Picture Alex, founder of a growing environmental consulting firm, comparing bookkeeping software options on her laptop. “I know I need something better than spreadsheets,” she mutters, “but how do I choose between all these options?” Choosing the right bookkeeping software can feel overwhelming if you’re like Alex. Let’s cut through the confusion.
Understanding What Matters
Consulting firms have unique financial needs. Through their work with over 175 professional service firms, System Six has found that consulting businesses need particular capabilities in their bookkeeping software. You’ll want to track project profitability, allocate time and expenses efficiently, create professional invoices, and see your real-time cash flow. Most importantly, your software should play well with other business tools you use daily.
The Top Contenders
QuickBooks Online is System Six’s top recommendation for most consulting firms. “QuickBooks Online forms the backbone of our client’s financial systems,” explains Tim from System Six. Its robust feature set and extensive integration capabilities make it ideal for consulting firms.” The software excels at project and class tracking, offers strong reporting capabilities, and grows alongside your firm. While its interface can initially feel overwhelming, proper setup and guidance can transform it into a powerful ally for your business.
For firms with international operations, Xero offers a compelling alternative. Its multi-currency handling and intuitive interface make it particularly attractive for firms across borders. One System Six client who switched to Xero praises its clean interface and excellent bank reconciliation features. However, compared to QuickBooks Online, Xero offers fewer US-specific features and a more limited selection of third-party integrations.
Smaller consulting practices (<$400K in revenue) might find FreshBooks hits their sweet spot. It shines in time tracking and professional invoicing, with an interface that won't send you reaching for the aspirin. Yet, as your firm grows, you might find its reporting capabilities and basic accounting features somewhat constraining.
Sage Intacct enters the conversation for consulting firms scaling beyond $20 million in revenue. It offers sophisticated financial management features that larger firms need, though its significant investment requirement and steep learning curve make it overkill for smaller operations.
Making It Work
Having the right software is just the beginning – the implementation transforms it from a tool into a game-changer. As one System Six client shares, “They revamped our whole accounting system into accurate and dependable practices. They take on the entire setup and effectively act as consultants until your accounting operations run smoothly.”
The setup phase proves critical. Many firms stumble by trying to configure these tools without proper expertise. Working with experienced partners like System Six ensures your chart of accounts reflects consulting industry best practices, your project tracking captures the right metrics, and your automation saves time rather than creating headaches.
Your software needs will evolve as your firm grows. Quarterly reviews of your financial systems help ensure they continue supporting your business effectively. “I don’t have to think about my accounting anymore,” one System Six client notes. “It’s just taken care of seamlessly.” This peace of mind comes from combining the correct software with expert implementation.
Making Your Choice
When selecting your software, consider your firm’s current size and growth trajectory. A solo consultant’s needs differ vastly from those of a 50-person firm. Think about which features you genuinely need today and which you might need tomorrow. Consider your budget not just for the software but also for proper implementation and support.
Remember Alex from our opening? She ultimately chose QuickBooks Online, which she implemented with System Six’s guidance. “Now I actually understand our numbers,” she says. Instead of wrestling with basic bookkeeping, I’m using financial insights to drive decisions.” Her story could be yours, too.
The right combination of software and expertise can transform your financial operations from a burden into a strategic advantage. Consider partnering with experts who can help you not just choose the right software but implement it in a way that gives you back your evenings and weekends. After all, you became a consultant to solve complex problems for clients, not to become an amateur accountant.
About System Six
System Six is a modern, fully remote, cloud-based finance and accounting firm dedicated to providing exceptional services to service and software businesses. We specialize in bookkeeping, payroll, bill payment, invoicing, and sales tax filing, ensuring your financial operations are seamless and efficient. Our unique team-based approach brings decades of experience and expertise, managing day-to-day bookkeeping processes, finances, and technology stacks with a focus on sustainability and long-term, win-win relationships. At System Six, we believe that our clients’ success is our success, and we are committed to delivering excellence in every aspect of our work.
