Accounting

Is Your CPA Meeting Your Needs? Here’s What to Look For

The right Certified Public Accountant (CPA) can add immeasurable value to your business, helping you take back your time and grow your wealth. However, not all CPAs are equipped to contribute in such prominent ways. Is your CPA meeting your needs?

In addition to the most basic accounting tasks, your CPA should take initiative to implement custom accounting solutions to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your back office based on your organization’s unique needs. If this isn’t sounding familiar, you might need to start looking for a new CPA.

Continue reading to find out whether or not your CPA is meeting your needs and what you should look for in your next CPA.

Background in Your Industry

Find someone that has experience working with businesses in your field of work, especially if your accounting responsibilities will include industry-specific nuances. The right CPA will have previous knowledge regarding tax strategy, tax credits, deductions, etc. unique to your field that will save your organization money. Someone who is already familiar with the ins and outs of business like yours can jump immediately into their role.

Experience with A Range of Clients

A CPA might be a good fit if they have experience working with various-sized clients—small companies, large businesses, and individuals. More experience means they will have more to offer you.

You can avoid long training periods and beginner mistakes by employing a CPA that has experience preparing tax returns and other financial documents for organizations of a similar size and revenue to yours. If a CPA has experience with a variety of companies at different stages of growth, they’ll still be qualified to help your business as it grows.

Modern Methods That Offer Success

A CPA that recommends and helps you get set up with accounting technology of modern standards is a good sign. If a CPA is still selling you on QuickBooks Desktop, this should be a red flag. Your business deserves better!

For startups, it is easy to manage your finances on a platform like QuickBooks Online. Your CPA should have sufficient knowledge regarding modern, efficient accounting software to streamline your business as opposed to mobile apps or basic desktop programs. Although this is a fantastic tool for routine accounting tasks, it is not an excellent option for in-depth responsibilities that require a human touch.

To make the most of your finances, you will want to use modern technology in conjunction with expert advice offered by your CPA.

Valuable to Your Business

The right CPA won’t be a financial burden on your business. On the contrary, they will add exceptional value. Allowing a highly trained CPA to use their specialized knowledge to monitor and maximize your finances means you can focus on the aspects of your business that you love.

Frequent reporting, in-depth analysis, and tax strategies from your CPA will help your organization increase profits and maximize savings. Proactivity is an essential characteristic—you should hear from your CPA continually throughout the year, not just in April when it’s time to file taxes.

Financial Plans for Greater Success

Financial strategy ensures there is a future for your small business. Not every new business owner understands how to maximize profits or make strategic business decisions, which is why seeking help from a licensed CPA is essential for your business’s long term success.

If you spend time worrying about your budget forecast, tax payments, or financial reports, then you might need a new CPA. Instead of worrying about how your business is going to financially survive another year, enlist a CPA to do the heavy lifting for you.

A CPA firm can assist you with a variety of services to guarantee your business sees profits, hits its yearly targets, and saves on taxes:

Customized monthly accounting solutions
Advising on strategic business decisions
Accounting technologies to streamline your business
Customized financial dashboard
Controller advisory

Thus, a CPA can help your business handle its day-to-day financial obligations in addition to maintaining long-term perspective. Using a financial expert that can take the stress out of caring for your small business’s finances.
Is your current CPA meeting your needs? It’s time to reevaluate! Contact Insogna CPA to start working with an integrated team of experts dedicated to adding value to your business.

How to Organize Spending Priorities for Your Startup

According to a recent study conducted by U.S. Bank, over 80% of all newly formed businesses that ultimately fail do so due to cash flow problems. If you needed a reason to believe that getting your spending in order and dedicating the time to drafting a proper budget for your new startup is important, look no further than that one. Newer Growth Startup According to a recent study conducted by U.S. Bank, over 80% of all newly formed businesses that ultimately fail do so due to cash flow problems. If you needed a reason to believe that getting your spending in order and dedicating the time to drafting a proper budget for your new startup is important, look no further than that one. If you take the time to properly budget now, you’re mitigating a significant portion of the risk you’re likely to face in the not-too-distant future. If you don’t, or worse—if you assume that you can just “make it up on the fly”—all you’re doing is setting yourself up for disaster. Therefore, if you truly want to make sure that you have the budget you need to continue to build the business you’ve always wanted, there are a few key things to keep in mind.

