Accountant

 : 

PLM Bookkeeping and Business Services

I charge a monthly Flat Rate so they can budget for it and not having to worry about increase cost. I offer free consultation, where i ask specific questions , before giving a quote. The rate is determined based on the size and complexity of the business and the amount of transactions they have. The flat rate will be reviewed and changed over time, if the company transactions are growing rapidly. Prices are also determined based on the client needs...whether full service bookkeeping-data entry up to preparation of financial statements ..or basic bookkeeping-specific services such as accounts payable, payroll, data entry etc. Hourly rate is also available..between $40 to $60 per hour.

I find out what are their specific needs and their expectations from me. I always tell my clients upfront what are my expectations so we can have a good relationship that benefits both of us and save them money also. I make a list for the client of adminstrative requirements to keep work flow accurate, timely and complete. For example, If they are not already doing so, I am very strict about having the client opening a separate bank account to keep their personal and business transactions separate. I explain to them that it cost them more money when I have to sort through their receipts to determine what is personal and what is business, in addition should they get audited, it will relieve the stress of having to prove everyhing is legit. I explain the benefit of how it alleviates the need of them having to take time from their busy schedule to sit with me to go through the receipts or visa statements. It is costing them time and money to sit and explain transactions. If they cant find the time to sit with me, then it takes longer to get the work completed on time. I also ask them to buy an accordian file to store all the documents in one place that they need to give to me. I give them organizational tips to keep them organized, such as writing descriptions on the receipts immediately when they first get it, so they dont have to spend precious time doing a bunch later. To make a copy of all checks they receive from customers ,BEFORE depositing checks to the bank and also copy checks they wrote to pay their bills before mailing. etc. etc.

I have a 4 year degree in accounting from Northwood University in Florida and a 3 year Diploma fro Humber College in Canada. So I have both Canadian and USA knowledge and work experience in accounting, bookkeeping and taxes.

I desired a more work and family life balance. I was a single mother having the challenges of raising a teen-age boy in Florida. I was working long hours constantly. The last company I worked for down-sized and I was l laid off. So I jumped at the chance to start my own business. I put an advertisement on Craigslist offering bookkeeping services. I had several responses, and the rest is history. After that I got clients through referal, especially for tax.

My clients ranged from, movie producers, construction companies, real estate agents, retail and individual sales people on commission, non-profit organizations.

I worked on 2 full feature Film, that took about 1 year for one and about 6 months for the other.

-Focus on growing their business and hire a pro to handle your finances. Time is money. Your time is still a cost. -Hire a bookkeeper who have some fundamenal understanding of accounting and NOT just knows how to enter transactions using an accounting software. Because Time is money, and errors done by some one who does not know what they are doing, will cost you more in the long run to fix. The same advise goes to the owner, not to try to do the books themselves when th business is growing. Always hire a professional to do what you are not trained to do. You save yourself money in the long run by preventing errors that can occur from lack of knowledge. Sometimes errors cause such havoc on the books, it is best cost wise to start over from scratch.

What is their budget. What are their reporting needs to help them manage cash flow. What are they willing to do themselves and what they are willing to outsource to a bookkeeper.