Interested in finding out more about Xero Cashbook? What does it mean for your business? Join us as we give you our expert opinion on this offering from Xero, our preferred accounting software company. Click the link to read about our ongoing experience as Xero Bookkeepers. We have current and relevant information about their software. We like Xero because it makes our jobs easier and our work better. Terrific!

In this post, we breakdown what Xero Cashbook is, what it does, and what it should be used for. Enjoy!

Are you interested in Xero Cashbook?

We are glad you are interested in using Xero accounting software! It literally brought Amy, our CEO and founder, back into the Bookkeeping Industry, with its fresh, practical layout and cloud-based functionality. What a piece of software!

Unlike the old days of MYOB or Quickbooks desktop software, where you could pay once and then keep using out-of-date software for years until you were forced to upgrade, Xero uses a subscription model. The upside of the old desktop versions was; cheap accounting software. The downside was the risks and inefficiencies of outdated software. Many people don’t understand the benefit of innovating software.

Because Xero subscribers keep paying money every month, Xero can keep innovating their software by keeping it up to date, secure, bug free, and easy to use. Given that your business depends on your finances being up to date and accurate, the subscription fee is a small investment to keep you on top of your business admin. When you can log in and see what you own, what you owe and what you’ve made, with ease, it makes a big difference and can help your business go from struggling to flourishing.

Nice to use, and functional!

Xero Accounting Software has a nice interface that is intuitive and logical. As well as that, it also provides many integration options, such as; Deputy, Clinko, Stripe, Paypal, Receipt Bank and Shopify. This means that whatever software you are already using for taking payments, looking after your receipts, taking bookings for your clients, or managing your team, are all easily connected to Xero, reducing the paper trail, and removing the chances for making mistakes. That makes for Beautiful Business.

Xero is secure, which is essential in keeping your money yours, and stopping fraud and security breaches from occurring. No one wants their house broken in to, and that goes the same for finances too. Keeping your financial data secure is very important; saving you stress, lost time, and the sense of feeling violated with someone getting their hands on all your business’s private financial data. 

Why we don’t recommend Xero Starter…

What?! Yes, that is right, we don’t endorse Xero Starter. We feel that even though it is an entry level version of Xero, which we know and love, it is just too stripped out of the features that actually make Xero the best accounting software for Small Business. You can’t simply take a wheel off a bicycle to save money – that second wheel is an important part of the package! Xero Starter loses too many features that we feel are very important for our clients!

We feel that the loss of the features such as being able to reconcile more than 20 bank lines, issue more than 5 tax invoices, and losing out of the cash-coding function, really makes it not worthwhile for most business owners. 

Especially the cash-coding function which allows quicker reconciliations.

Xero Starter is essentially a Xero-lite version of the software that we know and love; which is only available only via your Xero Advisor. The general public don’t have access the software subscription Xero Starter.

What you should use instead of Xero Starter

While no-one is desperate to spend money on things they don’t need, investing wisely into tools, equipment and software that are relevant to what you do is a great idea. If you are on your feet all day, getting a good pair of shoes that don’t leave you feet and legs tired and achy is the smart choice to make. Likewise, if you run a Small Business, you really need to be able to get a reliable high level view of your finances, manage your compliance, and collaborate with your bookkeeper and accountant. You will save yourself time and effort using this. And money. This is what you want from software!

That is why we recommend using the following so that you can take advantage of features that speed up the work, like cash coding and find-and-recode;

Xero Standard ($50 per month): If you have up to 2 employees but are happy to pay manual superannuation, and you don’t need to use multiple currencies.

Xero Premium 5 ($65 per month): If you have up to 5 employees and want automated superannuation, of if you need multiple currencies.

Xero Premium 10 and above (starting at $75 per month): If you have more than 5 employees you can increase your plan in increments as your team grows.

What kind of business is Xero Cashbook the right solution for?

That’s a great question. As I mentioned at the start, there are smaller plans, called Xero Partner Plans, and these range from $5 to $29 per month. Partner plans include; 

Xero Ledger ($5 per month): allows your bookkeeper to keep accounts for small entities that don’t require any bank feeds or invoicing.

Xero Non-GST Cashbook ($10 per month): is great if you need bank feeds but don’t need invoicing or GST (ie if you’re not registered for GST and don’t lodge a BAS).

Xero GST Cashbook ($19 per month): is great if you need bank feeds and GST but don’t need invoicing.

Xero GST Cashbook with Payroll ($29 per month): is great if you need bank feeds, GST and payroll for up to 4 employees, but don’t need invoicing. 

That is our take on Xero Cashbook software subscription. Over to you….

Thank you for your time and reading our account of Xero Cashbook software. We hope we have successfully explained why we recommend using Xero Cashbook, Xero Standard or Premium versions instead of Xero Starter. You need to know the differences. No one wants to buy more than they need to. Our article also explains why if you’re on the small end of business that we recommend getting in touch with us. Then we can to get you access to a Xero Cashbook plan to suit your needs.

