簿记危险信号和如何处理它们

记账 is strategically important for every business because financials form the foundation for daily operations and future planning. Identifying and correcting bookkeeping problems allows you to find and fix problems before they escalate so you can move forward with confidence.

Inadequate bookkeeping can lead to serious and wide-ranging consequences including slow or poor decision-making, 错过了机会, 不能有效地预测和计划, 合规风险, 失去竞争地位. This can destroy morale as well as your company’s ability to 运转顺畅，成长.

Here are some common business bookkeeping red flags.

事情耗时太长  

Is that new marketing initiative boosting sales? Are the changes you made in the plant improving productivity? Do you have the cash you need to make a large planned purchase?

Delayed financial reporting restricts your ability to manage operations with the level of agility now required in many industries. 这也阻碍了长期规划. And if you are late filing 工资 or other tax reports, you risk fines and interest charges–cash you could have spent on business development.

Delayed billing and ineffective collections are dangerous because they slow cash flow and can increase bad debt write-offs. Timely invoicing and follow-ups ensure you receive the revenue you earn, 尽可能快, providing predictable cash flow to pay your monthly bills.

数字不能激发信心

Reliably accurate, up-to-date financial information is vital. Yet many business owners say they just don’t feel confident in the numbers they see each month or at year-end. Missing or improperly allocated transactions result in skewed reporting and can cause havoc during an audit.

这些问题听起来耳熟吗?

• Discrepancies cause staff to spend too much time reconciling bank statements contributing to delay. Or, 他们完全避免和解, which only exacerbates problems once they are finally discovered.  
• Variances in financial statements from one month to the next require explanation, 尤其是如果你发现了一种趋势. 这些是收入的波动吗, 费用或预期利润, 还是哪里出了问题.

缺乏文件

Growing businesses cannot afford to rely on anecdotal stories about “how we do things.” Nor can you grow successfully when key people keep key information in their heads. Documentation is a must because bookkeeping includes a wide range of complex activities. 例如，跟踪费用和处理 工资 尤其具有挑战性. Documentation that describes each process and who is responsible is the only way to ensure consistency, especially if a new hire or temp has to handle the work.

Documentation should also describe internal controls–who is responsible for approving and/or reviewing certain financial transactions or decisions. In smaller companies with limited staff, it can be difficult to assign these roles. 然而, failure to adopt adequate internal controls is a serious red flag because it leaves your company vulnerable to fraud and theft.

手动数据输入

Doing anything by hand that could be automated is a poor use of staff time. Manual data entry opens the door to mistakes and omissions, and it contributes to delay. There are numerous bookkeeping and accounting software options available–be sure to choose one that not only serves you well now but can grow along with your company.

缺乏沟通

Documenting your policies and processes ensures consistent communication among all those responsible for doing or reviewing the work. Consistent bookkeeping allows you to produce complete, accurate reports that effectively communicate financial status to department managers and top leaders who need to evaluate progress and make well-informed operational and strategic decisions.

你正在使用现金法

收付实现制簿记似乎更容易, 这对你的家庭预算来说可能是可以的, 但是信息是商业成功的关键. Without accrual accounting that adheres to GAAP standards (Generally Accepted 会计 Principles), you are missing out on the deeper insights that could make a dramatic difference in your company’s future. 点击这里阅读 从现金到应计制的过渡.  

增加你的信心和你的生意

You cannot proactively manage your business without sound financial management, 这从记账开始. That’s true whether you’re a small business owner trying to juggle bill paying and recordkeeping with all your other tasks or your company employs several people in your accounting department. Reading this article may well have triggered a few uh-oh moments for you, but the truth is that there are many other potential red flags within the bookkeeping realm.

经验丰富的专业人士可以 help strengthen your company’s financial health by uncovering issues and offering actionable insights and assistance to resolve them.