It’s storytime on the blog this week! Do either of these tales sound familiar to you?
Flash Drives and Checkbooks
The advisors at Neighborhood Financial were losing their minds and perhaps more alarmingly, their valuable time.
It was the last Friday of the business month and, as was becoming far too common, financial advisors/business partners Jake and Lisa were scrambling to make sure their individual income accounts and their joint business account were correctly balanced.
As with most financial firms, bookkeeping needs at Neighborhood Financial were complicated. Along with individual income streams and expenses, the business partners’ joint venture account had to be regularly contributed to by both team members. They had hired an independent accountant to handle their books long ago – so why were they still not 100% sure of where their accounts stood and who owed how much to their joint account every month?
With the chime of the office doorbell, the answer to that question walked in the door with a flash drive in one hand and a stack of unsigned checks in the other.
Fred the accountant had years of experience and a winsome personality that built loyalty and trust with his customers. Unfortunately, he was falling farther and farther behind on the latest banking and bookkeeping systems and tools that make modern bookkeeping organized and efficient.
Fred the accountant still kept Jake’s and Lisa’s individual books on a flash drive that Jake and Lisa only had up-to-date access to whenever Fred was able to stop by. Fred still handled expenses and payments with paper checks, reports and receipts. It was simply the way he had always done things.
It took up quite a lot of their valuable time for Fred to help Jake and Lisa figure out how much each of them needed to contribute to their joint account each month, and the sums varied so wildly month to month that neither of them were ever sure if they were over or under contributing.
“There’s got to be a simpler, more dependable way to do this,” sighed Jake, rubbing his forehead after Fred left with the stack of freshly signed checks.
“This is becoming too stressful for us individually, and for our partnership,” agreed Lisa. “I think we need to make a change.”
How much of a difference can expert help and up-to-date tools make for financial businesses?
It may surprise you that the answer is more than you might think.
Staying two steps ahead of the latest tools, systems and technologies for financial business bookkeeping is becoming a necessity for those who want to stay ahead in today’s quickly evolving world. More than ever, today’s financial businesses need expert help with a deep understanding of the most accurate and efficient bookkeeping tools on the market so that they can focus on what they value most: serving their customers.
Something we have noticed among our clients is that some businesses are leery of switching from old, manual ways of accounting because they are afraid they will lose the personal touch that comes with the long standing relationships that develop over years working with a single accountant. The learning curve of newer systems and technology seem overwhelming and businesses worry it will take too much of their time.
We believe you shouldn’t have to choose between personal attention to detail and the most efficient, up to date technology. You deserve both.
At System Six we work hard to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to the best, up to date systems and tools available for bookkeeping so you don’t have to. We are also just as committed to building long lasting relationships with our clients – relationships built on great communication and personal attention to the details that matter for your business.
21st Century Solutions to 21st Century Challenges
Jake and Lisa made the decision to change how they were handling their business’ bookkeeping.
By outsourcing their bookkeeping needs to a company that was up to date with today’s best technology, Jake and Lisa began to see immediate improvements in the areas that previously caused so much frustration and stress.
The new bookkeeping team used tools to analyze past years’ spending to project more accurately how much Jake and Lisa needed to be contributing to their joint account each month. Their payments became more consistent so there were no longer last minute surprises at the end of every month.
While trying to understand and manage the various streams of revenue and expenses at their firm had been a nightmare before, now Jake and Lisa received monthly, detailed reports broken down in a clear, concise way. Jake and Lisa finally had vital account information at their fingertips, up to date within ten days of the end of the month. No more waiting for and fussing with flash drives!
Moving their banking and bill pay systems online alleviated the need for paper checks and reports, which made Neighborhood Financial more organized and efficient than ever before.
All this led to surprisingly big benefits for Jake, Lisa and Neighborhood Financial: more peace of mind, better control of their account information, and best of all, more time to devote to their clients.
