which business functions to outsource

How to find a bookkeeper

Once you start a business, you'll realise that you have to deal with a lot of numbers which can be daunting. A record of every transaction is kept including sales, expenses and salary payments, to name a few. Although you can do this yourself, a lot of business owners are not trained in bookkeeping so they regularly outsource this responsibility to a qualified bookkeeper. Discovering the best bookkeeper for your business is never an easy task, and in some cases can require a lot of time and effort.

We're going to look at in more detail the best ways for a small business to search for a bookkeeper. There are many factors to take into consideration when searching, such as accessibility, knowledge, communication, cost and security. Once a bookkeeper has been found that fits the criteria, it should lead to a long-lasting and prosperous relationship for both business owner and bookkeeper. 

Asking Other Small Businesses

Many small businesses already use bookkeepers, and some may be close to you, which means that you can ask around at other small businesses if they could put you in contact with the bookkeeper that they use. There are many ways to locate SME's in the local area that may be able to help you, such as:

  • Local Business Directory
  • Online Search
  • Phonebook
  • Visit in Person

Once you have found that contact details for a few local businesses, the next step is to ask them what work their bookkeeper carries out for them and what skills and experience they possess and how much they charge. The purpose of this is that it's essential to make sure that the bookkeeper that they use will also be the correct fit for you as different businesses have different needs, there are numerous types of bookkeepers out there, and you must get the right one for you.

Google Search for Local Bookkeepers

In recent times Google has become the go-to for anyone who is looking for anything. Using this tool to find bookkeepers in your local area is reliable as you can use many different types of searches to make sure Google presents you with the search results that you desire.

Google searches will automatically tailor your results towards the location that you are in, but there may be a few results that aren't relevant. Therefore when searching it would be optimal to specify the area that you are in to make sure all the results returned are consistent.

Quotes from Accountantcost.co.uk

The emergence of comparison websites in recent years that do the work for you in comparing the different prices and features of the products or services that you want has made life easier for many. In the past, searching for things such as car insurance, bike insurance, holidays, and life insurance meant trawling many individual sites which could be extremely time-consuming.

An example of this in bookkeeping is Accountantcost.co.uk. They are a website that takes all the legwork out of searching by comparing accountant, bookkeeper or payroll costs for you. They do this by asking you to fill in some essential details and even allow you to add a message for extra detail. There is no obligation quote, and they only pass your details to accountants in your local area. They will then connect you with reputable, quality accountants saving you hundreds of pounds.

Related reading: Find out how much a bookkeeper costs here.

Find Freelancers on People Per Hour or Upwork

The last option which is still relatively new due to advancements in technology, allowing for the creation of an online marketplace, that allows anyone to find, hire and collaborate with remote workers. The two most well-known examples of this being Upwork and People Per Hour, these two sites enable you to search for a remote worker that possesses the skills you need and connects you with them all at the click of a button.

Both are very easy to navigate and allow you to search for the particular skill set that you want, such as a bookkeeper. Once you search, a page of results will be displayed showing the person, their hourly wage, their location and their success rating. To narrow down the results, you can use filters to make sure the results you see meet your criteria. Also shown are the skills the freelancer possesses to make sure you know you are hiring someone who can do the job.

Conclusion

Hiring a bookkeeper is similar to hiring for a job. In that, you need to understand what your requirements are before you start searching. Once you've decided what you need and what you can offer, the process, of identifying potential candidates will become much more straight-forward.

For a business owner who has more time on their hands searching themself may be better, but for an owner who can't spare the time, Accountantcosts is an effortless way of having the most high-quality professionals found for you.