DIY Bookkeeping

It is a truth universally acknowledged that business owners think they (or their partner or their parent or their friend) can do their books, process their payroll, and prepare their BAS.

And to a certain degree? Sure. They can. There’s a lot of processing paperwork and data entry, and that in itself is not difficult.

But most professional bookkeepers (who have made this job their life) will tell you, that there is a HUGE difference between doing these things and doing them WELL. Good bookkeeping means you have to understand what you’re doing and why. When you enter that transaction, what is the software doing in the background and where is it actually putting it? What reports will it show up on, and what will it mean? Will it be a true reflection of reality or will the way you entered it mean that something REALLY doesn’t make sense (and not just because financial reporting is something that confuses you)? If something doesn’t seem right, can you figure out what it is AND how to fix it?

Being a good bookkeeper is not defined by just one thing, but like so many professions it takes training and experience (and often the right personality). And if you don’t have that as a background or foundation? You’re definitely going to get it wrong. Accounts aren’t going to balance, your reports are going to make no sense, you’re going to pay your staff incorrectly, and compliance stuff (like Super and BAS) is going to be late or require adjustments.

I get it. You’re self-sufficient and you like to do things yourself, and budget is definitely a factor. Nobody wants to spend money if they don’t have to, and outsourcing can be expensive. But without the background and knowledge, DIY can be even more expensive and definitely more risky.

I’m absolutely not here to shame you, and I definitely respect you wanting to do it yourself (trust me, I’m EXACTLY the same), but I also want to help keep you safe. Partly because it’s my job, but it’s also my personality. I CARE about helping you and making sure that you have someone who gets it in your corner.