We look forward to hearing from you. Don’t be shy if we seem like the Xero Bookkeepers for you!

+++

• In addition to being an excellent Xero Bookkeeper and CEO of Off The Hook Bookkeeping; Amy is also the founder of The Savvy Bookkeeper ~ so if you are a Bookkeeper who needs help with Sales, Marketing, Website, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Business Logo and more, please get in touch.
• If you are interested in engaging with our Bookkeeping services ~ please click here to get in contact.

Thank you for your time, and have a lovely day!

The post Xero Cashbook appeared first on Off The Hook Bookkeeping.

Looking for a Melbourne Bookkeeper? We can help you! I know it’s hard to believe but not everyone enjoys bookkeeping as much as we do. So if bookkeeping isn’t your smashed avo on toast, you can give it to us!

It’ll be a great partnership – we’ll look after your books, and you immerse yourself in your favourite part of your business. Off The Hook Bookkeeping is a Melbourne-based bookkeeping service (although we’re Virtual, so we work across Australia, and also have an office in Brisbane). We offer a wide-range of bookkeeping services, from keeping your accounts up-to-date and balanced, managing your ATO requirements, keeping your payroll completed, superannuation lodged, and all your compliance met. Too easy!

In addition to bookkeeping, we also offer business consulting services.

We (myself and my wife/business partner, Amy Hooke) run two of our own businesses. One is Off The Hook Bookkeeping – Australia’s #1 Virtual Bookkeeper, and The Savvy Bookkeeper – a business service that equips Bookkeepers to strengthen their business practices through mentoring, training and other services.

Not only do we have two companies, but we’ve helped literally hundreds of Bookkeeper’s Businesses too so they can offer a high-standard of service with clients that they most enjoy working with. Isn’t it lovely to be able to work with people who get you!?

Because of our years of experience as business owners (just like you!) we also run a business mentoring service. We understand your challenges as a business owner. Finding and keeping good staff, being efficient with time and money, managing cash flow and staying compliant. All whilst juggling family, friends and looking after your health and wellbeing.

It isn’t easy running a business – unless you’re Wonder Woman or Superman. So I’m going to assume that you’re not, and that, just like we have in the past, you may be finding yourself getting bogged down in admin and details that have made you forget why you started your business in the first place!

Lucky for you, we can help get all of that in line, so everything runs smoothly – well, everything in the business financials department! (We can’t help you with your health or to spend more time with your family… but we can help free up some of our time, so that you can do that.)

We don’t just hang our hat on our excellent Bookkeeping, Payroll and BAS services, but also our Business Consulting and Mentoring services as well – if you’re ready for more support, above and beyond the number crunching. 

Whether you simply need your bookkeeping done, or you want help getting your business streamlined, or your finances singing, with the help of our consulting services, Off The Hook Bookkeeping can cover all of your needs as even more than you Melbourne Bookkeeper.

Amy Hooke, Melbourne Bookkeeper extraordinaire!

Amy Hooke (my beautiful and multi-talented, entrepreneurial wife!) is the CEO and founder of Off The Hook Bookkeeping and The Savvy Bookkeeper. I’m not just saying that because she’s my boss!

Well, she’s been running rings around the bookkeeping profession for over 20 years. She’s not only started her career in a mid-size Chartered Accounting firm in Melbourne CBD, but she’s a Degree Qualified accountant and Registered BAS Agent (which means she can legally prepare and lodge BAS on your behalf). She’s also a very caring person, who will go out of her way for clients who appreciate her.

You can rest assured that we will do a great job getting your books in order! And having a real gem on your team.

At Off The Hook Bookkeeping, we understand that using technology well will help your business to run successfully. Because of this, we specialise in Xero and Receipt Bank accounting software. We have found these apps to be great as they are reliable, get the work done efficiently and allow us to work with you 100% virtually. These apps take the chore out of keeping your accounts reconciled and up to date.

After performing a Bookkeeping Health check, we’ll qualify the level of service that you need.

If you’re a bit behind, we can do a Catch Up Job to bring you up to speed. And once everything is in order again, provide weekly, fortnightly, monthly and quarterly bookkeeping to keep everything up to date so you’ll have peace of mind.

We know, it can be a nasty surprise to find your accounts are out of order! Especially if the person doing your accounts was someone you trusted; like your accountant, a friend, an employee, your wife, your mum or…yourself! Gulp! (100% no judgement – it can happen to anyone! We’re only here to help you.)

We’ve helped more business owners than you can throw a stick at (not that we would ever want you to throw a stick at anyone!), to get their books back in order and everything back in its proper place.

We understand that it can be stressful to discover your books are a mess and that your accounts need fixing. This is a stressful situation for you, that you probably didn’t anticipate happening – that kind of surprise no one likes! We’ve been here before, and will help get you out of this problem.

