Cash Flow Management: 3 Best Practices for Small & Medium Businesses

Staying on top of your cash flow is vital to running a small business smoothly. According to a U.S. Bank study, poor cash management is the cause of 82% of business failures. Cash flow is critical to the survival and success of your business. Without it, you cannot hire or pay employees, buy inventory, expand your operations, or secure a line of credit or financing. Cash Flow Management is very important and crucial factor in Business.

1.  Understand Your Cash Flow

One of the first things your business should do is get a 360-degree overview of its cash movements and situation. There is a common misconception that profit is the same thing as cash flow. It is not.

Simply put, your business profit equals revenue minus tax and expenses. When you invoice a customer, that counts as revenue, but you will not necessarily have cash. Your business can figure out its profit for the month and find that it has a cash flow issue. To best understand your cash situation, you will need a cash flow statement and cash flow forecast.

2.  Increase Sales, Not Expenses

Many things can put a strain on your cash flow. One of the most common is having expenses that are either out of control or simply not justified. Every business has bills to pay. But is yours efficient with its accounts payable?

If you are paying cash for equipment and inventory when there are better options, you could be straining your cash position. Take full advantage of payment terms and segment your expenses between those that are business-critical (payroll, taxes, rent) and those you have more flexibility on payment timing. 

3.  Help Your Customers Pay You Promptly

Unpaid invoices are a significant factor in small business cash flow. One study determined that the value of small business unpaid invoices is roughly $825 billion, or about 5% of U.S. GDP. Here are some of the ways you can take control of your invoices and shorten the time between billing and payment.

For a small business, unreliable cash flow can be catastrophic. Even a short-term cash flow problem can make it tough for a company to continue operations. Outside of knowing the ebbs and flows of your business, using these best practices can help you effectively manage your cash flow and have the resources available for growth and expansion.

The team at MyaccountsConsultant can help your business with cash flow projections and management. contact us here at your convenience for a complimentary consultation to discuss your business challenges and goals.

Outsource Accounting Services with MAC

 

We understand that the world of financing can be a confusing one, and whether you operate a business, a non-profit organization, or simply need assistance for yourself, getting the professionals on your side can make the process a lot less complicated. At MAC Accounting, we have been bringing quality assistance to companies and individuals across the country for many years, and know what it takes to get you the results you’re looking for.

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About Us

We are a collective of experienced accountants who are dedicated to bringing you the assistance you need when it comes to financial matters of all types. We have a dedication to bringing you results, to allowing you to focus on your important matters while we do our work, and to bringing you the professional assistance needed to make your finances an aspect of your business that you can worry about less, knowing that you have the right experts on task. When you need financial assistance for any reason, you can depend on the professionals at MAC Accounting to bring you the help you need.

Learn More About MAC Accounting Services

​Each of the services that we bring to you and your business, are dedicated to getting you the financial assistance you need to keep your company or personal finances in straight order. With the amount of experience and expertise that we have when it comes to financial matters, we understand that our services are valuable to others who may not have the level of comfort with the subject, this is why we see it as a responsibility to bring you the assistance you need in an easy to follow format, that is working hard to bring you results.

Our Services Included with:

Personal Tax Preparation

Not every service that MAC Accounting delivers is aimed solely at business interests, we have been the source of assistance to many individuals looking for help come tax season, and we are always ready to provide. When you need a service that is there to give you the personal touch, without needing to simply settle for the bare minimum of services, you can trust in the experts at MAC Accounting to bring you the help you need. Tax Preparation Services help you in tax return and preparation services.

Business Tax Preparation

When you have a much larger tax profile to look at, spanning the quarter or annual finances of your business year, you can depend on the experts at MAC Accounting to bring you the touch you need. We are dedicated to bringing you results, while doing our work in a way that will have your finances focused on, while you focus on the day to day operations of your business, knowing you’re in good hands.

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Accounting Services

We also bring you a wide range of accounting services for your business needs. Whether you need to balance books, ensure that your employees are paid on time, or any other number of financial needs you may face. When you put your trust in the expert services that MAC Accounting provides, you can expect quick and reliable results at the hands of those who have dedicated their lives to being the financial answer you need.

