I have clients that have been frustrated with their books because they have hired a bookkeeper that took too much time to do what needed done or They did not seem to know what they are doing. I’ve seen their work and have cleaned up after them and most of the time I do a face palm because of the huge mess they have created. Not just that but they did not have the courtesy to tell the client they could not do what was asked or needed for the books. They know the accepted accounting principles but do not know how to use the accounting system.

Hint for bookkeepers: if you look at the clients books and you do not know how to help the client tell the client so you are not stressed! And you can go on and do other bookkeeping services to small businesses that you know how to handle. Hone in on your specialties.

What are the 3 things to look for a potential bookkeeping help:

Certification from an accounting system you are using.

With Quickbooks Online or even desktop version intuit provides training in using the program. I think Xero does as well. Now some doesn’t provide training like Waveapps but the years of experience in using a program like waveapps that doesnt provide training should show the level of skills the bookkeeper have.

Why is this important? Most of the clean up I have done was because of not knowing how to use the program. They know the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles but they do not know how to use the system. Quickbooks Online, Xero and any other accounting software has its own unique system or flow. The bookkeeper handling your book need to understand how this machine works, how it flows, how a transaction recorded affects other data in the system. 

A week test run 

This will give you enough time to see if you are compatible together and to see if the bookkeeping help  really knows what she is doing. Her confidence, her skills. You might not know how to use the accounting software yourself but within this period of time you’ll see the telltale of something going right or wrong. This will prevent any unnecessary time lost, book messed ups and stress. You can even ask the bookkeeping help to diagnose your book and tell you what her plan of action is. 

Work reference, rating and reviews 

Just like when you buy a product in amazon. The picture looks promising, the price is cheap compared to others, seem like the description of the product exactly what you  are looking for. What do you do next? Correct! Read all the reviews! Whenever I look for a product that seems promising to me. The quality, the price and all that. I always find myself looking at the low star ratings the product got. I want to know why a product that is promising got a low rating. Now when I read those and see anything that they said that was wring with the product was something important to me that is then a red flag. 

Look at the rating, reviews or call or connect with their previous employer or client. If something you think is important for you that the bookkeeper might not be good at or not have an experience in then you need to decide if its worth it to hire. If its something that can easily be taught her or something the bookkeeper can be trained at and if you are willing to provide the training then go ahead and hire her.

Most importantly I think is character. I have seen and worked with people who have such great potential, skills, training and education but lacks the character, the drive, the motivation. It is hard to work with them. It is hard to grow a business when your team member is a diva. You want to be able to have a great relationship with the people you work with. People who celebrate your passion and believes in what you do and would want to grow your business with you.