Because of our high level of expertise, we can offer everything from bookkeeping, lodging BAS and payroll, through to management reporting, consulting, budgeting and forecasting, and small business mentoring.

We understand how all of these things are interconnected, and can make all of these things work for you. Does this sound like what you want from your Melbourne Bookkeeper?

Our bookkeepers are Registered BAS Agents

Becoming a Registered BAS Agent is no small feat. That’s why there are many bookkeepers out there who are operating outside of the law. BAS Lodgement is directly tied into having accurate accounts and having transparency in the financial area of your business, so getting your BAS right isn’t just about making the ATO happy. It’s also about you and your business’s success; laying the right foundation in accurate accounts.

You would find it hard to believe, but there are a lot of business owners out there paying illegal wages, or claiming false deductions (we know that you’d never do that! Well, not on purpose anyway). And it’s easy, in isolation to think “it’s ok because everyone in my industry does it that way”. But the ATO is targeting various industries all the time to audit them.

Whether you agree with the ATO rules or not, having financial accountability plays a vital part in the financial wellbeing of our economy, so for that reason the ATO (and the Tax Practitioners Board) give respect and benefits to bookkeepers who have met a certain standard. Read more about how a bookkeeper becomes a Registered BAS agent here.

Your BAS Agent not only has a minimum of 4 years supervised BAS related experience (initially 1,400 hours) and does another 40 hours every three years to keep up to date with GST laws.

But your BAS agent also gets you extended lodgement dates (aka an extra month to lodge your BAS), is covered by the Tax Practitioners’ Board Code of Conduct, must have Professional Indemnity Insurance. And gives you protection under the Safe Harbour laws (leaving you free from liability if you BAS Agent makes a mistake).

All this means peace of mind when you get your BAS Lodgment done with us – because if anything isn’t up to standard, you can contact the Tax Practitioners’ Board and lodge a complaint. Click here to see what the Tax Practioner’s Board has to say about it.

Single Touch Payroll

https://www.offthehookbookkeeping.com.au/single-touch-payroll/

I did mention earlier that a lot of businesses have been dodging doing things right. And employees suffer as a result. In order to make sure business owners are paying their workers their due wages, entitlements and superannuation, the Australian Government has introduced Single Touch Payroll, or STP.

This is already in place, but according to Xero, 60% of small businesses haven’t made the transition yet. And the ATO is starting to issue fines, as the grace period ended in September. If you need Single Touch Payroll implemented, we can do this for you!

Xero Accounting Software

https://www.offthehookbookkeeping.com.au/software/xero-bookkeeper/

Keeping your accounts up to date, reconciled, and getting useful information from them has never been easier since Xero Accounting Software has been released. It is so good that Amy actually got back into being a bookkeeper after discovering it. It makes the accounting work much easier!

Receipt Bank

https://www.offthehookbookkeeping.com.au/software/receipt-bank/

Save yourself the drama of carrying around a shoe box full of receipts, or shoving another invoice into your glovebox. Receipt Bank is an ATO approved online filing system. So you know that it works, and if you ever get an ATO audit, it will be much smoother given everything is recorded properly.

Fixed Price Bookkeeping

https://www.offthehookbookkeeping.com.au/accountant-bookkeeper-consultant/

Want to smooth out your bookkeeping billing? We understand the benefit of having a steady invoice to pay. Because no one enjoys have bills seemingly disappear and then wham! double bills in one month. Ouch!

Fixed Price Bookkeeping helps smooth out your billing, your bookkeeping routinely done, and don’t get a sporadic bills fooling you into thinking you have more spare money than you actually do. No one likes a bill that seemingly hits you from behind. Having a predictable bill from us is another way we help your business to run smoothly and stops financial surges.

Marvellous Melbourne Bookkeeper

Being from Melbourne, we also get that you are more interested in enjoying your latte and a Nutella doughnut than making sure your accounts receivable and your accounts payable are all in good order. So relax and enjoy the spectacle that is Melbourne weather, while we keep everything neat and tidy for you in your accounts.

But did you know that excellent bookkeeping does more than keep the ATO from giving you a financial smack? As we are highly skilled bookkeepers, we can show you where your business is wasting money, address these areas, and strengthen the areas of your business that are more profitable.

That’s our offering as a Melbourne Bookkeeper. Over to you….

It isn’t always easy going through the process of getting a new bookkeeper. Because of this, we thought to tell you about us, so you can judge whether or not we are a good fit for you and your business. If not, that is totally fine!

We won’t be everyone’s cup of tea! But if we seem like a good match, please get in touch so we can talk to you about all your business needs and we can go from there.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks for reading,

See you soon.

Sincerely,

Will Hooke

+++

• As mentioned before; Amy is also the founder of The Savvy Bookkeeper ~ so if you are a Bookkeeper who needs help with Sales, Marketing, Website, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Business Logo and more, please get in touch.
• If you are interested in engaging with our Bookkeeping services ~ please click here to get in contact.

