Country Acres Bookkeeping

07/10/2024

Meeting at the game today! St. Cloud Rox Baseball

05/08/2024

Gorgeous day for a park clean up!!

05/01/2024

Enjoying May Day with an awesome visitors day at our networking meeting!

04/26/2024

What’s the chore you HATE the most?

Laundry? 🧺 Dish-washing? 🍽 Taking out the trash? 🗑️

For me, it’s DEFINITELY laundry 🧺

Now, other chores like dishes or cleaning...
..those aren’t so bad 🤷‍♀️

(In fact, I kinda like jammin' to music while I'm cooking or cleaning)

But laundry??

I’d rather stick a fork in my eye 🍴

Unfortunately though, someone’s gotta do it – or else we'd have no clothes to wear, right?

It’s the same thing in our businesses.

Just like in our personal lives, we have business “chores”, like:

📱 Writing posts for social media
💸 Paying your vendors’ bills on time
📧 Replying to client emails

(Personally my LEAST favorite “business chore” is marketing🤣)

But for you – that business chore you HATE the most might be bookkeeping.

And maybe - just like me and laundry - you’d rather stick a fork in your eye 🍴 than open Quickbooks or reconcile your bank statements.

But still, ya gotta get it done – or you’ll end up with some nasty financial consequences 💰

Consequences that are the financial equivalent of an overflowing garbage can 🤢

Consequences like:

🤢 Paying unnecessary fees for overdrafts and late payments, or
🤢 Missing out on opportunities – because you needed to update your (way outdated) finances before you could get that crucial loan.

But here’s the good news: You don't have to be the one to do it!

Remember that chore I hate?

Most of the time I get my husband or children to do it for me 😜

I don’t need to be the one who does the laundry.

All that matters is that SOMEONE does it (and does it well).

So -

If bookkeeping for your business makes you want to stick a fork in your eye 🍴

Then just reach out ❤

This happens to be my all-time favorite “business chore” 🤓

And I’d love to help you can get back to the work you actually *like* to do 😉

Becky Turner
Country Acres Bookkeeping

04/25/2024

Are you traveling for your business this summer? ☀

You are? Great! Now here’s a much more important question:

How well do you keep track of those business expenses?

Because even if it’s just a single weekend conference, those expenses can add up to hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars in tax deductible expenses!

So here's a list of common business travel expenses (plus three bonus tips below! 👇 )

🚙 DRIVING
- Car rental
- Personal car: mileage, gasoline
- Uber, Taxi- Parking: garage, meter, lot
- Tolls

✈ FLIGHT
- Tickets
- Baggage fees
- In-flight internet
❌ Doesn’t include upgrades or in-flight movies

🚇 PUBLIC TRANSIT
- Subway
- Rail
- Bus
- Ferries

🍽 Food
- Restaurant
- Tips
❌ Doesn’t include entertainment (i.e. live shows)

🌎 INTERNATIONAL
- Passports and visas
- SIM card

🛎 LODGING
- Hotel
- Bellhop tips
❌ Doesn’t include extras, like in-house spa treatments

🧺 MISC
- Conference fees
- Printing or faxing business docs
- Dry cleaning and laundry

✅ AND THREE TIPS TO REMEMBER

(1) You need a receipt for every expense $25 or above

(2) Keep track of your small cash purchases

(3) Scanned/photographed receipts are just as valid as hardcopy ones (as long as they’re legible and complete!)

Hopefully that helps! 😉😉

And in case this is something you have to do a lot – and always forget to do – then just reach out ❤

I love helping my clients claim every possible tax deduction they can – and I’d love to help you do the same!

Becky Turner
Country Acres Bookkeeping

04/24/2024

My networking group is having a visitor’s day next Wednesday!! It’s a great opportunity for anyone in the business world, whether you own a business or work for one, to check out our group!

Lunch will be provided and each visitor will receive a special gift and an opportunity to win a free membership for a year! 🤩

If you’ve ever wondered about joining a networking group in order to grow your business, this is a fantastic meeting to attend! We are very laid back and welcoming and would love to learn more about you and your business.

The meeting location is in Sauk Rapids. Message me with any questions, or to RSVP

https://www.centralmnemergingprofessionals.com/unbranded

04/24/2024

What was your first job? 🤔

Mine was a crew member at McDonald's.

