Do you run your own small business and try to do it all yourself? Why? Shouldnt you spend your time doing what you do best- whether it is selling and marketing, customer service or making decisions on how to grow your business?

An entrepreneur tries to juggle many balls each day, but sooner or later one of them is going to be dropped. A smart business owner will realize that he/she cant do everything because there are only 24 hours in a day. Unless you are extremely organized and enjoy working with numbers, then maybe you need to outsource this job. Too many business owners spend their time doing what they are not very good at simply because they dont know how to go about finding someone to do that job for them.

Where do you start? Ask your accountant for referrals. Obviously you dont need a full-time person to do your books, so your best bet is to look for someone who wants to moonlight at a part-time job. There are also bookkeepers with their own small business who are looking for clients. If you dont have any other employees, this situation will work best for you because you can pay them as a subcontractor instead of an employee on payroll. However, you will need to give them a Form 1099 at year end for tax purposes. But, since they are accounting experts, they can help you with that task too.

You should interview your prospective bookkeeper just as you would if you were hiring him/her as an employee. Ask for a resume and references, and check them out. Since this person will be handling your confidential records, you want someone who is trustworthy.

Depending on your location, you should expect to pay between $15 and $50 an hour for a bookkeeper. Dont necessarily hire the one who offers the lowest rate- remember you get what you pay for. The more experienced person will cost you more, but will provide valuable input and suggestions to streamline your business that will wind up saving you money in the long run.

Since this person will be working closely with you in your business, you should feel comfortable with him or her. If you have any reservations about this person, go on to the next candidate.

While the selection process may take a while, it will be worth it later. Take your time to find the perfect bookkeeper, and in a few months youll wonder how you ever managed to run your business before you hired one.

Copyright 2006 Kathy Swann

Kathy Swann has over 25 years experience in office management, payroll and Human Resources and also works as a consultant/bookkeeper for several small businesses. Using her organizational skills, she has helped many of her clients streamline their office systems to save time, money and maximize efficiency.

She is the author of "How to Win When You Understand Money: A Handbook for Teenagers. Purchase this e-book at http://www.suncatcherpress.com

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