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Internal theft in business is all too common. Search the internet and you will find many articles about embezzlement by trusted employees.

The good news: There are steps you can take to safeguard yourself and your company without relying on ‘trust’ as a method of prevention.

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How can I tell if I’m hiring a good bookkeeper? Small business owners and other accountants that hire bookkeepers to work in their firms ask us this question all the time.

When we interview bookkeepers, we pay special attention to these areas to make sure the person we’re hiring is a good fit.

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Start by asking yourself some basic questions. Why do you want a bookkeeper? This will point you in the right direction.

Some common whys:

-I am not well versed in accounting.
-I do not like this part of my business, but I know it is necessary.
-I know I can move this company forward if I bring in someone to take over this role.

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Is keeping track of your financials the bane of your business? While you might love the work you do, invoicing, paying bills, and reviewing the financials probably aren’t your favorite tasks.

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A refund policy defines the processes and rules for when customers want to return the products or services they purchased from you and get their money back. It’s often required by your credit card or shopping cart company as part of maintaining PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance. Plus, it’s just a good, fair business practice to post a refund policy.

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Measuring and encouraging customer retention is important for businesses in many industries. There are a few great metrics that can help determine how you are doing in this area.

We’ll explain those metrics and provide some tactical tips in this article.

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Most large businesses have developed mission, vision, and values statements to guide them and inform stakeholders about their company’s strategic direction. Going through this exercise is a wonderful idea for even the smallest businesses.

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It’s another meeting that could have been an email….

Sound familiar? Many people are complaining about back-to-back-to-back Zoom meetings. Once they find out the meeting agenda could have been addressed via email, they’re understandably frustrated! Or worse, someone invites you to an in-person meeting you didn’t really need to be in.

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April is Financial Literacy Month! Most people aren’t as excited as I am to talk about money. In fact, discussing finances is something many people avoid.

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We have enough capital to take advantage of opportunities and hire great candidates, which means we interview often. But do candidates think First Steps Financial is a fabulous company to work for? First impressions are important—for both sides.