Chasing efficiency in business is constancy. No matter how advanced technology gets, keeping track of every moving part of your business is crucial to avoid errors, as well as spot opportunities. This is no more so important, than your finances. Whether you’re looking at outgoing or incoming transactions, you’ve got a to keep a firm finger on the pulse, so make sure everything is in order. And yet, finances are sometimes treated like a landmine, because of how complex they are. You have to tread lightly as a business so that you’re not breaking any laws, you’re keeping on good terms with the law, and still providing a good incentive to private investors. Streamlining your finances will cut down on real-world clutter, and allow your contacts in business or banking to access your records quickly at your request.

Image source – cloudhoreca

Reducing paperwork clutter

One of the quickest and easiest ways to reduce the clutter in your office is to manage your paper flow. It’s very advisable always to have a hard copy of any document relevant to your business, whether it be for a trade or perhaps a transaction. However, it’s better not to have unnecessary paperwork lying around or even in folders. Start with your taxes for the business. Rather than have them around the office, you can employ a cloud service, where your private and secretive information is stored on servers. These servers are linked to hardware that is in a secure building, and both the virtual drive and the hardware have complex firewalls and antivirus software installed to protect you. This ethos will not only speed up your daily expenditures but also keep them safe and secure. You might find that the more you go through your files and realise your daily document cycle, that most of your paperwork is better saved virtually.

Photo credit – Nick Youngson

Business accounting

When running a business, it’s vital to know how much money you’re spending and how much you’re earning. There should at least always be a balance of the two, but preferably, you should only be taking risks, when you have more money coming in. To get a good firm grip on your finances, you should look to hire qualified accountants. Small business and startups would benefit greatly from an advanced knowledge of the law, especially when it comes to taxation. By trimming your outgoings as much as possible, you could highlight deficiencies in your business, and work to find other sources who will charge less. You’re also less likely to be caught on tax liabilities as some business owners are unaware, that some actions they take are not perceivable as expenses that they can claim back. It’s very rare for a small business to have an in-house accountant, so this one area where it’s very beneficial to outsource.

Finances don’t have to be complicated, and they shouldn’t be with the latest online services. You can keep all your records safe and access them at any time. Equally, they can be labelled and categorised, so any document is easily found. Hiring an accountant would open you up to a world, where you can learn to keep within the law, while also decreasing your taxation.