Thank you for your time, and enjoy the Melbourne weather!

The post Bookkeeper Melbourne appeared first on Off The Hook Bookkeeping.

Are you looking for a Melbourne Xero Bookkeeper? Your search is over! At Off The Hook Bookkeeping, we love using Xero Accounting Software!

It’s not only a well designed and powerful program, but it’s also well supported. So it makes bookkeeping easier and more effective for you and your bookkeeper.

Who wants to wrestle with software? Not us! And definitely not you!

Please read on as we discuss the details of Xero, what it is, what a Xero Bookkeeper is and does, what this means for you, and more!

What is Xero Accounting Software?

Xero is an accounting program that you can access from anywhere with an internet connection, allowing you to keep your accounts up-to-date and accessible. It has an intuitive (AI) and easy-to-use interface, but that’s only part of it. It allows full control over your finances, when you pay your bills and invoices, when you issue your invoices – which can be paid online, keep track of your inventory, and gives full control and transparency over payroll!

You can connect Xero directly to your bank, Stripe or PayPal statements, which feed the debits and credits into your file. But don’t worry, if you’re concerned about privacy and data-security, it can not access your bank account so as to allow the transfer money.

And of course it wouldn’t be so widely used among Australian small-to-medium business if it couldn’t handle GST! Which of course it does!

With all this data flowing through it, Xero has excellent security features, keeping you and your information safe from electronic fraud – which is critical to prevent hackers from stealing your hard earned money.

Back in 2006, when Xero software was created – the software was simply known as Accounting 2.0, but for various reasons, the name was changed to Xero. Much snappier to say (and write), I must agree. Rod Drury and Hamish Edwards, two clever Kiwis, weren’t satisfied with the software of day and so they embarked on a journey of creating Xero, with a vision of contributing to opening up more job opportunities to our fellow Australians, by supporting small-to-medium business.

And it worked for us! We are one of the millions of small businesses that wouldn’t be operating today, 100% virtual, if it weren’t for the invention of a software that allowed us to work live, and online with our clients.

Xero changed the world; and the world of business and accounting is better for it! It has now been 13 years since Xero was created – a long time in the world of software. Xero has stood the test of time, and is subscribed to by over one million Australians and New Zealanders.

It has made a positive impact on the economies of both Australia and New Zealand, as it helps small business and medium business keep the accounts up to day and reconciled. This makes the life of a Bookkeeper much easier, and keeping track of where all the money is, where the money has come from, and where the money is going, that much easier.

Isn’t that what technology is supposed to do – make our lives easier! Xero does make life easier, for us, and our clients. And we are grateful for its contribution to our world.

Xero is available as a mobile app for both iOS and Android, for keeping everything up to date when you are out and about. Excellent!

What is a Xero Bookkeeper?

Now that you know what Xero Accounting Software is, you will have already guessed what a Xero Bookkeeper is. Yup! It’s a Bookkeeper who’s highly skilled at using Xero! And a Melbourne Xero Bookkeeper is one from your favourite sunny city in Australia!

Now, don’t get me wrong, Xero is a well-designed piece of software. But just like everything, the instrument is only part of the equation. Imagine you bought a $10,000 piano – you wouldn’t automatically become a talented pianist, making beautiful music with it, and getting the most value from your purchase. You simply wouldn’t be able to use it to do everything it’s capable of.

Or, let’s say you decked yourself out in Milwaukee, Dewalt, Hard Yakka, FXD. Filling your toolbox with hammers, spanners, screwdrivers, nail-gun, tape measure, spirit-level and set-square. And kitting yourself out in some steel caps, and those fashionable stretch work pants that all the cool kids are wearing in the tradie scene these days, you rocked up on a building site in your new Ford Ranger.

Does that mean you’ll be able to build a house, if you don’t have at least 5 years on-the-job training? No chance!

Xero is no different! And that is why getting an excellent Xero Bookkeeper to help your business run successfully is such a great investment. And not just a bookkeeper, but a Registered BAS agent is a bookkeeper who has at least 4 years on-the-job training, and is certified by the ATO/Tax Practitioners Board.

Your business will be making a beautiful sound when you engage our services!

What does Xero do for you?

So how does all this information about Xero help you?

Your business finances will be seen as they truly are. Scary? Perhaps! But if you are out of shape would you want to know?

Or would you prefer to trust your own reflection in the mirror which is skewed because you can look at yourself from the angle that makes you look 10x handsome?

No! You wouldn’t! You aren’t in business to pretend you’re doing better than you thought. You’re in business because you had a goal, and deceiving yourself is not going to make that dream a reality.

What if your business is already in shape? 

Excellent! And you will be able to move forwards from there, and either improve the quality, or the size of your business. Or sell it as everything is shape shape and ready to go!

