Rule #1 - Work expands to fill the time allowed for it or the outer edge of what business owner will tolerate
Rule #2 - If the boss piles on too much work slowdown, demand overtime and additional staff
Rule #3 - Bookkeepers are underpaid and overworked
Rule #4 - It is O.K. to come to work late, leave early, take lots of breaks and long lunches
Rule #5 - Bookkeepers have a duty to Train Their Boss Like Organ Grinders Train Monkeys!
What Do You Remember - About filing out the Income Tax Return when you were growing up? Most of remember our parents or guardians at the kitchen table with a pile of papers, receipts and W-2’s trying to finish the Income Tax Return so it could be mailed before midnight on April 15th.
As Adults - We learned the rituals of filling out tax returns, applications, and paperwork in general and most of us don’t like it one bit.
Negative Energy - Is connected to bookkeeping and hardly anyone said they wanted to be a bookkeeper when they grew up; except me of course and a few other people. This brings us to the story of the Two Types Of Bookkeepers, Professional And Bad. Good Bookkeepers cost money and Bad Bookkeepers work cheap!
Are Lucky People - Who answered their life’s calling and made a conscious decision to pursue bookkeeping as a profession and they have an extreme passion for bookkeeping.
Education And Training - Have invested the 10,000 hours it takes to master their profession in bookkeeping and accounting. As time goes by we tend to specialize in a particular industry and we invest more time to go deeper and master the complexities of whatever bookkeeping specialty we are most passionate about. We happen to love construction accounting!
We Are Passionate As Sports Stars - About our profession and we love being part of a team that works together to generate lots of money for our employers because we know when that happens they will share some of it with us.
You Will Know Us - When you meet us because we have traits and habits we cannot hide:
We Have A Thirst - For knowledge and can never get enough. So we attend classes, seminars, webinars, workshops, live lectures, read books, join discussion groups, get certifications, awards, licenses and earn the right to have letters behind our name and eventually it hits us like a ton of bricks!
We Will Never - Be expert; also known as "Has Been Drip Under Pressure" because no matter how long we are doing it or how much we learn everything changes. So we become specialists (always learning) in one industry; I chose construction accounting.
Are Easy To Identify -If you know what to look for and to help you here click here for the list.
Are Poor Unfortunate Souls - Who drift aimlessly in a sea of dead end jobs surrounded and happen to wash up on the shores of Bookkeeping Island; due north of the Island of the Blind where the the One Eyed Man is King!
Most of them have no training - No real bookkeeping skills; they simply drifted into bookkeeping without realizing the ramifications of not having the foundation skillsets because it may have been thrust upon them as an entry level position by a business owner who had childhood issues with bookkeeping.
Being Self-Taught - The bad bookkeepers develop a collection of bad habits and paradigms which cause them to slowly sink into quagmire of quiet desperation. In order to keep a job they become cheap bookkeepers.
After Being - In bookkeeping a while they feel trapped because there are few if any chances to be promoted to better paying positions.
Attending Classes - Seminars, lectures or seeking continuing education could give them more skills and make them more valuable; however, their lack of a proper foundation in the principles of accounting will reveal their MOAS (Mother of All Secrets).
Bookkeepers With Retail Store Experience - Hired to do the bookkeeping for construction companies create some of the worst messes in QuickBooks that we see and clean up....Not a pretty picture...kind of like a train wreck!
As Time Goes By - The bad bookkeeper slides deeper and deeper into being an even cheaper bookkeeper bouncing from one job to the next.
When Things Really Go Bad - They open their own bookkeeping service. Unfortunately it seems construction business owners searching for the lowest price hire them because they do not understand the true cost of hiring professionals until it is too late….at the auction where their businesses assets are being sold to the highest bidder at the lowest price possible.
The First Mistake Is - Attempting to setup QuickBooks without and understanding of Construction Bookkeeping and Accounting by doing the same way it was done at their previous job where that business owner is bankrupt.
Disaster Waiting To Happen - Because setting up QuickBooks for construction is totally different from every other industry, especially retail.
