Bookkeeping with a side of Compliance.
Running a small business can be extremely rewarding. But as a business owner, you know that you still face many of the same challenges as your larger counterparts, but without the same cash flow and staffing resources. Hiring for a position means being more creative in your scope and searching out candidates via less traditional means. In recent years especially, virtual support has become prevalent. While this generally translates into a great fit for your company by utilizing remote employees or 1099 contractors, it also means exposing your business to more complicated risks due to oversight challenges.
What does this mean?
We love virtual support. For us, it is an excellent and efficient way to provide our bookkeeping services to a wider client base and allows for more flexibility with our schedules. Win win. Here at our company, we almost exclusively provide our services remotely – which means a lot more balance in our lives between family and working hours.
It is becoming significantly easier to remotely assign tasks across all aspects of your business, including financial ones. Oversight, however, becomes challenging. Decisions based on ease of use replace our better judgement at times. Now more than ever it is critical to ensure the qualifications of those with access to your financials.
Bookkeeping with a side of Compliance.
While we provide virtual support like many of our competitors, we have a very different background that helps provide peace of mind to clients in an online world.
Prior to founding Balanced Bookkeeping, I spent time at two global, Fortune 50 financial firms in senior compliance and internal exam roles. Even now, I am partnered with an established SEC Compliance Firm that provides remote CCO support to SEC registered advisers.
This means that we approach things through a much more trained and admittedly, skeptical lens. We appreciate and understand the need for tighter controls and accurate reporting. After all, reports are often the first place we spot irregularities. We know that you should trust your instincts. That it is okay to questions things if it just doesn’t feel right.
Practical application.
How do skills as an award-winning Controls Manager translate into bookkeeping? Quite easily actually. Take this case study for example:
A new client was struggling to make ends meet. They were making all their sales goals, but profits were still falling flat. On the surface it just didn’t add up so we started digging, cleaning up their books along the way.
Once the books were in order, we were able to really drill down and compare their sales to their purchases – the numbers jumped right off the page. Serious over purchasing was taking place and when a full inventory count was complete, it became glaring obvious so was employee theft.
While it is never a fun topic, important conversations were had with the business owner , discussing our concerns and suspicions - digging deeper into the findings with the owner.
Correcting actions were able to be decided upon and taken.
Fast forward a few years: Regular inventory now takes place. Up to date books are closed monthly. Sales reporting is always tied back to the accounting software to ensure accuracy. Sales numbers are being crushed. Employees are aware now that someone is paying close attention. Profits have increased. Business owner stress level has gone way down!
The role of Compliance experience.
Situations like the one described above, are where my background in branch controls and exams is able to shine. When things don’t add up or just seem off, sometimes it’s more than data entry or a simple mistake. While these things are rare, they do happen. We work under a clear set of rules around here - all designed to safely and accurately maintain your financial records and reporting, while providing you the support you need to excel.
Rules we live by
1. We work for the business owner – not your employees. Our job is to provide another layer of controls and set of eyes.
2. We ensure you have the accurate data you need to make the best possible decisions for your business.
3. We don’t just code and move on, we question if we see things that don’t look right.
4. We are your partner. Your success is our success.
5. Kate was an auditor. We are not afraid of an audit – we are here for you.
6. We run our business with a compliance mindset: Document, double check, don’t doubt your instincts.