We offer Services Included with:

Bookkeeping Services

Whether you need to balance your ledgers, or ensure that your accounts are in order, book balancing is an important part of your business, and getting the right experienced touch in this matter can make all the difference. When you put your trust into the expert’s hands at MAC Accounting, you can depend on us to bring you reliable results that you can bank on. Your finances are important, and they are important to us.

Sole Proprietorship Services

Running a business on your own can have its own series of challenges, and when it comes to the financial aspect of your company, you can find that there is a big difference between running a company, and running the company finances. When you need professional help in these aspects of your business, you can depend on the professionals at MAC Accounting. We have been bringing our specialized craft to companies of all sizes across the country.

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Non-Profit Services

Ensuring that you stick to the financial plans put into motion by your supporters, and even the government is important in order to keep your charitable status. And MAC Accounting has just the services you need to do so. Whether you need help in your application, or need to have your finances audited periodically to keep those who need to be kept happy kept that way, you can always depend on the professional touch we bring.

Contact Us Today To Accounting Services

​When you find yourself in need of financial assistance of any type, you can be sure that we are readily available to bring you the help you need. Whether you need to reach out to our professionals for information, to schedule a booking, or to find out more about the services that we bring to your needs, you can rely on being able to quickly and easily get a hold of the right people for the task. We keep our lines watched at all times to ensure that when you make the choice to pick up the phone, we’re there.

Contact us here for Best Accounting & Bookkeeping Services for Small Business.

Top 3 Real Estate Accounting Software

Many startups and established real estate companies often make the mistake of underestimating the power of numbers, even with the sheer number of real estate accounting software available in the market. As a result, many businesses continue to operate without knowing the real value of their operations. For any real estate agent, accounting is an essential part of a successful real estate business. Instead of investing tons of capital in accounting firms, real estate companies can choose to use accounting software. Brokerage firms can also benefit from real estate brokerage accounting software for their businesses. Real Estate Bookkeeping Services helps you in managing your business solution with the help of real estate accounting software.

Here we are going to introduce you to some of the best accounting software for companies that operate in real estate.

List of the Best Real Estate Accounting Software

1. Realtyzam

Realtyzam is cloud-based real estate accounting software that is typically used to manage revenue and track expenses, providing insight into the financial health of a business. It allows real estate agents to track their income while keeping an eye on marketing and listing fees, commissions as well as brokerage fees.

2. Back Office for QuickBooks

Back Office is a QuickBooks solution specially developed for real estate professionals. It also provides a solid real estate accounting software which allows to broaden its scope. Back Office allows users to track sales, referrals, and commissions, helping businesses manage their cash flow. It also allows users to manage sellers, buyers, and escrow accounts, which helps create a lean management process.

3. Xero

Xero is another cloud-based real estate accounting software that allows you to manage your business accounts remotely. This application allows users to easily track invoices as well as input and output taxes from a PC or mobile application. It also integrates with your bank accounts, so you can pool your expenses. Xero also comes with a payroll processing function so that it can automate the monthly payroll process.

Some tips for getting the right property accounting tool

Real estate accounting software can never replace the work of a real accountant. You should always seek to supplement your accountant's job by using such software in order to keep your real estate business running smoothly.

That said, for real estate agencies, the choice of accounting software will depend a lot on the number of employees who will be using the software. Many cloud-based solutions will charge you based on the number of users on the system, therefore, it is better to limit the number of users in order to save money.

You should also take into account the level of expertise of potential users. Complex software will take longer to get started within the company for your staff to use, so be careful when implementing such software.

Tips to Properly Manage the Accounting of your Small Business Enterprise

To do business for a long time, you have to be in your business. This is why careful management of the accounts of your SME is a key element that will contribute to the success of your entrepreneurial project. If you are just getting started, follow these tips to get on well.

1. Obey the law It is not enough to do your bookkeeping to be in good standing.

Above all, you need to adopt good online accounting services, because it is mandatory to file a tax return in Canada. This declaration will depend on the legal form of business you have created. "When the business is incorporated, it is a legal person, so the company is considered a person within the meaning of the law and it requires to have its own tax return," says Simon Lapointe. If it is a sole proprietorship or registered business, the owner adds the income and expenses related to the business to their personal income tax return because they vouch for everything the company does.

