Business Accounting Cheat Sheet: 10 Terms For Brand-New Entrepreneurs

As an entrepreneur, one can achieve their financial goals through proper and professional accounting. Understanding the overall financial growth opportunities of an organization can ease up extra burdens during tax season.

The role of a Philadelphia accountant for small business is to take care of the financial documents of an organization. To run a successful business, customized skills are essential that can be directly applied to the accounting and financial operations of a business. Tasks of a small business accountant may include anything from tracking invoice receipts to uploading or processing different management procedures.

A customized accounting service maximizes the cash flow of a business while cutting down functional expenditures. Customized financial services are designed specifically for a particular business to maximize its performance. A tax professional’s abilities to adapt, incorporate methodical accounting approaches, and instruct key business players are all crucial.

While hiring professional help is key, especially for complex business taxes, an entrepreneur would also do well to be knowledgeable in some basic accounting terms:

Ten Terms For Brand New Entrepreneurs

  1. Registering entrepreneurship is the first step of handling a business’s finances. A business owner can choose from various business structures according to needs and demands. Some details about the various options are included here.
  2. Sole proprietorship is a good option for many entrepreneurs, as the registration process is very easy and affordable. However, a potential drawback is that the individual can also be liable for the future debts of the organization.
  3. Many business owners prefer a Limited Liability Company structure, because it combines certain features of a corporation with others of a sole proprietorship.
  4. In a partnership, the partners share portions of the company according to each individual’s goals and expectations.
  5. Corporations are the most complex type of business organizational structure, as they are time-consuming and expensive to set up. They have many employees compared to a sole proprietorship or LLC.
  6. A small business owner must separate their professional and personal finances to properly keep track of financial expenditures. If they don’t, it can quickly complicate the entire financial structure of a company. It’s important to follow certain best practices to ensure that all financial needs are met.
  7. Cash-basis accounting is a straightforward method that involves tracking cash flow. This is opposed to the accrual method (overviewed in the next step), which tracks earnings and expenses of a business regardless of actual cash flow. Due to its sheer simplicity, cash-basis accounting is very popular among entrepreneurs.
  8. Accrual-Basis Accounting can provide a more detailed understanding of business revenue and expenditure, which many business owners prefer.
  9. Building up a bookkeeping method involves comprehensively tracking all business transactions, from revenue generation to expenditures.
  10.  A cloud-based accounting solution manages all accounting work online and conducts transactions automatically.

Basic Groundwork of Bookkeeping for Small Businesses

An in-house accountant or bookkeeper can help a business owner by providing wholesome financial guidance. They can track business expenses such as tax returns; financial records such as bank or credit card statements; and office bills including internet, phone, and other utilities. They can help a business with providing flexible transaction options that can ensure that clients can pay faster and with less hassle. However, a business likely needs to pay the resulting transactional fees every single time payment is accepted from a client.

Mobile payments are easy-to-access payment procedures that just require the client to have a wireless connection. Online payments are convenient payment options that operate through cloud-based accounting software. Hiring a part-time bookkeeper for small business can effectively help an organization manage these different workloads for the benefit of the entire business.

A self-employment tax covers the medical care and social security needs of many business owners. If the business is a corporation, the owner needs to file separate tax returns for the enterprise. Depending on the product or service sold in the business, it’s typically required to collect sales taxes from clientele, which must then be paid to federal and state governments.

Potential Benefits Of Accounting For a Small-Scale Company

  • An entrepreneur who learns about customizable business finance practices from a professional can better comprehend the financial health of their business, helping them to then make smarter financial decisions.
  • Accounting helps to create and manage business budgets. With an organized accounting procedure, entrepreneurs can better forecast business revenues and expenses.
  • Year-round accounting helps entrepreneurs prepare themselves for tax season, rather than encountering ugly last-minute surprises with filing. It makes taxes faster and easier, and helps with monitoring the financial growth of an organization.

A small business entrepreneur often begins their journey very preoccupied, with little time to properly maintain financial data. They may also have to handle their rolling employee payments. Professional bookkeeping for a small business can include comprehensive services for any industry.

To run a great business, tracking financial reports is an absolutely vital practice for entrepreneurs. However, business owners often have very little time or mental energy left over for these crucial tasks. Hiring an accountant for business finances and taxes can help clarify where improvements can be made and determine a path to sustainably maintain business success.

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