As we headed into the New Year, and now that we’re there, I’m having the same conversation with many of my clients. Too many business professionals are still doing their bookkeeping by hand! And they are paying for it through lost time that could be otherwise used to generate more income; new products or services or programs. There is truth to the saying that time is money, and this is a perfect example of that.

Then, for those who don’t have a centralized, electronic means of organizing their expenses and income, the time necessary to prepare for taxes is another huge time zap! New Year should be a time for things to COME, not constant reflection of such questions as ‘what WAS that check for?’

Years ago, my accountant suggested I borrow his QuickBooks software and start entering my business revenue and expenses in it. It was much easier to use than I had expected, and helped me actually see sources of income and expenses and make necessary business decisions more appropriately. And it certainly made my accountant’s life easier! I used his software for years, too, before I finally bought my own. Today you can even manage your accounts with an online version of QuickBooks!

Last year I took it a step further and hired a bookkeeper. That is now 2-4 hours a month that I can now spend on building my business instead of taking care of the busywork of business. I actually SAVE money with the use of a bookkeeper because she charges less/hour than I do!

So, as you take stock on how to become more efficient and grow your business, look at how you’re tracking your income and expenses and figure out how to spend more time doing what you love to do and less time on the busywork of the business.

Interested in more articles to help grow your business? Come visit my business article page on www.meg-enterprises.com at http://tinyurl.com/8tyz2e

Margie