What does Xero mean for us?

Back in 2014, our CEO & founder, Amy Hooke had completed some travelling around the World and thought about her financial future. Amy had been involved in bookkeeping since her mid-teens on her Dad’s various businesses.

It seemed a waste to throw away all that expertise. Xero Accounting Software caught her eye. It was totally fresh and modern! Instead of having to work the software, the software worked for you!

This was the new beginning that Amy needed. Armed with Xero, Amy launched Off The Hook Bookkeeping, and was having a ball getting business clients accounts in order and addressing inefficiencies.

Not only did Xero re-ignite Amy’s passion for bookkeeping, but Amy then created her own website, and her Bookkeeper friends wanted Amy to make them websites too. This progressed into her second business: The Savvy Bookkeeper – a business mentor service for Bookkeepers, to enhance their business, perfect their business offering, find their niche, and engage with clients in the industries they enjoy working for.

Xero Accounting software helped spark all of that; and we’ve helped literally hundreds of Bookkeepers to transform their business and changed their life in the process.

Who would have thought that modern accounting software could be involved in all that?

That is our take on being a Melbourne Xero Bookkeeper. Over to you….

Thank you for reading this post. I hope it has made it clear to you what a Xero Bookkeeper is, what Xero Accounting software does, and how it can and will make a positive change in your small-to-medium business.

Having your accounts up to date will help give you a firm financial footing because you’ll understand what’s actually going on in your business from a financial standpoint. As well as knowing the facts and figures, from the information you will be able to make sound decisions made on solid data. You can identify where you’re leaking money, and fix it. You can identify where you are leaking money, and leverage it.

Going off your feelings and intuition is still an important part of running any business, but being able to connect that with your financial reality is essential to not only keeping your business afloat, but to actually flourish (in quality) and even expand (in quantity) if that is something you are interested in doing.

Xero Accounting Software, and a skilled Melbourne Xero Bookkeeper will help do all of this for your business!

When you engage with Off The Hook Bookkeeping’s Bookkeeping Services to be your Xero Bookkeeper, we can help straighten out your accounts, enhance your business and love working for yourself.

If we sound like the Xero Bookkeeper you have been waiting for, please get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you.

+++

• As mentioned before; Amy is also the founder of The Savvy Bookkeeper ~ so if you are a Bookkeeper who needs help with Sales, Marketing, Website, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Business Logo and more, please get in touch.
• If you are interested in engaging with our Bookkeeping services ~ please click here to get in contact.

Thank you for your time, and feel free to join us as we enjoy Xero!

The post Xero Bookkeeper appeared first on Off The Hook Bookkeeping.

Are you looking for Melbourne Bookkeeping Services? We are here to help you. Not everyone loves Bookkeeping like we do, and we understand that you are more interested in following your passion than keeping this part of the admin up to date. It could be a match made in heaven!
We understand business – we run two of our own!

This Bookkeeping Service, as well as The Savvy Bookkeeper – a business mentoring service that enables Bookkeepers to enhance their business through our mentoring. So not only do we have two, but we’ve helped literally hundreds of Bookkeeper Businesses to enhance their company, and work with clients that they enjoy working with.

That is why we can not only recommend our Bookkeeping, but our Business Consulting service as well – if you are in need of that offering.

Amy has been a bookkeeper for over 20 years, is a Degree Qualified accountant and Registered BAS Agent (which means she can prepare and lodge your BAS). Not only will your accounts be up-to-date and balanced, but your ATO requirements will be met, your payroll completed, superannuation lodged, and all your compliance met.

At Off The Hook Bookkeeping, we specialise in Xero and Receipt Bank accounting software. We have found these apps to be great as they are reliable and get the work done efficiently.

After doing a Business Health check, we will be able to qualify the level of service that you need. We can do Rescue Jobs, and once everything is in order again, provide weekly, fortnightly, monthly and quarterly bookkeeping to keep everything up to date to give you peace of mind. We understand that it isn’t nice to discover your books are a mess and that your accounts need fixing. This is a stressful situation for you, that you probably didn’t anticipate happening. We’ve been here before, and will help get you out of this jam.

Because of our high level of expertise, we can offer everything from bookkeeping, BAS and payroll, through to management reporting, consulting, budgeting and forecasting, and small business mentoring.

Melbourne Bookkeeping Services – did you say Marvellous Melbourne?!

We love Melbourne! We’ve been here for decades! We understand that as someone from Melbourne, life isn’t all lattes, black skinny jeans, and enjoying the rollercoaster ride that is Melbourne’s weather! Business demands must be addressed, from the essential all the way through to the transformational. Now, we understand some people will see Bookkeeping as a bore, and we are happy to take that burden from you. If you don’t like bookkeeping, give it to us!

