Top Essential Accounting Tips for Startups | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post

Top Essential Accounting Tips for Startups

10 best tips to consider before starting a new business.

92
Top Essential Accounting Tips for Startups

Starting a new business can be a little overwhelming so it is a good idea to keep in mind a few essential accounting tips. If you don't keep an eye on business finances and leave it to someone, you might end up with no business after a few years. Cash Flow issues can arise, and you need to be smart about your business growth.

Here in this article, we will be sharing 10 essential accounting tips for startups, so, if you recently launched a startup, you must read this article.

1. Know about business taxes

Running a business is not an ordinary thing. There are a few rules that are applied to your business. They are different from your usual financial management system. Let's say you don't have to pay a tax on your pocket money, but in business, you will have to pay a tax and in return, you will be entitled to some business advantages. Other things like, why you need to file for taxes, how tax is determined according to your net income and business size, how to determine between a personal and business tax, and how should you prepare before the tax season? These are all the questions that you must know during the startup launch. Financial management laws must be applied to business accounts because it is the way of good bookkeeping.

2. Keeping your Personal and Business Expenses Separate

So many people make the mistake of mixing personal and expenses, but it is a grave mistake. You are bound to get in trouble if you don't keep your business and personal life separate. Personal losses are not supposed to be big, and they don't impact us in a larger capacity but if you take money from a business account to offer a paystub to your personal housekeeper, it can have a negative impact on business.

The best way to keep them separate is to have a separate bank account for personal and business expenses.

3. Keep a record of your Expenses

We all like to spend thousands of dollars on shopping whether it is for personal use or for inventory. And when we are in the thick of it, we lose track of our budget and end up spending more than we wanted. This has been a problem for my startup owners. But our recommendation is to save money from small things such as stationery, office furniture, and buying less inventory. Being the owner of your startup company, you should keep a close eye on your expenses and don't forget to add them to a list of expenses. Because not keeping a record is even worse than overspending.

Make sure you have a plan on how you are going to save from mere expenses because unless you are careful, your high income skills and smart business plan can fail.

4. Bookkeeping/Accounting Software

Back in the day, people used to make a list of expenses but now everything is replaced with digital technology. These days you can have accounting software for your business setup. By having software laced with cutting-edge technology, you don't need to keep receipts anymore because all the data will be saved there.

You can have a business credit card to pay for your transactions as it will be easy to handle instead of cash in your wallet.

Also, the proper record of expenses and profits will give you an insight into how you want to handle the next step of your business.

A lot of big companies get cloud-based accounting software to keep their data safe but unless you are spending millions, you should lay low and get less expensive accounting software. Even with the less price, don't compromise on quality. QuickBooks is a good one. With this, you have access to it anywhere and anytime. It has a smooth collaboration between your employees and secures your data through automatic backups.

Accounting software will require a link to your business bank account. Once it is synced with the bank, it will start tracking your income and expenses. It will generate automatic receipts and keep track of invoices.

5. Hire a Professional

Doing bookkeeping is a crucial matter for every business and it is okay if you want to do the task all by yourself. But not everyone is able to do it herself or himself. Either they are not good with numbers, or they don't have time to manage these things. That is also fine because it is not necessary that you should be good at everything. With experience and a little learning, you can get better at doing bookkeeping. Also, the software is really good as well and they can help you out.

But besides handling it all by yourself, you can hire a professional financial accountant. A financial accountant knows what to do and how to manage the whole business. However, hiring them is pretty expensive so hiring them for a few hours or taking their services in weeks or months can also be considered. They can be pretty helpful for filing taxes at the right time. Saving money by finding a few loopholes in the system, and employee compliance.

6. Managing employees' salary

When you are running a business, you definitely have a few people working for you. They are regarded as your employees. In exchange for their services, you need to pay them. Paying them will take away a big chunk of net income. But you need to be smart while hiring people. Hire people that are smart and are functional for your business. Lose the dead weight of those employees who don't do much for the business. Also, if they work overtime or on the weekends, you need to pay them handsomely as well.

7. Always have some cash on the side for a rainy day

You must be aware of the phrase "better safe than sorry" and keeping some cash on the side for a rainy day is exactly like that. You never know when there will be a cash crisis so prepare in advance.

8. Don't take big loans

Many businesses consider taking big loans as an immediate solution, but we urge you to take out only what you need. Don't go the extra mile when you are under crisis because it wouldn't be wise.

9. Plan ahead of any major investments

Surely, with a business plan, you have thought about the future. But it is wise to keep those goals in mind when you are spending money on the basics.

10. Keep your financial statement UpToDate

When you are making decisions for the future of your company, you must know the company's current, previous, and projected growth. This can be done if you keep your financial statements UpToDate.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Illistrated image of colorful balloons and fireworks
StableDiffusion

With each new year comes new goals.

Deciding on a goal can be hard, unsure of what to change for this new year. A new goal for myself is to be happier and take care of myself more. I am a very driven person; so driven that I commit to a million and ten things.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Pros And Cons Of Having A Birthday Near The Holidays

The truth of what it is like having a birthday around the holiday season.

3098
Christmas decoration
Flickr

It's the most wonderful time of the year!! But for some people, including myself and my Dad, it can have its ups and downs when it comes to having a birthday near and around the holiday season. I personally share a birthday with my Dad two days before Christmas. Yes, Christmas Eve Eve is our birthday. Here are a few pros and cons for having a birthday near the holidays.

Keep Reading...Show less
Christmas Tree Lights
Pixabay

It is that time of year again. Christmastime. It is one of my favorite seasons for a myriad of reasons. Here are just a few reasons why I love Christmas. This list is in no order of importance.

1. The Christmas decorations

I am that person who will decorate directly after Thanksgiving is over. This year, my roommates and I put the tree up in our apartment before we even left for Thanksgiving break. It is a great stress reliever for me to just sit in my living room and work on the huge amount of work I have before the semester is over.

Keep Reading...Show less
girl with santa hat
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

'Tis the season to be jolly folks, and if you're anything like me, then at the stroke of midnight on Halloween your home went from wicked to winter

Keep Reading...Show less
mistake
Project Eve

Mistakes are something we all make, no matter how old we get. Most of the time, the mistakes we made are little and sometimes due to something out of our control. Yet, there are mistakes that are bigger than others. Personally, I have mistakes that I wish I could go back and undo. Here they are:

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments