likes to come back to work and wade through a pile of invoices or payments on the first day back – additionally, reconciling accounts as you get them prior to Christmas means the transactions are fresh in your mind and create less room for error.

Set up invoicing – Just because you’re out of the office doesn’t mean invoices should remain unpaid by clients or customers. Send out invoices prior to Christmas so you continue to get paid even when you’ve closed up for the holiday. It’s never good when you forget to invoice a client, and since the Christmas season is busy, there’s always the chance that it could happen. Setting invoices up before the holiday rush keeps things running smoothly.

These Christmas bookkeeping tips are important, but there’s still one more thing to do – relax. Enjoy the holiday season with friends and family, a most joyous time of year!

Contact Galaxi Bookkeeping for a consultation and be sure to visit us on Facebook!

17/11/2014

Tips for Choosing an Accountant for Your Business

Choosing an accountant

Just like finding the right employees for your business makes a difference in how you operate, choosing an accountant has an effect on the financial aspect of your business from the beginning. When you’re ready to start hiring employees, you typically go through a selective process – checking recommendations, browsing past experiences and going through an interview process. So why wouldn’t you put the same effort into choosing an accountant? Here are three tips that will help you find the best fit for your financial needs:

  • Look at past clients – Don’t just go with the first accountant you see – you wouldn’t hire an employee on the spot because they just happened to be standing around, would you? Do your research and meet with a few accounting firms to get a feel for how they operate and how they could help your business. Ask local businesses who they use for accounting and whether they would give you a referral. Checking the portfolio of an accountant is important, as it can highlight what type of success the accountant has had with various industries or businesses.
  • They go beyond the typical job description – Sure, you can go with an accountant who just tracks your records, but don’t you want – and expect – more from your accountant? By choosing an accountant who actually cares about your business, you’ll have more confidence to grow and strengthen performance and finances over time.
  • They’re using up-to-date software – Choosing an accountant who uses the latest software and technology often means they can provide you with timely and relevant tips and information to help your business succeed. You need an accountant who is current with any changing tax laws or regulations, too. An accountant who is actively staying ahead of the curve is something any small business owner should want.

Choosing an accountant takes some time and research, but it’s well worth it in the end. Running a successful business means getting the best you can afford on your team – your accountant is no exception! If you are after a referral to great accountant, don’t hesitate to ask.

Contact us for a consultation and be sure to visit us on Facebook!