What many business owners don’t realise is that an excellent bookkeeper should be providing you with accurate information on how your business is actually going. A bookkeeper isn’t simply someone who helps you avoid being ‘put in the naughty corner by the ATO’, a bookkeeper is a highly-trained professional with an incredibly useful business toolkit. An astute bookkeeper can help you diagnose and uncover unhealthy areas where you are leaking money. Any bookkeeper who is worth her salt will help you, not only stamp out inefficiencies, she will also help you target the areas that your business does well and maximise your profitability.

Without a sensible bookkeeper providing you with current information on how things are really doing, you are flying blind and relying on feelings and intuition; two things which definitely have a place in your business, but they must work in partnership with data and analytics. This is exactly what a highly-skilled bookkeeper can provide.

Here’s a few other things we can do for you!

Single Touch Payroll

https://www.offthehookbookkeeping.com.au/single-touch-payroll/

Single Touch Payroll or STP is an initiative from the ATO to make sure everyone is paying their fare share of taxes, that workers are paid on time, etc. We do Single Touch Payroll implementation, so if you haven’t got on top of that yet, we can definitely help get you conforming with that regulation requirement quickly and effectively.

Fixed Price Bookkeeping

https://www.offthehookbookkeeping.com.au/accountant-bookkeeper-consultant/

Want to have a steady bill that keeps surprises away? With Fixed Price Bookkeeping, you get your bookkeeping routinely done, and don’t get a intermittent bills tricking you into thinking you have more spare money than you actually do. No one likes a bill that strikes like a bolt from the blue. Having a predictable bill from us is another way we help your business to run smoothly by stopping financial surges.

Xero accounting software

https://www.offthehookbookkeeping.com.au/software/xero-bookkeeper/

Although our CEO, Amy Hooke started out her bookkeeping career as a 15 year old, using MYOB, when she discovered Xero Accounting software in 2014, it revolutionised the way she could do things for clients. She jumped on board and has enjoyed using this modern software that makes keeping your books reconciled and up to date smooth and easy, ever since.

Panda Doc engagement letters

https://www.offthehookbookkeeping.com.au/software/pandadoc/
Who doesn’t love getting paid on time?
Theres’ nothing more annoying than having clients wriggle around trying to get out of commitments they made. And although the notion of doing business ‘on a handshake’ is a nice idea, in reality it’s really risky. It’s important to have well documented agreements of the commitments your clients are making to you, and you to them?

Who doesn’t want to automate their sales and invoicing process?

Everyone likes getting paid (on time), but nobody likes bookkeeping, data entry and time wasted on the administration process of invoicing. It’s time-consuming and unfortunately, it can be hard to outsource to someone else if you don’t have a proper invoicing procedure in place.

Off The Hook Bookkeeping use PandaDoc to help small businesses grow big, by boosting sales, improving cashflow and automating workflow. As a PandaDoc Gold Partner we have helped over 100 small businesses set up their engagement letters, proposals, pricing catalogues and templates so they establish trust with their clients.

This means you can onboard new clients easily and effectively, without having to draft up something new each time, saving you time and effort.

Receipt Bank – ATO approved electronic filing system

https://www.offthehookbookkeeping.com.au/software/receipt-bank/
If you don’t enjoy piles of receipts falling out of your glovebox, or carrying a shoe box of invoices around to your bookkeepers office each month, then Receipt Bank is for you! Do you want to save time by keeping everything neat? Would you love to feel more organised at BAS and tax time?

One of our trained professionals will set you up with a Receipt Bank account, along with your own personal mobile app, where you can snap and upload your paperwork, straight into our office.

Reduce the risk of having to pay ridiculous fees if you ever get audited with an ATO approved online filing system. Allow us to provide you with data in record-time and save you plenty of headaches.

That is our take on Melbourne Bookkeeping Services. Over to you…

Glad you’ve stayed with us until the end. We understand that getting a new bookkeeper isn’t always a fun thing ~ unless you get a good one!
 And we also understand that running a business is hard, and we all can need a helping hand to get us past hurdles that are stopping us from achieving all we thought we can. That is why we offer all of these services, as we enjoy helping setting up people for success. It is a bit like having a garden. If you set things up nicely, it is pleasing to spend time in it. But if you don’t, the ongoing chores and monotony of those weeds coming back again and again is depressing, and you might just want to walk away. Or cover it in concrete, lol!
When you engage with Off The Hook Bookkeeping’s Melbourne Bookkeeping Services, we can help straighten out your business and enjoy your time in it. And you won’t have to cover it with concrete to make the drama go away.
We look forwards to hearing from you.

+++

• As mentioned before; Amy is also the founder of The Savvy Bookkeeper ~ so if you are a Bookkeeper who needs help with Sales, Marketing, Website, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Business Logo and more, please get in touch.

• If you are interested in engaging with our Bookkeeping services ~ please click here to get in contact.

Thank you for your time, and enjoy the Melbourne weather!

The post Bookkeeping Services Melbourne appeared first on Off The Hook Bookkeeping.