2. Consider taking accounting training

You can also take accounting training or a small business accounting course. "It's good to do this and some bookkeeping software offers fairly straightforward online training," says Simon Lapointe. Online learning platforms will also help you improve your knowledge.

3. Be organized and keep track of your expenses

To be able to do the accounting of a small business, it is necessary to note, itemize and classify accounts receivable and payable, expense receipts and purchase orders. “The famous shoebox where the entrepreneur deposits his invoices and gives them to his accountant is not effective for anyone. It is now possible to scan invoices and documents or take pictures of them to keep them in the archives, ”emphasizes Simon Lapointe. Why put off filing your paperwork until tomorrow when you can do it day to day?

4. Perform rigorous bookkeeping

Bookkeeping encompasses the entire day-to-day process of writing down transactions, categorizing them, and reconciling your accounts. “Typically, the bookkeeper records transactions and it costs less than an accountant who finalizes financial statements and tax returns. The Operio cloud platform also offers a turnkey service including bookkeeping and financial statements, ”adds Simon Lapointe.

Finally, according to Simon Lapointe, other accounting advice such as opening a business bank account, to "separate business money from your personal money and facilitate the accounting that comes next", and " putting a budget in place, to compare actual sales and expenses with those planned ”, will allow you to be fully equipped to do the accounting of your small business and see it grow.

How a Remote Bookkeeper Can Help Your Business

 

Let’s face it; even the most successful business owner is faced with challenges that they need help with. From recruiting the best employees in the industry to developing an innovative marketing plan to increase sales, many different duties and responsibilities must be done to keep an operation running smoothly. Fortunately, today’s creative technologies and the Internet has become a winning combination for any business owner. This is because these innovations have leveraged the competition for the small businessperson, especially since businesses all over the globe can obtain the business financial help that they need remotely via a virtual bookkeeping service.

Remote Tracking of Where Your Money is Going

One of the main services that we offer to our clients today is keeping track of where the money is going. Operating expenses, petty cash funds, and office supplies purchases will all be accounted for in the bookkeeping statements that we provide. Thus, you will always know where your money is going without having to stay up all night updating your journal entries or producing time-consuming reports.

Full Range of Services Provided

With a wide range of virtual bookkeeping and accounting services, we give you the opportunity to choose what you need from us. We also have the expertise in-house to customize a bookkeeping solution that will meet your specific industry’s needs.

Our Certified QuicKbooks bookkeepers will not only make sure that your income and expenses are recorded on a timely basis, but also reconciled, and organized into your own accounting software programs.

Eliminate the Tax Season Havoc

Another benefit that we offer to you and your company includes virtual accounting services that will make tax season a breeze. By organizing the financial statements in a manner that makes it easy for a CPA to produce tax statements for the end of the year, it will not only save time, but also money in getting the tax forms for the IRS completed right the first time. In fact, there will be no more barely making the deadline each year or missing it altogether due to the lack of the right information and limited time.

Running a successful business operation will take not only time but also money. This is one of the primary reasons why owners hire QuickBooks Bookkeeper to assist them. One of the most important areas is booking since it helps to keep up with the finances of the business, income, and expenses.

Contact us here for the hire Remote Bookkeeper for business.

Tips for Solving Your Restaurant Bookkeeping Problems

 

Restaurants tend to be either wild success stories or dramatic failures. Statistics show that 25% or restaurants end up closing after being open for less than a year. When a restaurant fails this quickly, it usually is not because of the quality of the food or the service. When this happens, the problems are much more likely to have something to do with the restaurant bookkeeping services. Running a successful restaurant involves much more than preparing high quality food and offering top notch service.  Just because a chef has mastered their craft in the kitchen, it does not mean that they have a strong grasp of restaurant accounting practices.

Start Off With a Business Plan

The first step to getting your restaurant on track is to come up with a business plan. Many people start their restaurant thinking primarily of the food and the front end organization, a but a real business plan must include cost control measures. These cost control measures involve figuring out the ideal cost for each menu item and then setting up clear portion sizes to keep your actual costs in line with your ideal costs.

