How To Choose A Bookkeeper
You know you need a bookkeeper but are nervous about hiring one. Whether it be an employee or a contracted bookkeeper. Your hesitation could look something like this:
What should you look for?
How do you know they are any good?
How do you know you can trust them?
I get it! This is an important role in your business, and you don’t want to make a mistake. Let’s walk through how to choose the right bookkeeper for you.
What Should You Look For?
There is no “one size fits all” answer because different businesses need different levels of service.
So here are some universal suggestions to consider:
Personality – You will be working closely with this person. Does their personality mesh well with yours?
Communication – Can they speak your language? Many business owners do not have accounting knowledge and don’t understand the lingo. Does this person work to communicate your books in a way you understand?
Experience – Can they give you references? Are the references verifiable?
Values – Do their values line up with yours? Check their social media pages, most people put themselves out there for all to see.
This may not be your complete list, but I feel like these four things will give you a good direction when going through the process of selecting a bookkeeper for your team.
How Do You Know They Are Any Good?
This one goes back to experience. I know there are good bookkeepers that are just starting out but, in my opinion, there are situations that can only be learned with experience. I should know because I have run into those situations so many times over my 29 years in bookkeeping. Education is an amazing asset, but I feel that experience trumps it every time.
Here are some ideas on how to know if they are any good:
Resume/History – Are they willing to provide a resume that includes detailed responsibilities in their past positions or are they just listing “Bookkeeper”?
Verify Experience – Anyone can claim to know anything, verify they have performed the duties they are claiming.
CPA – Talk to your CPA. Ask them to look over the resume. They will be working with the bookkeeper too. On a side note, I like keeping the two duties, bookkeeping and taxes, separate because it creates more checks and balances.
How Do You Know You Can Trust Them?
Deep trust is built over time. Even when trust is built, it can be broken. Check the person out via social media, any known joint associates and friends, court view, prior or current employers/clients. Here are a few suggestions to implement in your business:
Monthly/Quarterly review by an outside source. This could be a contracted bookkeeping company or CPA.
Pay your bills yourself. Don’t give the bookkeeper the power to actually pay any bills. They could provide the report with the printed checks but have the bills associated paper clipped behind each check.
Don’t give the bookkeeper signatory power on any bank account.
Do not have the bookkeeper responsibility for any money deposits.
Conduct regular meetings to go over the books so that you gain a deeper understanding and know what’s going on in your business.
There is no fool proof way to know if you are getting the perfect bookkeeper. That’s not possible. What is possible is good due diligence in the beginning and a willingness to change the situation if the fit isn’t right. Your bookkeeper should care about the success of your business because your success is their success.