The simple answer is; it depends.
Let me explain: Bookkeeping is a sophisticated and diverse job. It includes entering data into an Excel Spreadsheet (or Google Sheets if you are particularly online). Demonstrating where all your money is going, as well as why it isn’t accumulating in your savings account.
It will show you where you are leaking money, particularly useful if your approach to problems your business faces is “buy stuff” ~ be that tools, equipment, software subscriptions, etc. and are those band-aid solutions a keeper, or simply a stop-gap measure?

Some things, like Receipt Bank, will help keep your Tradesmen (for instance) on top of their invoices game, and when properly implemented can reduce the amount of work a Bookkeeper needs to do.

Other things, like always eating out for lunch, seems like a good choice, because it is so convenient.
But when you see that you have spent over $4,000 just on lunch for the year, the convenience doesn’t seem as necessary as it did in the moment.
Delaying gratification; moving away from the buy now, pay later mentality, is often an important part of getting a business off the ground. And it can even save an established business that is tanking financially.
But if you don’t know the facts, how do you even know what choices you need to make?

An experienced professional, giving you information without emotion.

A Bookkeeper who is experienced and on their game can show you all this information.
Once you know that these nice things are actually not adding the value to your business that you thought they might, let them go. Regroup.
You see this happen in professional sporting events, like Cricket, Footy, Rugby, Basketball, Formula 1, etc.
Whilst the athlete is doing their thing, they have a team of support staff who are keeping track of the big picture.
As a business owner, you might not only be doing the work that you are offering, but you also are doing the sales and marketing. And the recruiting. As well as the admin. Plus the cleaning.
How are you also going to be on top of all the other financial details?

A bookkeeper will help you leverage what your business can do.
You are doing the hard work. You have the client base, and the product.
But if you don’t know how much everything costs, and where you money is, that is not going to work.
In fact, you might be subsidising your clients, or your suppliers.
Which isn’t what you want

What makes trying to hit a piñata so funny for the onlookers is that the person is blind folded, trying to hit a paper mâché animal to get the lollies.
But that is not the way you want to conduct your business ~ thrashing around blind folded, egged on by the cheers of onlookers, hoping to eventually get lucky….

So, what are the prices of Bookkeeping Services or How much does it cost to hire a Bookkeeper?
The real cost of Bookkeeping might be better asked as, can you afford not to have a great bookkeeper?

That is our take on “How much does it cost to hire a Bookkeeper?” Over to you….

Thank you for reading our post. Whilst I have not specifically answered the question, I can say the industry average around Melbourne is about $65 an hour. But what does that mean? How much work does your business need each month? By simply supplying an hourly rate, that does not answer the question of how much will monthly bookkeeping cost you. What I have hopefully done is shown you that bookkeeping, done by an excellent bookkeeper, can actually transform your business, and help you to achieve the dreams you had when you started your business. You didn’t start it simply to create your own job, but without all the right systems in place, and knowing how your business is going, being a business owner can simply become a chore, but you can’t just hand in your notice a leave as you would if you were an employee.

Let’s make your business successful, together.
If we sound like the Bookkeeping Service that you would like to partner with, please get in touch.

We look forwards to hearing from you.

+++

• Amy is also the founder of The Savvy Bookkeeper ~ so if you are a Bookkeeper who needs help with Sales, Marketing, Website, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Business Logo and more, please get in touch.

• If you are interested in engaging with our Bookkeeping services ~ please click here to get in contact.

The post Bookkeeping Services; Prices or How much does it cost to hire a Bookkeeper? appeared first on Off The Hook Bookkeeping.

Everyone likes getting paid (on time), but nobody likes bookkeeping, data entry and time wasted on the administration process of invoicing. It’s time-consuming and unfortunately, it can be hard to outsource to someone else if you don’t have a proper invoicing procedure in place.

There are so many software programs out there in the marketplace that claim to solve all your problems, by integrating seamlessly with one another. Are these claims true, and if so, which combination (software stack) should you set up?

It depends.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking software is the solution but really it’s the underlying processes that you’re trying to automate that is the most important. And the process is going to differ depending on that the problems are and what you’re trying to achieve. In short, these are the broad steps you need to take;

1. Problem
2. Objective
3. Process
4. Solution

So before you start looking for a new software solution it’s critical to understand the problems you’re trying to solve, your objectives and then the process itself. Once you’ve done this you’ll be ready to start looking for the perfect invoicing software stack.

