What to Look for When Hiring a Bookkeeper for Your Business

Experience

This should be a given, but anyone you trust with handling your books should know what they're doing. Unfortunately, there are a lot of bookkeepers out there who have monetized their skill by offering training courses to others who want to learn the skill. This is completely fine, however, the problem is that they're marketing the skill as something that anyone can immediately start making money doing, with no experience.

As someone who has been doing this for twenty years, and is still learning new things related to this skill every single day, it concerns me how many people out there are trusting motivated, but very inexperienced individuals with their business's books. You don't need to grill any prospective bookkeepers about their degrees or work experience; you just need to make sure you know how long they've been using this skill and their proficiency with your industry and the accounting software you use.

Personality

Yes, personality matters! And it matters more than you might think. Having a bookkeeper on your team means that you (ideally) will be communicating with this person on a monthly basis at least. It is really important that you enjoy talking with them and feel comfortable asking them questions whenever they pop up. Don't get the wrong idea that it's not a big deal if a person is cold or distant if all they're doing is your bookkeeping. If you don't vibe well on that first call, it might be a good idea to meet with another prospect before making your decision.

Communication

Similar to the previous point, good communication is crucial to a successful business relationship. I've heard stories from clients about previous bookkeepers they've worked with who were difficult to get a hold of. One in particular told me they had a bookkeeper who would straight up disappear for months at a time! This is obviously a problem you don't want to deal with. For this reason, make sure the person you're considering is providing clear communication and being respectful of your time.

Organization

You also want to look for someone who has clear systems in place. Getting a meeting with them should be easy and uncomplicated. The onboarding process should be all laid out for you and straightforward. If you're made to feel like you need to take the reins on the whole process, that's not a good sign. If you consider the fact that bookkeeping is literally organizing your finances, this means that having an organized person in this role is crucial.

Pricing

The best pricing structure for both parties involved is always flat rate monthly billing. Having an agreed upon service that gets billed the same amount on the same day every single month makes it predictable for everyone. To put it simply, hourly pricing makes everyone think too much about pricing, when the focus should be on the value that is provided. I would highly recommend looking for a bookkeeper with a fixed monthly fee that works within your budget.

Honesty

And last, but definitely not least, you want someone you can trust with your financial data. Before meeting with a prospective bookkeeper for your business, it's a great idea to look at their reviews and testimonials. Seeing proof that others have been able to trust this person makes your decision a lot easier! And when you are on the call, try to ask as many questions as you can to get a feel for their integrity. No bookkeeper is going to be an expert in every single industry and accounting software, so if they're transparent about their shortcomings, that's actually a good sign.

I hope these tips are helpful in your search! If you'd like to have a bookkeeper at your service who checks all of these boxes, schedule a call with me here.