In The End - The bad bookkeeper usually does not get paid because the contractor goes bankrupt and leaves a pile of unpaid suppliers, creditors and employees. It is a shame because in most cases when a business goes bankrupt it can be traced back to bad bookkeeping and no KPI Reports
Arrive on time and leave on time
Care about you as a person, your company, your staff, your suppliers
Cheerful, thinking, responsible adults
Continually learning new skill sets because they take pride in their work
Embrace processes and procedures that allow everyone to succeed
Produce reliable results early and often
Take a lunch break to recharge their minds and bodies
Take reasonable breaks during the day to clear their mind
Team players working to maintain the integrity of your QuickBooks
A living wage with benefits
Air Conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter
Company paid training to continually update their skill sets
Do not expect them to ANSWER THE PHONE
Good lighting in their office and the building in general
Kitchenette with free beverages, snacks, frozen foods and a microwave
Knowledge base available only to qualified Bookkeepers
Lots of room to spread out paper and assorted files
Private office with a door so they can work in quiet and think
Provide them with 24-7 technical English speaking U.S. based phone support
The latest in computer hardware and software with lots of power
Two large flat screen monitors with DVI inputs and high resolution
Understand and implement Deming’s 14 points, Covey’s 7 Habits and Good To Great
Your QuickBooks continually backed up so there is no worry about losing data
Arrive late and leave early to make up for it
Are Time and Effort Driven / Not Results Driven like selfish, greedy, rich, business owners
Avoid learning new skill sets because there is nobody to check the books and look for problems
Change jobs while the tax return is being prepared since the books are a mess; and the jig is up
Come in a little bit late and leaving a little bit early to make up for it to find your tolerance limit
Do not care about you, your company or anyone else associated with your company
Get even with you for every perceived injustice against themselves and society as a whole
If you insult them it is like insulting the cook; use your imagination, and be very afraid
Keep you busy with lots of mindless crap to divert attention from why the books are a mess
Let you think you in control of the bookkeeper and the accounting until it is too late
Make you believe they are looking out the best interest of the company, LOL!
Make work expand to fill whatever time you are willing to pay them to get it done
Most popular parting comment: “Chaos, panic and disorder...my work here is done”
Negotiate for additional perks, benefits, changes, and elimination of personal accountability
Network for a better job with your clients, suppliers, vendors, and competitors
Represent themselves to outsiders as the owner or manager with decision making authority
Spend company time on texting, messaging, e-mailing, web surfing, cell phones, and socializing
Take lots of long breaks to waste time, grumble and complain about everything under the sun
Train you to leave them alone by getting upset or angry whenever you ask for a QuickBooks report
Want the business to be fair--- a place where the owners do not earn more than Bookkeepers by redistributing your wealth
When the business closes its doors they proudly declare the boss was incompetent and stupid
Work in a chaotic, neurotic, psychotic, selfish, disorganized, blame game environment
Work through lunch to leave early (Be at the office for 7 hours and get paid for 8)
What Is Required To Attract And Keep A Cheap Bookkeeper?
A miserable, overworked, untrained, underpaid, Bookkeeper waking up every day hating life
A substandard wage slightly above working in a fast food restaurant
An antique computer with one monitor and a slow printer
Make sure to have low wattage bad lighting in their workspace
Have them answer the phone and greet customers
A cramped little space for the bookkeeper to work
Have them run errands using their vehicle don't pay for it
Little or no continuing education in accounting or QuickBooks
Nobody to ask for help with complex Accounting and accounting issues
Put them in a public noisy environment with lots of interruptions
QuickBooks tech support coming from someone who barely understands English
Pay for their training because all their learning is by experience
Wonder if they are trying to run you out of business; in most cases...yes they are
Wonder what is wrong with them, where are the reports you need to run your company
Either no restroom for them to use or if you have one make sure it is never cleaned and don't restock the toilet paper
No break room, no snacks and no coffee...unless it is the cheapest coffee available
If any of this makes you laugh, gasp, cry or unhappy let me know. Your comments are always welcome.
Tell me your stories about being a bookkeeper, what was it like?
Tell me your stories about having a bookkeeper, what was it like?
Tell me your story, because I am sincerely interested in you and I will read it and respond with kindness and respect.
For Construction Company Owners who do not need the full power of QuickBooks for contractors and want 24/7 online access we offer Xero Accounting Online and we have custom setup for construction companies. Click Here For More.
This Is One More Example of how Fast Easy Accounting is helping construction company owners all across the USA including Alaska and Hawaii put more money in the bank to operate and grow your construction company. Construction accounting is not rocket science; it is a lot harder than that and a lot more valuable to people like you so stop missing out! Call Sharie 206-361-3950 or sharie@fasteasyaccounting.com and schedule your no charge one-hour consultation.
Profitable Contractors and Construction Company owners have known about the value of outsourced bookkeeping services and contractor coaching services like ours for a long time and now you know about it too!
We Scan Your Receipts And Invoices link the appropriate transactions to QuickBooks or Xero Accounting Online depending on the construction accounting service you are using and provide ongoing Cloud Based Contractors Bookkeeping Services by accountants who understand construction.
About The Author:
Our Co-Founder Randal DeHart - Is a Certified PMP (Project Management Professional) with several years of construction project management experience. His expertise is construction accounting systems engineering and process development. His exhaustive study of several leading experts including the work of Dr. W. Edward Deming, Michael Gerber, Walter A. Shewhart, James Lewis and dozens of others was the foundation upon which our Construction Bookkeeping System is based and continues to evolve and improve. Check out our Contractor Success Map Podcast on iTunes and Follow Randal on Google+