Biggest pain points common to Invoicing Software systems

• Finding the time to do invoicing
• Lack of process to be able to outsource the invoicing task
• Client payments
  • Late-paying clients
  • Non-paying clients (bad debts)
  • Matching payments and invoices efficiently to see true receivables balanceR
• Reconciling sales and related accounts
  • Clearing accounts (Stripe, Paypal, EziDebit, GoCardless or Integrapay)
  • Point Of Sale (EFTPOS, HiCaps, Medicare and Health Funds)
  • External invoicing software to accounting software (Xero, MYOB, Quickbooks Online)
    • Health industry – Cliniko, ChARM, Coreplus, HealthKit
    • eCommerce – Shopify, WooCommerce,
    • Trade – Tradify, Simpro, Service M8, AroFlo
    • Architecture – Workflow Max, Synergy

How Off The Hook Bookkeeping Can Help You Never Write Another Invoice Again

We can guide you through figuring out the above process, or we can do it for you.

Call (03) 8518 4002 to discuss or book a time to chat.

+++

• Amy is also the founder of The Savvy Bookkeeper ~ so if you are a Bookkeeper who needs help with Sales, Marketing, Website, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Business Logo and more, please get in touch.

The post Invoicing Software Stack: Never Write Another Invoice Again! appeared first on Off The Hook Bookkeeping.

So, you’re thinking about hiring a business coach…oops, I mean mentor, to help you in your business? Which one? It can be a little confusing as to what is the difference between business coaching, training and mentoring. There are also a lot of different views and opinions. Who’s right? I honestly don’t think it really matters; it’s easy to get caught up in that. Mentoring vs coaching; Here’s my definition to help you decide; hope it helps.

This brief summary will help you decide what is right for you at a particular time or stage of your business development. I’ve added training into the mix too, as I think it’s important to understand what training is in order to be able to see the contrast.

MENTORING – The support and guidance you’re looking for

The primary focus of mentoring is that it’s led by you, and it’s all about support

During a mentoring session, you direct the conversation. You mentor is someone who is at least one step ahead of you and can encourage you in many ways. A mentor can help you to see your blind spots that may be holding you back, give you encouragement and help draw out great ideas that may be stored up inside you.

For me personally, it’s about giving you the language you need to articulate the things in your head. And it’s also about showing you “how I did it” and allowing you to decide if that’s right for you.

TRAINING – The skills and knowledge you need to reach your goals

The primary focus of training is that it’s led by the trainer, and it’s all about learning and putting it into action

During a training session, your trainer directs the lessons. Your trainer is someone who is more experienced than you and has knowledge that you would benefit from. A trainer can provide you with information to improve your understanding, and a step-by-step plan to follow to reach your goals.

For me personally, it’s about showing you the “how to” and giving you the theories behind “why” you would do something a particular way. And then from there, it’s about practising it.

COACHING – The accountability you need to overcome obstacles and to stick with it

Coaching sits somewhere in the middle – between mentoring and training, and is a peer-to-peer relationship that is equal

During a coaching session, your coach will look at your plan and see how you have been following it, and where you are getting stuck. Your coach is may or may not be more experienced than you, but it’s all about following the plan and helping you stick to it. A coach can provide you with accountability, correction and motivation to follow your step-by-step plan so you can reach your goals. They can also help you to see barriers that may be getting in the way.

As you can see, mentoring, coaching and training are different. But they are often interrelated and connected. You may need one now, and another later. Perhaps one is really standing out to you right now as being more relevant or needed. If you are reading this and thinking “yes, I would like to find out more about working with a mentor or coach” then next question you will need to answer maybe “what area do I need assistance in?” and “is Amy Hooke the right one for me?”

Everyone is different, and depending on your personality and goals, you and I may or may not be a good match. Also, you will need to consider what that mentor, coach or trainer specialises in.

I currently run a mentoring program Savvy Business Planning Mentorship, which is really a blend of all three.

Then you need to keep in mind the specialisation of the mentor. For example; I specialise in business planning, pricing, marketing, sales and branding. So if you’re looking for a mentor who can help you with the following then I’m definitely not the right person;

• HR and management
• Streamlining your business processes
• Improving your technical skills
• Improving your software skills

But if you are looking at any of the following then you definitely need to get in touch;

• business plan writing and development
• pricing your services or products
• brand development including getting clear about your business mission, vision and values statement
• choosing a business name
• website development
• finding new clients
• branding your documents
• understanding or improving your marketing, sales or onboarding process

The best way to find out for sure book a free initial consult with me. I will be totally honest with you, and potentially recommend you to another mentor or coach who can help you. I hope you have found this Mentoring vs Coaching blog post helpful.

See you soon.

Amy x

+++

• Amy is the founder of The Savvy Bookkeeper ~ so if you are a Bookkeeper who needs help with Sales, Marketing, Website, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Business Logo and more, please get in touch.

The post Mentor vs Coach: Which One Does Your Business Need? appeared first on Off The Hook Bookkeeping.

The post Bookkeeping Health Check appeared first on Off The Hook Bookkeeping.

The post Contractors Vs Employees For Your Growing Business appeared first on Off The Hook Bookkeeping.

The post 5 Reasons To Use Xero Bookkeeping Software appeared first on Off The Hook Bookkeeping.