Does this story sound familiar to you? Have you been wondering how updating the way your business handles partnership accounting would improve your work? If so, we’d love to connect with you!
We believe you started your business out of a place of passion and to meet a need in your community. As a small business owner, you likely wear many hats, juggling your time between owner, human resources director, marketing manager, and accountant, to name a few. Your time is valuable, but in light of all of your job titles, time never seems to be in abundance. Due dates loom, tasks pile up, details are overlooked, and stress begins to consume you. The solution? Delegate. Here are five signs it’s time to look for an outsourced bookkeeper so you can get back to dreaming and growing your business.
1. Receipts and bills are stacking up
Is your desk becoming overgrown with bills and receipts? Does the paperwork feel like it never ends? Organizing your books can be discouraging when you are drowning in financial data. It becomes even more difficult if your business did not set up a proper system for bookkeeping from the beginning. Without a standardized approach, maintaining your books can be burdensome. Your employees rely on you for accurate and timely payroll and budgeting.
Organized books are critical for profit-loss statements, financial planning, and budgeting. Cloud-based tools like Quickbooks will make it easy to keep tabs on your finances without the mountain of papers on your desk. Don’t let those receipts get the best of you; hiring a professional bookkeeper can help.
2. Tax-prep is stressful and overwhelming
Does tax season stimulate anxiety? You took the right step in hiring a Certified Public Accountant to file your taxes, but tax preparation is still required. Someone needs to run reports, apply updated tax codes, and categorize paperwork. Doing this on your own can be intimidating. While financially savvy and experienced, your CPA is not involved in the ins and outs of daily business and doesn’t know what papers you filed where or how your business runs cash-flow through the weeks and years.
CPAs don’t typically do tax preparation, and it will require much more time, money, and communication to find all of the documents and data they need. Outsourcing all your business’s tax prep to a bookkeeper can alleviate the oppressiveness of tax season by streamlining communication with your CPA and increasing your confidence that your taxes will be filed correctly.
3. Financing is necessary for growth
Is your company looking to grow? Do you need additional financing options? For more financing, you must have organized and accurate financial data. Banks will evaluate your business on the organization of its financial records, debt repayment history, and reputation. By hiring a bookkeeper to execute financial tasks, your business will have a greater opportunity for increased lending. In doing so, you can know your profit and loss statements will be timely and accurate when submitting paperwork to a bank. If you need additional documentation, your bookkeeper is a call away. Don’t let approvals get in the way of your organization’s growth.
4. Every penny counts
If you’re a small business owner, you know that every penny matters. Unanticipated fees and additional expenses are simply not an option. Avoiding unwanted costs is a must, and cash flow management is essential to running a successful business. By hiring a bookkeeper, your company avoids the risk of audits and late fees. In addition, bookkeepers can facilitate a more efficient business on your behalf by appropriately entering all information for your taxes, which saves money in the long run. Get back to looking at the big financial picture, let the bookkeepers handle the pennies.
5. Dreaming for your business has become stagnant
You didn’t go into business for the endless bills, crinkled receipts, and math homework. You became a business owner because you had a dream: a desire to change and serve your community and to build time and financial freedom. We believe you deserve to have the time and energy to focus on your goals and see them come to fruition. A professional bookkeeper grants you the mental space to be inspired again by maintaining the areas of your business that drag you down. Get back to dreaming, hire a bookkeeper.
You are one of your business’s most valuable assets.
By delegating the bookkeeping to a professional team like System Six, you regain time, energy, money, and most importantly, the space to grow your business. Are you interested in taking the next step to finding a trustworthy and dependable bookkeeper? Let’s chat. At System Six, we help business owners get back to what’s important, one line item at a time.
Chris joined System Six from a career in finance, where he served as an advisor to and investor in medium-large sized businesses. He’s worked for several fast growing companies, holds a business degree from Stanford, and is a great advisory resource for our clients.
Chris loves being with family, going for runs and working on his golf game.