I was 15, I only made $7.65, and I got the job because I wanted to keep busy (and my parents made me 🤪).

I worked there for about 7 years and I loved being able to have my own money! 🤑

While I was working there, I managed to save up thousands of dollars.

And that's actually where I met my husband. Almost 13 years married and still going! 😅

Not the most glamorous of positions, of course 😂 but it worked until I got my next job at Econo Foods in River Falls, WI.

Now - what about you?

How old were you when you started your first job? And what was the job?

04/22/2024

“Why do I need a bookkeeper when I already have a Quickbooks account?”

Shouldn’t all of that AI technology and financial automation be more than enough?

Well …. while Quickbooks can do amazing things … at the end of the day, it’s still just a tool 🔨

And only a human can make sure that your one-of-a-kind business needs are met (and nasty fines are avoided).

Here are a couple examples:

💐 Susan is a florist. Last year, she hired two new employees. She filed the payroll herself – but, like 40% of small businesses do, she made a mistake … and paid a fine of $850 to the IRS.

🤓 A bookkeeper (like me) could’ve saved her the time it took to process her payroll – AND helped her avoid the fine.

🍕 Bob owns a pizza restaurant, and during the Covid shutdowns, he needed a loan. BUT he couldn’t apply until his financial records were up-to-date. He finally had to pay a premium in rush fees to his accountant to do it before his cash reserve ran out.

🤓 A bookkeeper (like me) maintaining his books could’ve helped him apply MUCH sooner, and saved him a TON of money on that last-minute rush fee.

👗 Last year, Daniella started an online clothing boutique, and now she’s made sales in 15 different states (!) However … she wasn’t aware of the different sales tax regulations for each state. AND she forgot about quarterly taxes (a penalty of up to 25%!)

🤓 A bookkeeper (like me) could’ve reminded her about the quarterly filing dates, prepped her records for her filings AND helped customize her books for her unique e-commerce needs.

That’s why even something as powerful as Quickbooks doesn’t cover all of the bases.

And that’s what I’m all about – I LOVE getting personal with every one of my clients and their unique business needs so I can help them succeed, grow and thrive.

So if you’re ready to protect, grow and streamline your business - with a human expert, not just a tool 🔨 – just reach out!

Becky Turner
Country Acres Bookkeeping

04/18/2024

In a perfect world, every invoice sent to a customer would be instantly paid upon receipt, right? 🤩

However ... we don’t exactly live in a perfect world 😬

So that means, as a business owner, you need to keep an eye on your invoice payments (and accounts receivable reports) to make sure the cash keeps flowing 💵

Don’t forget what happens if your invoices go unpaid:

❌ You won’t be able to pay your vendors (not good)
❌ Your loan payments will be late (REALLY not good)
❌ And it may even create payroll problems when paying your employees - or yourself (gulp!)

So don’t stick your head in the sand to avoid you’re A/R woes!

Instead, tackle it head on with these four tips on managing your invoices and A/R:

✅ TRACK YOUR SENT INVOICES Whether it’s in Quickbooks or a spreadsheet, track EVERY invoice you send and update your records weekly. This will help you keep track of what’s due soon, and help you see any potential problems before an invoice becomes PAST due.

✅ KEEP YOUR INVOICING SIMPLE Research shows that clear + complete invoices with easy payment options get paid faster. Double-check 👀 your invoices to make sure they aren’t confusing (and slowing you down!)

✅ CONSIDER OFFERING A PAYMENT PLAN Slow payments are better than no payments, right? Especially if a client is having cash flow problems 😬 With a payment plan, at least you’ll still get some cash coming in!

✅ COMMUNICATE + FOLLOW UP Was an invoice due yesterday? Then follow up today. Maybe he simply forgot … or maybe he needs a payment plan. Either way, good communication builds stronger customer relationships (and cash flow!) ❤

(P.S. Want more tips on this? Just check out this helpful article below! 👇)

Now, be honest – when you see these tips, do you suddenly feel a need to breathe into a paper bag? 😬

No sweat – if managing your invoices or catching up your records feels too overwhelming … just reach out! I’d love to help you, like I help the rest of my clients.

Becky Turner
Country Acres Bookkeeping

04/16/2024