A Melbourne bookkeeper looks at the pros and cons of outsourced bookkeeping

August 27, 2018

As a small business Melbourne bookkeeper, it’s a story we’ve seen countless times:

A small business owner decides they don’t need to get professional bookkeeping.

They think, “how hard could it be?” before diving straight in.

They fumble and make mistakes, many of which eventually cost their business – in terms of not only money, but precious time, too.

If you ask us, the best way to dig yourself out of a hole like that is to never have landed yourself in that position to begin with! Find out how a Melbourne bookkeeper can help.

Choose a dedicated Melbourne bookkeeper

Hiring a professional bookkeeping service from the get-go doesn’t just make life easier – it also protects you from potential business disasters.

And thanks to technology, you can hire a completely virtual bookkeeper.

We’re not talking about advanced AI – rather, virtual bookkeeper refers to a professional bookkeeper who works for your business remotely using current technology.

Think of it as taking bookkeeping outsourcing to the next level!

This gives you a bookkeeper’s knowledge and expertise without the need to set aside any office space or hire a dedicated in-house employee to manage bookkeeping.

Melbourne bookkeeper

Why outsource your bookkeeping?

1) Save money and brings down overheads

One of the biggest barriers business owners struggle with is the cost of hiring a dedicated, in-house bookkeeper.

What many forget is that outsourced bookkeeping is an option!

Outsourcing your bookkeeping gives you the knowledge of a full-time employee, without the associated costs – no need to worry about super or salaries. Just one affordable, flat monthly fee.

2) You’ll gain access to a huge range of bookkeeping services

Not everybody is a trained bookkeeper. While you might be able to competently track your expenses, can you:

You mightn’t be able to… but a small business bookkeeper can!

And on a related note…

3) You’re hiring an expert

In addition to giving you access to a huge range of bookkeeping services, choosing to outsource also means you’ll be looked after by a professional.

That means someone who knows their stuff, can offer qualified and most importantly, won’t leave your bookkeeping in a mess.

It’s not just bookkeeping advice, either. Many experienced bookkeepers have cross-trained or held jobs in other fields in finance. Using this knowledge, they can contribute to your business in more than just bookkeeping!

Click here to learn where our team comes from and what they’ve done.

4) Set your business up with advanced bookkeeping tools

Just like any other industry, technology is proving disruptive to the bookkeeping profession.

New cloud bookkeeping software like Xero and MYOB makes bookkeeping significantly easier. Since it’s synced with your accounts and systems, cloud software does much of the work for you.

While you can apply for these platforms yourself, not everybody has the time to. Not to mention, unless you take considerable time out, you might miss some of your cloud program’s unique quirks.

Your bookkeeper needs to train with each piece of cloud software individually. In addition to setting you up, they can teach you all the ins-and-outs of your chosen platform.

Are there cons to hiring a virtual bookkeeper?

To be honest, no, not really. And anyway, most of them can be mitigated with a little bit of effort!

Here’s an example: many small and medium-sized businesses might worry about not seeing their bookkeeper every day as they used to.

Luckily, the same technology that allows bookkeepers to work virtually also allows you communicate with your bookkeeper as if they were in the same building with you.

Instant messaging apps, video conferences, file-sharing and cloud booking make it easy to communicate regularly and share files with your bookkeeper. Needless to say, it’s pretty clear that this isn’t a major problem any more!

Another common concern is the loss of control.

Yes, you might lose a bit of losing control over the books when you outsource your bookkeeping. However, the knowledge and expertise you receive easily balances everything out.

And we haven’t even started on how much time you’ll get back. Your bookkeeper does all the legwork, leaving you more time to actually run your business!

Thinking of outsourced bookkeeping for your business?

Contact our Melbourne bookkeepers today!

Don’t have the time or know-how to do your own bookkeeping? Eager to avoid potential financial disaster? Can’t afford an in-house bookkeeper?

No matter the reason, Maximum Business Solutions has your bookkeeping needs covered.

In addition to bookkeeping services, our team of qualified, experienced and transparent bookkeepers can help you out with:

  • Account management
  • Superannuation
  • Payroll processing
  • Audit preparation
  • Consultation
  • Cloud software implementation
  • Ongoing management
  • BAS and IAS lodgement

Stop wasting your time and start maximising it – contact us now on (03) 9589 0128, or click here to arrange a chat to discuss your bookkeeping needs.

You can even pop into our Beaumaris office for a chat!