Please don't think I am calling you a "moron" to hurt your feelings in any way. I was a moron when I first started setting up my files. You have to force yourself to do it NOW -- right at the beginning! Many of a business has collapsed simply because they lacked organization in their basic accounting business practices. Don't be one of them!
As a small business you don't have to really do much in the beginning. Here is how to set up your files from ground zero:
1. Take out a hanging file folder and a label of any kind. (Hanging folders and labels for them can be purchased at K-Mart, Wal-Mart and any office supply store.)
2. Type or hand print "Receipts" on the label and place it on the hanging folder.
3. Now, place 5 MANILA file folders inside the hanging file folder (which you labeled "Receipts") and label each of the manila file folders with the following headings:
a. Advertising
b. Postage
c. Office Supplies
d. Utilities and Rent for the Office
e. Miscellaneous
You now have one large hanging file folder with 5 separate manila file folders inside it. Carefully place your hanging file folder in your metal file cabinet or cardboard banker's box. (A banker's box can be purchased at any office supply store also and normally cost around $4.)
Now, wasn't that easy? Some of you reading this will think that I am attempting to insult your intelligence. This is NOT my intention. This report is broken down in a simple, step-by-step way so everybody can understand it -- regardless of their previous knowledge and experience. Remember, some people have never worked in an office their entire life. What seems simple and accepted to some of us, may be something another person would never have known.
Okay, let's go back to where we were. You now have one master file completed and we're ready to make another just like it. This time we'll name the hanging file folder "Income" and label 3 manila folders inside it with the following headings: a. Completed and Shipped Orders b. Inquiries and Correspondence c. Open Orders Still Pending
See how easy? From now on, you simply make another folder as the need arrives and you're files will always be easy to maintain. (Once you get this concept down pat -- you can easily think about getting a computer. A computer organizes its information in the SAME manner. Believe me -- this same system works! You'll be amazed at how many mistakes it will help you prevent.)
Yes -- bookkeeping is a very simple process. All you have to do is keep the system going. For instance, every order that I process, I completely finish before moving on to the next order. Example:
1. Mail is received and opened. As each piece is opened it is placed into individual piles. Orders with pre-payment are placed in one pile, information and daily correspondence in another, and so forth.
2. Each order that has been pre-paid for is processed first -- with each one being processed individually to completion. (That means it is in an envelope, a label typed out and the completed order is ready to be mailed at the post office.)
3. During the process, the "date," "amount of check or payment" and "product ordered" is recorded on the outside of the envelope -- making sure the customer's full name, address and telephone number (if available) is on the envelope too.
4. Just before closing up the office for the evening, the envelopes are then keyed into the database on our computer (you can substitute a computer for the hanging files in the beginning.) We record all the information that was written on the envelopes during the processing of the order. (Don't think you will remember "what" the order was. That thinking will open you up to make human errors.)
If you operate an Internet business, you are going to use computer and email a lot. You need do following:
1. Create different folder in your computer, name it with different resources: marketing, search engine tools, articles and tips, ebooks, ezine lists, picture files...
2. Create folders in your email account, you can save useful emails for different purpose: training, sales, purchase receipt, new customers, prospects... As your business grows, your understanding and abilities will grow also. At that time you can grow into a more sophisticated means of keeping the books.
In the meantime -- keep good records. They are the lifeblood of any business and can eventually make or break you. You'll thank yourself in the long run.
---------------------------------------------------------
Julia Tang publishes Smart Online Business Tips, a fresh
and informative newsletter dedicated to supporting people
like you! To find out the best online business opportunities,
and to discover hundreds more proven and practical internet
marketing secrets, plus FREE internet marketing products
worth over $200, visit: http://www.best-internet-businesses.com
------------------------
----------------------------------
The Internet is a fast growing medium, trancending the personal... Read More
Only one of every 5 businesses makes it to its... Read More
mistake #1: rely just on financial statementsProfit and loss, revenue... Read More
Looking for an old friend? Want to know if your... Read More
Please don't think I am calling you a "moron" to... Read More
A lot of people are at a loss when it... Read More
Business etiquette is essentially about building relationships with colleagues, clients... Read More
1. Great Things Take Time ? Three years passed between... Read More
10 Ways to Boost your ProfitabilitySo many business owners work... Read More
Here are seven excellent ways to earn income from international... Read More
Creating a website is one thing, making it better is... Read More
Advertising executive Alex F. Osborne first coined the word "brainstorming"... Read More
The Ten Commandments of Goal Setting While it's good to... Read More
The following tips are from an article we contributed to... Read More
'Tis the season to give. And finding the right gift... Read More
So how do you eliminate your competition without bloodshed? You... Read More
Email etiquette is the key to help calm down anxious... Read More
The 9-to-5 grind can make you feel like a just... Read More
If you're a beginner, starting a website doesn't have to... Read More
Web Site Blues? Need one, don't know where to start?... Read More
In Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen's original "Chicken Soup... Read More
Cash is king-so they say. If you work for yourself... Read More
As a counselor, therapist or healing professional (massage therapist, physiotherapist,... Read More
Who doesn't have issues with organizing their inbox!? I receive... Read More
So you have set up your company, fairly established and... Read More
Mishawaka limo O'Hare ..1. Examine everything in your office from the view of... Read More
1. Combine Emotion and LogicConsumers buy because the want to... Read More
Do you want to be #1-10 on Google and other... Read More
How many of us have been in a position where... Read More
1. Great Things Take Time ? Three years passed between... Read More
If you have a business on the Internet you should... Read More
Many new coaches struggle to attract their first client. Often,... Read More
If you are thinking of starting a new business, or... Read More
1) Prepare a realistic business plan.Think of this as your... Read More
Authors/publishers are great at getting their books written. Entrepreneurs know... Read More
Gas prices continue to go through the roof and increased... Read More
Advertising executive Alex F. Osborne first coined the word "brainstorming"... Read More
Hey, as hard as this may be for you to... Read More
Good Speakers need good listening skills to become Great CommunicatorsSpeakers... Read More
If you're a business owner, you know that repeat business... Read More
Seven Questions to Improve Your Business, Your Relationships, and Your... Read More
As the holiday season starts to settle in, the workload... Read More
Are you ready for a BASH? Have you ever been... Read More
I believe some people create and publish websites for the... Read More
Authors/publishers are great at getting their books written. Entrepreneurs know... Read More
Here are a few ideas to get you started, all... Read More
You need sales and you wanted them yesterday. Here are... Read More
Do you run a business that seems to run you?... Read More
When sending mail to clients and potential clients, make your... Read More
Imagine if you were going to address a stadium full... Read More
Top Quick Tips |