You step into the bookkeeper’s dark office, closing the door behind you. She sits in front of you, several monitors behind her all showing the same thing: QuickBooks Online’s logo as a screensaver, dancing around like a rubber ball in a bouncing castle.
“Please take a seat,” she points at the chair in front of the desk, “Tell me what you are seeking.”
Sitting down, you begin to tell her of all your bookkeeping woes. The bank recs that are always off, the transactions that you never know how to categorize properly, the never accurate financial statements.
“I just want to know what’s the next best step for my painting company’s growth,” you finish with a sigh.
“You have come to the right place, my friend,” she said, leaning back in her chair while folding her hands together, “My tools are many and varied, but if you wish to find your business’s future, I have just the solution for you.”
“Tell me, what is the thing you wish you could know the most about your company’s future.“
“There is a paint sprayer that could make my life so much easier and decrease my finish time, but I’m not sure if I could afford it in the long run. My marketing is all over the place and I feel like I’m subscribed to so many different things but don’t know what to take out and what to save. I just want a plan to know what is the best steps to both save money for my business and better invest it in either tools or advertising. Do you think you can help me with this?”
“Yes, that is something I can help you with and here is how it will work:
- We will make sure your bookkeeping is caught up, reconciled, and everything balances.
- As I am going through this, I want you to fill out a form that I will send you to find out every subscription you have, as well as what you’re paying for advertising, what is your ROI with each advertising method, and any liabilities you have at the moment.
- Once the books are finished, we will sit down together and, using a specific software, look at your future as dictated by changes you make to your business now.
This will help you to make educated decisions on what expenses to cut, as well as whether you can afford the tools of your dream.”
“Any questions?” the bookkeeper asks.
(I hope you enjoyed this change in style. Although I love my job, sometimes it can get boring to write about ?. Forecasting is a really cool tool that can help whether you’re contemplating a large purchase or planning for your company’s growth as well as many other situations. Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever thought about using forecasting for your business’s future!)
