Bookkeeping for your business, but especially startup bookkeeping, is a fundamental aspect of your finances and is critical for success.
It represents the core of your financial basis and an solid foundation guides the decision-making process for your business.
Even if your team includes a CFO or financial expert, they shouldn’t be worried about bookkeeping. They must have more strategic topics in focus.
A bookkeeping solution sets your startup up for success by ensuring you’ve got your core financial bases covered. Your team is then free to focus on solving pressing operational challenges.
Benefits of Having a Startup-Focused Bookkeeper
A bookkeeper is an expert at handling your startup’s day-to-day financial recording and reporting. Employing a quality service is typically one of the first external resources of startups.
Especially early on. These professionals make sure your finances are clean and all transactions are recorded correctly.
A bookkeeper focused on startups understands the importance of cash on hand and can support you in understanding what’s going in and coming out every month. And the impact that has on a startup’s runway.
Additionally, a startup-focused bookkeeper will help ensure that you’re building a solid financial base from the very beginning. They handle the aspects of the business they’re good at: transactions, expense reports, reconciliation, etc.
Because that base is covered, you can put more energy into growing your business.
Common Startup Bookkeeping Services
A bookkeeper can wear many hats in a financial organization. Here are five especially critical functions for startups.
Record and Track Transactions
Good financial reporting begins with adequately recording all transactions in your spreadsheets or accounting software. Although most transactions can be imported automatically from your bank accounts, the complete financial picture must also include cash-only transactions.
One key aspect of recording transactions is the proper categorization of each expense.
Was that trip to Best Buy to pick up printer paper and a new adapter? Or was it to purchase a TV for your display booth at an upcoming convention? Usually, this differentiation won’t be visible on your bank statements.
This information not only improves reporting and enables better analysis of your costs, but these transactions also end up in different categories on your startup’s tax return.
Revenue Recognition and Attribution
A startup only has cash coming in from operations when customers pay their invoices. Carefully managing accounts receivable drives startup cash flow.
You need to know who’s paid up and when to recognize which revenue.
A service business using accrual-based accounting presents a particular challenge. It’s not always obvious which revenue should be recognized and which not.
A bookkeeper with experience can drive clarity.
Reconciliation
The process of matching the entries in your accounting system with what’s in your bank account is called reconciliation.
In the early stages of a business, it’s essential to keep your books clean.
Startups typically operate on tight margins and reinvest everything extra into growing the business. You need to know which level of resources are available.
Sloppy accounting can lead to undetected errors, giving an inaccurate financial picture of the business. Worse, unreconciled accounts can allow fraudulent activity to go unnoticed.
On a more positive note, cleanly reconciled accounts make it easier to present a clear financial picture to bankers or potential investors.
It pays to have an independent third party to keep your accounts clean.
Paying the Bills
Every startup has expenses. But as a founder, you’ve got a million critical issues that need your focus. Trying to track and manage your supplier bills on your own can lead to late or missed payments.
At best, untimely payments can lead to unnecessary interest paid to your suppliers. At worst, late payments can damage your business’s credit score and make it harder to secure financing at favorable rates.
A startup bookkeeper managing the bills gives you one less thing to worry about. You’ve got higher-level problems to solve.
Reporting and Statements
Regular updates on your business’s financial standing are essential.
Monthly financial statements not only create the basis for your tax reporting, but they also help you answer questions like:
- How much cash do you have on hand (especially critical for startups)?
- How is the company performing?
- What are the financial trends?
Good financial reporting lays the groundwork for sound decisions that lead to success. Knowing where the team is succeeding and where the team is struggling allows you to focus your energy better.
A startup-focused bookkeeper can deliver relevant, accurate, and timely reporting to you and your investors.
Beyond Startup Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping lays the groundwork for startup success by building the basis for data-driven decisions. A good, startup-focused bookkeeper will focus on what’s critical for your startup.
Founder’s CPA offers full-service accounting solutions for fast-growing startup companies. From bookkeeping to fractional CFO services, we can help you build a solid financial foundation for your startup.
Set up a free consultation with one of our experts to see how you can benefit from better financials.