Keeping Accurate Records of Expenses is an Essential Part of Your Success

All restaurants, all businesses for that matter, measure their success in terms of profit. Even if you are incredibly busy and have amazing gross sales, if your costs are too high you will fail to make a profit. This is usually what happens when a really good restaurant fails to stay open for business. Keeping accurate records means taking a constant inventory of your supplies, tracking waste and implementing an ordering system that prevents you from wasteful over-ordering. Once you have your food costs under control, you will have to take a close look at your other operating expenses including occupancy costs, labor percentage and any other operating expenses you can think of.

Develop an Accurate Restaurant Bookkeeping System

One of the best ways to do this is by using a P&L or profit and loss report. A profit and loss report is a concise document that will allow you to see all of your restaurant operating expenses at a glance. Your P&L report will break down all of your operating costs so you can tell immediately if some of your expenses are getting out of hand.

Restaurant accounting systems, also known as POS or point of sale systems, can be set up that keep track of sales, inventory and operating costs automatically. But there are many other accounting issues that still need to be dealt with, including managing payroll, calculating sales tax and actually paying all of the bills.

Contact us here for the Restaurant Bookkeeping solution.

3 QuickBooks Online Tools for Cleaning up a Financial Mess

 

It’s happened to all of us – scrolling through screens and shuffling pages with a sinking feeling and brain-blowing headache – trying to make sense of someone else’s financial mess. While cleanup is something we’re paid for, there’s nothing more depressing than feeling like you’ll spend the next six months in a paperwork and spreadsheet prison.

But when you find yourself in this situation, don’t panic yet. QuickBooks Online (QBO) has a few tools to help you sort out the mess, stay organized, and keep your head through the process. I’ll walk you through the 3 that have been the most helpful to me: Bank Rules, Audit Log, Projects, Ask My Accountant account, and Import Lists and Scanning Apps. QuickBooks Bookkeeping helps you in mane your data on QuicKBooks Online.

1: Bank Rules

If your client uses bank feeds, QuickBooks Online (QBO) allows you to create rules that guide how transactions in the bank feed are categorized. For example, if your client’s rent is always paid to Rent, INC., you can create a rule that any transaction to Rent, INC. should be added to the Rent account. And QBO will do it for you automatically!

This is one of the most underutilized tools in QuickBooks Online. Why? Because quite frankly, it’s scary. The set up can be confusing, and many users are leery of creating their own rules, afraid they might be changing more than they are aware. And QBO already tries to match transactions to the appropriate accounts on its own, doesn’t it? Yes, but it makes mistakes which still need to be corrected and added to the register.

2: Audit Log

QBO tracks all changes and stores them in the Audit Log. You can view the history of any transaction, including edits to already accepted transactions and who made them. This tool is especially useful if you need to correct an error or see how far back a mistake was made. Click View to see the transaction’s history; from there you can click the transaction ID and directly view that entry to check transaction details and make changes if necessary.

3: Ask My Accountant/Ask My Client

This feature is all about client communication. Getting data from clients can be one of the most tedious tasks of accounting. But if you find yourself sifting through a mangled mess of paperwork, spreadsheets, or previous QuickBooks data, it is crucial to establish frequent communication to get data as quickly as possible.

You will not be able to guess everything about the ways your client runs his company and spends his resources, so open communication is vital. The Ask My Accountant account can help in this area. All new QBO company set ups have an Ask My Accountant account in the Chart of Accounts. If your client manages part of the QBO himself, make sure the Ask My Accountant account is active and have him put any questionable transactions there. Check the account often and handle these transactions quickly to help you and your client establish a good work flow.

Work smarter, not harder!

Cleanup is an unfortunate part of our job but also an important one. Clients depend on getting their books in order quickly. So instead of spending long days and nights in accounting purgatory to clean up the mess you’ve been handed, use all the QuickBooks Online tools at your disposal to work smart, stay organized, and maintain your Zen!

Looking for the Bookkeeping Solution on QuickBooks ?

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