Pretty Books

04/25/2023

Dear Abacus:

Being stuck between your passion and your pay is a hard place to be. Business is tough. The mechanics of business are, unfortunately, more complex than just being passionate. Abacus the Accountant talks making these hard decisions in business and what to do next in this week's edition of Dear Abacus...

04/24/2023

🚨April Newsletter: Business owner? Please just pay yourself

Business owners! Please pay yourself. Make sure to account all the cost associated to running your business. This means that your labor counts - it's important to reflect this cost in your financial reports. As a business owner, it is very easy to overlook your own pay. However, consistent payment ...

03/19/2023

Check out our office furniture > Moving SALE! If interested, reach out to us or email us at [email protected]

Our office is transitioning to remote work only. We are moving by the end of this month. All our furniture must go. All our office furniture is less than 3 years old. We will have an open sale on...

03/13/2023

Today is a beautiful day to have a beautiful day.

03/10/2023

Today is payroll day. It is the day accountants clean up employee timecards, get in touch with managers to verify that hours are correct, check paid time off, and submit payroll.

While payroll day is not usually too complicated, it can be nerve wracking knowing you’re the one in charge of making sure people receive the correct paychecks on time.

So how do you get it all done with no mistakes? https://prettybooks.com/magazine/2020/10/01/its-payroll-day-a-day-in-the-life-of-an-accountant/

03/09/2023

A shout out to our fellow WA State businesses!

Washington State has three specific categories of taxes: state, city, and county. In order to be better prepared, your checklist is going to include taxes within the city and county, as well as the state excise tax.

Need more information? Check out the link for these helpful checklists when doing taxes this season!
https://prettybooks.com/g/tools/the-wa-state-tax-checklist

03/08/2023

Communicating complicated analyses and make it easy to understand is a skill accountants are constantly developing.

Being able to translate their processes and findings to an audience that does not understand accounting is a challenge, especially when these findings contradict the beliefs of the clients they are speaking with.

Check out how our accountants dealt with this challenge on our magazine!
https://prettybooks.com/magazine/2020/09/08/inconvenient-truths/

03/08/2023

Every time you hit that “submit” button on payroll, you’re nervous—will your bank account be able to handle new equipment purchases? If your understanding of your cash situation is foggy...

Here’s the deal: you need to establish a weekly cash flow sync up.

03/06/2023

If you want your business to grow up big, strong and healthy, pay attention to your accounts receivable aging.

03/03/2023

Hiring is exciting. It means your business is growing and you’re ready to add a new member to the team. It also means taking care of some paperwork.

There are a list of things you’ll need to get together to meet HR and the government’s requirements, as well as a few things you’ll need to share with your new teammate.

https://prettybooks.com/g/tools/the-detailed-new-hire-checklist

03/02/2023

What's a Pro Forma?

When you're asked to create a five-year projection to showcase your ideas for the future of your business, it's called a Pro Forma.

Your Pro Forma is used by bankers and investors to evaluate your business. They look at your ideas of where your business is headed and how it will get there to get an inside look at your company. Your Pro Forma is used to help them decide whether or not to invest in you or give you a loan.

02/27/2023

Dear Abacus…My business has grown a lot since I first started working with my CPA. How do I decide if they’re still the best choice for my business?

You’re already recognizing the need to understand more about your business’s financials—your profit, revenue, cash flow, etc. Your needs are branching out, and you’re probably looking for more frequent reporting, which is something your current CPA might not be able to provide...
..go back to your CPA and ask them if their skillset will be able to provide you with your new needs.

Check out our article for more tips!
https://prettybooks.com/magazine/2022/09/19/my-business-has-grown-a-lot-is-a-cpa-bookkeeper-still-enough/