It Begins by Looking Inward, Not Outward

Maybe the most critically important thing for you to understand is that there is no “one size fits all” approach to creating a budget for your startup. Just as it’s fair to say that nobody does what you do quite like how you do it, that same unique quality must extend into the world of budgeting for your SMB.

Every business is different ‒ so while you can certainly look to some similar organizations for guidance and inspiration, be aware that their path is not one for you to rigidly follow. You need to start the process by taking a look at your long-term business goals ‒ where are you today, and where do you want to be in a year or five years from now? What are the steps you need to take to help you accomplish that? What are the mile markers you’ll need to hit along the way? Once you have the specific answers to these questions, then you can begin the process of figuring out what budget is most appropriate for your small business.

Once you contextualize everything through that lens, many of your priorities will easily reveal themselves. At that point, your job becomes making sure you’re spending money in a way that supports those goals first, and everything else second.

As your budget starts to come together, you can even use it as an opportunity to learn more about the business and the way it operates. Once you can better identify how much money you have on hand and where it’s going, you start to better understand things like:

The actual money you’re spending on labor and other materials necessary for your products and services.
Your overall costs of operations.
The level of revenue you’ll need to generate to support your business moving forward. A realistic idea of how much money you can expect to make in terms of profit, and when.

So, as you work to come up with a budget that is more specific to your growth startup, you also begin to better understand how that startup works. At that point, you’re not just in a position to make accurate, informed decisions about things like hiring or materials spending ‒ you can also go back and reconfigure your budget to account for any trends or patterns that you’ve discovered. This cyclical process is also a great way to make sure that you always have the cash necessary to take advantage of opportunities as quickly as possible, even ones that you didn’t necessarily expect.

The “Day One” Budget

For the sake of an example, let’s say that you’re planning a budget for a business that hasn’t technically gotten off the ground yet. At that point, your priorities are a bit different as you’re essentially trying to make “Day One” possible. Again, every business is going to be different from the next. But having said that, there are a few key things you will want to focus on to make sure that your opening goes as smoothly as possible:

Facilities costs – Where, specifically, are you going to be doing business? Do you need to rent a storefront? Are you working out of a commercial office space? Will you need a warehouse or other logistical assets? Regardless of which one best describes your situation, you’ll need to think about things like security deposits, any cosmetic or structural changes you need to make to the building, and even things like signage.

Fixed assets – Also commonly referred to as “capital expenditures,” these are the things that your people are going to need to do the jobs you’ve asked of them. This includes thinking about purchases like work vehicles (if applicable). You also have to buy furniture and other equipment like computers (after all, your people need a place to work).

Materials and supplies – Costs in this category would refer to not only immediate needs like office supplies, but also those related to marketing and other promotional activities you might be engaged in. You’re going to need a steady stream of all of these items to hit the ground running.

Miscellaneous – These are all the other costs of physically opening a business that don’t fall into the other three categories. You’ll need to work with an attorney and likely a financial professional to make sure the back end of your business is in order. Depending on your industry, you may need things like licenses and permits—those cost money, too.

Remember: these aren’t necessarily the costs associated with running your business in the long-term. These are just the things you’ll need to take care of to make sure you’re prepared to open your doors in the first place.

Get Your Priorities in Order

From a longer-term point of view, another key thing you’ll need to do to organize your spending for your newer, growth-focused startup involves getting your priorities in order. Yes, expenses like those outlined here are going to remain important. But those are all about meeting short-term needs. To meet your long-term needs, you need to be judicious about where you spend your money and, more importantly, why.

For the best results, try to prioritize expenditures that actually generate revenue or some type of sizable return on investment in the future. If your startup depends on a particular piece of equipment in order to successfully churn out the product the company was founded on, it stands to reason that: A) buying that equipment and B) paying to maintain it and keep it in proper working order would be top priorities as you literally cannot function without it. The more products you can produce, the more you can sell—and thus the more revenue you can generate.

Go through all of your expenses and try to arrange things in order of importance. For the most part, the things that are absolutely necessary to avoid interrupting your business in any way are going to be at the top of your list.

As you move the order of certain budget items around, also be thoughtful of both the short- and long-term implications of that move. If you prioritize Factor A over Factor B, what chain of events could that cause? If you choose not to focus on computer maintenance and instead move funds elsewhere, what issues would that potentially cause? Are you in a business where slower or more outdated equipment would hurt productivity and your ability to serve your customers? Because if you are, that’s a move you might want to re-think.

