Where Can I Find a Bookkeeper in New Orleans and Beyond?
The right bookkeeper or bookkeeping firm can help your business avoid costly accounting errors, save money on your tax preparation, and even help protect your business against fraud. But many small business owners struggle to identify the bookkeeping services that are the best match for their unique needs. In some cases, business owners end up doing their own bookkeeping when they give up on finding a reliable, knowledgeable, and affordable bookkeeper.
You are not alone if you have found yourself asking, “Where can I find a bookkeeper in my area?” Rather than lose valuable time attempting to maintain your own bookkeeping, you can gain better results by learning how to find the best online bookkeeping services for small businesses. When you find the right bookkeeper, they can apply their expertise to make your business run with greater efficiency. Learn how your business can grow by finding the ideal bookkeeping service online, whether you’re located in our home base of New Orleans or beyond.
How to Choose the Right Bookkeeper
When outsourcing bookkeeping services for the first time, selecting the right bookkeeper can feel daunting. There are likely dozens of providers available in your area that claim to be capable of managing your books, and even more operating remotely. So how should you narrow down the selection?
First and foremost, you should look for bookkeepers who are knowledgeable, experienced, and trustworthy. Incompetent bookkeepers can make serious mistakes that can cost your business time and money. Looking into their years of bookkeeping experience, professional certifications, and client testimonials can give you an idea of their abilities.
In addition, it is important to have a thorough understanding of your own needs. If you do not have any experience with managing finances, you should look for a comprehensive bookkeeping service with a highly competent management team. Qualified oversight can help to ensure that your business is complying with applicable regulations and using the right combination of bookkeeping tools.
If your business is growing rapidly, you might consider looking for a bookkeeping service that offers short-term contracts or flexible contracts that can scale with your operational needs. Depending on your industry and whether you operate locally or around the world, you may have other specific needs you should keep in mind as well. Some bookkeepers focus on large corporations while others work exclusively with small business owners, so searching for online bookkeeping services for small businesses can help you find the best bookkeeping to match your needs.
Beginning the process of selecting a bookkeeper with an understanding of their abilities and your needs will make it easier to choose the bookkeeping service that is the best match for your business. Many small business owners also value having an open line of communication with their bookkeeper, so look for a bookkeeper or firm that is willing to develop a strong working relationship with your business.
Where Can I Find a Bookkeeper?
Once you decide to outsource your bookkeeping, your next question will probably be, “Where can I find a bookkeeper?” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are over 1.7 million bookkeepers in the United States, giving you no shortage of options to choose from.
While your first instinct may be to search for bookkeepers in your city, opening your search up to remote bookkeepers and firms gives you access to a wealth of competitive bookkeeping services. You can search for online bookkeeping services for small businesses, businesses in your industry, and any other needs you may have.
There are a few situations, however, where it can be advantageous to work with a bookkeeping service that does business in your local area, whether it is in person or remote work. A bookkeeper or bookkeeping firm that has worked in your area should have a stronger understanding of how to apply the relevant laws in your jurisdiction, and they may also have contacts to help you get through tax, accounting, and legal issues.
For companies that do business throughout the United States or even beyond it, however, it can be more beneficial to enlist the services of a remote bookkeeping firm that can work within the frame of today’s global business environment. The best way to find a bookkeeping firm offering modern services online is to search for bookkeepers online rather than through traditional directories. Bookkeeping companies with a strong online presence are most likely to have a solid understanding of the modern digital world.
The Outsourced Bookkeeping Process
If you have never outsourced your bookkeeping before, you might be wondering how that process tends to work, how long it takes, and what it requires from you. To some extent, this will vary based on the bookkeeping service you choose and the needs of your business, but we can still give you a general idea of what you can expect.
To start, any bookkeeper you are considering will need to gain an understanding of your business and its needs. You will likely discuss the size and scope of your business, where your operations are conducted, any issues you’ve experienced with your recordkeeping, and the types of data systems you currently use. If you have found a bookkeeping firm that customizes its services to meet your needs, you can expect to hear your bookkeeper’s assessment of which services would benefit your business most and how they can be tailored to you.
Once you have agreed to move forward, the next step is to begin establishing the infrastructure that will be used to send and receive financial information. Your bookkeeper will determine how to integrate their bookkeeping software with your accounting platforms, your e-commerce merchant services, and other relevant software tools used by your business. If you’re just starting out, a good bookkeeper should be willing to help you set up a QuickBooks Online account or other similar service and sync your information for you.
The entire process can typically be completed in just a few days or weeks. If your books are a mess, some bookkeeping firms may offer to get your books reconciled even before they start their services. Depending on the firm, your fees may be assessed on a fixed or a variable basis.
Fixed contracts can work well if your needs are consistent, but be sure to scrutinize your service contract to make sure you will not be charged additional fees for certain services. For hands-on small business owners, we recommend checking that your bookkeeper won’t be billing you extra hours just to speak with them and get any questions you may have answered.
After you’re set up with your bookkeeper, you can expect to receive regular financial statements, usually on a monthly or quarterly basis. If you need any additional information, let your bookkeeper know, especially around tax season.
Why Choose Our Bookkeeping Services in New Orleans and Beyond?
At Tower Books, we specialize in small business bookkeeping services in New Orleans and throughout the United States. We offer a variety of advantages over other bookkeepers, including:
Over 20 years of experience working with small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Remote collaboration that allows you to benefit from our bookkeeping services in New Orleans and elsewhere.
Fully customizable services to fit your exact needs.
Business advisory services to help you manage and grow your business.
No additional charges for phone calls, emails, or other communications.
No annual contracts or proprietary software.
Clean up and reconciliation for your books before we start our monthly services.
Collaboration with your tax accountant to make it easier for everyone to meet deadlines with fewer surprises.
Cutting-edge, cloud-based technology that keeps your information secure and accessible from anywhere.
QuickBooks implementation, migration, cleanup, and more.
Monthly or quarterly meetings with Jane, our CEO and founder, to review your reports and receive finance recommendations from an expert.
Custom reporting for investors and outside partners.
Free consultations!
If Tower Books sounds like the right bookkeeping service for your business or if you have a few more questions for us first, contact us today for a free consultation. We look forward to hearing from you.