#BASIC BOOKKEEPING FOR SMALL BUSINESS HOW TO#

Financing: How much cash have you invested in your business? This can also reflect how much money you’ve borrowed-but we believe it’s best to operate your business debt-free.

Investing: Are the assets you’ve purchased for your business paying off?.Operating: How much does your business make day-to-day?.

This statement categorizes cash flow into three types of activities: It shows your profits or losses at a glance for that chunk of time.Ĭash Flow Statement: Where is your business’s cash going? Your profit and loss statement is a summary of your revenue minus expenses for a period of time, usually a quarter of the year at a time. Profit and Loss Statement: Is your business profitable? Equity is the value of your business assets minus the liabilities it’s basically the value you’d place on your company if you had to put a price tag on it today. Remember, assets are items owned by your company, and liabilities are things you owe on. It’s basically a breakdown of what you owe versus what you own. Your balance sheet shows the assets, liabilities and owner’s equity for your business. They tell you the story of what is really going on in your business.īalance Sheet: How much is your business worth?

#BASIC BOOKKEEPING FOR SMALL BUSINESS HOW TO#

These will help you determine where to commit funds in the future and how to create your business plan. Now that you know some of the key terms, you need to put them to use! There are three basic documents that will help you answer critical questions about your business. Create the three must-have documents for financial success. What are accounts receivable? Accounts receivable refer to the money your customers owe you when you send them an invoice.Ģ. To determine your profit, subtract your expenses from your revenue. What is revenue? Revenue is income your company makes on a sale. What is an asset? An asset is an item your business owns, like a printer. But actually, a liability is something you owe money on, such as a small-business loan. What is a liability? A lot of people confuse liability with expenses. What is an expense? Also called 'money out,' an expense is something you pay for, like supplies or rent. What is a sale? A sale is a transaction you receive cash for, also known as 'money in.' Don’t be embarrassed if you aren’t familiar with all the technical definitions. Now it’s time to get up to speed on common bookkeeping and accounting terms. When you decided to start your business, you were just hoping to make more money than you put in. Know the basic bookkeeping and accounting lingo. Whether you’re just starting a small business or you’ve had one a few years, these easy tips will help you stay organized.ġ. No one article can tell you everything you need to know about business accounting, but we put together 10 tips to help keep it as simple as possible!ġ0 Tips to Small-Business Bookkeeping and Accounting Everything from paying your taxes to planning for the future rides on having accurate numbers. Unless you’re actually running an accounting or bookkeeping business, keeping the records for your business can seem overwhelming. Now add bookkeeper and accountant to that list! Sales leader, manager and customer service representative are just some of the hats you wear as a small-business owner.

Basic bookkeeping for small business