Yes, creating the right budget and organizing your spending priorities for your newer startup can feel complicated and time-consuming, but this is absolutely one of those situations where “getting it done” is less important than “getting it right.”

If you feel as if you’re having a hard time completing something this essential on your own, we can help. Not only can we help create a budget that supports your startup as it exists today, but we can also guarantee that you’ll be ready for the business it becomes tomorrow, too.

The Most Common Accounting Mistakes Small Business Owners Make and How to Avoid Them

Most small business owners are an expert in their field, but not necessarily in the accounting aspects of building a business. And, with this comes a few common mistakes. Yet, even simple small business accounting mistakes can prove to be financially limiting and costly down the road. With the help of an accounting professional, it is possible to overcome at least some of these mistakes. Take a look at some of the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.

#1: Choosing the Right Accounting Software for My Business

You've purchased small business accounting software. You assume it will be ideally matched to your business and easy enough to jump into. It's not. The problem is, each business requires a carefully selected and even customized accounting method. There are always risks related to regulatory compliance when the wrong accounting software is used or information is overlooked.

To resolve this, work with a professional that listens to your needs, learns about your business, and modifies your bookkeeping methods to meet your goals.

#2: Your Business Has Poor Organization and Recordkeeping

It's quite common for small business owners to lack the time and skills to effectively manage small business recordkeeping and bookkeeping. There's much to do and it takes time away from your business. And, there are dozens of apps and cloud accounting options present. Which do you use? The good news is all of those options are a good thing. It means there are no longer excuses for not getting your business organized. With a bit of help, it is possible to set up a system that streamlines your business operations.

#3: Cash Flow Versus Profit-Loss Statement

Many small businesses are making money on paper, but they end up going under if their float to getting paid is too long. This is financially limiting and stunts your growth as well.

It’s important to understand how this impacts your business. Cash flow is a critical component of any business operation — it determines how much you end up borrowing and paying for, too. Learn the best methods for managing cash flow.

#4: Not Understanding Standard Accounting Procedures and Terminology

Many small business owners don’t understand key business accounting terms and procedures. What does setting up controls mean? What about bank reconciliation? What are your balance sheets and when are they updated? Profit and loss statements are filled with very specific terminology you need to get right.

It’s possible to learn these terms and methods on your own. There’s plenty of information available. However, it takes time to learn it all. More importantly, you may find applying specific procedures and tax laws to your business challenging. To overcome this, work with a tax professional you can depend on.

#5: The Small Business Budget

A budget provides financial insight. It offers guidance to you about where your business is right now and what your goals are. That’s because a budget — which many small business owners lack — creates key goals for your company to manage. Flying blind, on the other hand, is a common small business mistake.

Creating a budget takes some time and a good amount of dedication. Once it is in place, it can be modified each month to meet current needs. Software is available to help with this, but an accounting professional is also an option.

#6: Too Much DIY

To be frank, one of the biggest mistakes small business owners make is simply trying to save money by doing it themselves. Yes, it is true this will cut your accounting costs, but it also creates a scenario in which you have absolutely no control over “what you don’t know.” In other words, just because you can enter it doesn’t mean you should.

Working with a bookkeeping and accounting service capable of handling these tasks for you is the best option. In nearly every situation, these services will work to save you money, far overlapping any DIY savings you are creating.

#7: Lack of Tax Planning

Taxes are not something you should do just one time a year. Year-long tax planning for small businesses is necessary. It’s not just important to pay your taxes, but also to plan for them and plan for savings options.

If you lack a tax planning strategy, work to improve this by simply working with a tax professional. Create a plan for ways you can invest and cut your tax burden.

#8: Lack of Modernization

Are you still balancing your books using pen and paper? It is no longer considered ideal to do so. Yet, many small business owners see the investment in modernization and cloud accounting to be too costly. In fact, moving to a digital accounting system is likely to save you time and money. It doesn’t have to be challenging to implement this system either.

#9: Not Realizing True Profit and Loss

You may have a profit and loss sheet, but you may not have a lot of insight into what each line means. More so, you may not know enough about methods for reducing costs or viewing profit potential.

The investment in an accounting service can alleviate this. We are happy to talk to you about methods to save you money or boost your profit margins with simple changes to your methods.

Most small business accounting mistakes come from a lack of insight into the industry. The good news is solutions are available to help you overcome nearly all of them.