The Biggest Bookkeeper Hiring Mistake 

 The Biggest Bookkeeper Hiring Mistake 

In the last part of this series, we looked at why hiring a bookkeeper can save your business money. The next step is making sure you hire the right person for the role. 

One of the biggest hiring mistakes starts with trying to fill two very different jobs with one person. It’s common to look for someone who can manage the office, answer customer calls, and also keep the books. Those responsibilities may overlap during a typical workday, but they rely on different skills and experience. Mixing them into a single role often creates problems before you even make the hire. 

Why One Person Can’t Do Both Jobs 

Business owners often tell me they’d rather hire someone who can answer the phones, handle customer inquiries, schedule appointments, and take care of the bookkeeping. It sounds like an efficient solution, but it’s one of the biggest hiring mistakes I see. 

Think of it this way. You wouldn’t expect an electrician to install your plumbing just because they’re already working on your house. The same idea applies here. Administrative work and bookkeeping may support the same business, but they require different knowledge and skill sets. 

The Search for the “Unicorn” Employee 

Once you start adding everything you want that person to do, the job quickly becomes unrealistic. You need someone who can answer customer questions, keep the office organized, understand accounting software, follow generally accepted accounting principles, and prepare accurate financial records. That’s a difficult combination to find in one person. 

At that point, you’re looking for a unicorn. The more responsibilities you add to a single position, the harder it becomes to find someone who can do every job well. Waiting for the perfect candidate often means overlooking qualified people who could excel in the role they’re actually trained to do. 

A Better Hiring Strategy 

If your budget only allows you to hire one person, consider bringing in a strong administrative professional and contracting out your bookkeeping. For many businesses, that approach gives you the daily office support you need while making sure your financial records are handled by someone with the right expertise. 

Professional bookkeeping is often more affordable than hiring another full-time employee. That gives you access to bookkeeping expertise without adding another position to your payroll, while your administrative professional can stay focused on running the day-to-day side of the business. 

The Cost of Hiring the Wrong Person 

The cost of hiring the wrong person doesn’t always show up right away. Sometimes it’s a payment that’s processed incorrectly. Other times it’s interest and penalties from the CRA, missed tax deductions, or bookkeeping errors that aren’t discovered until year-end. 

I’ve seen businesses lose thousands of dollars because of mistakes that qualified bookkeeping could have prevented. When those problems surface at year-end, a CPA often has to spend additional time correcting the records before preparing the financial statements. 

By the time those records reach your CPA, you’re paying them to fix bookkeeping problems instead of focusing on your year-end financial reporting. 

What’s Next? 

When each person focuses on the work they’re trained to do, the business runs more smoothly and bookkeeping is less likely to become a problem later. That’s the advantage of matching the right responsibilities to the right role. 

Next time, we’ll look at another common bookkeeping challenge and what you can do to avoid it before it affects your business. 

Please note: This content is for general information purposes only and does not constitute personalized accounting, tax, or financial advice. Reach out to us to book a personalized consultation based on your business and financial situation. 

In the last part of this series, we looked at why hiring a bookkeeper can save your business money. The next step is making sure you hire the right person for the role. 

One of the biggest hiring mistakes starts with trying to fill two very different jobs with one person. It’s common to look for someone who can manage the office, answer customer calls, and also keep the books. Those responsibilities may overlap during a typical workday, but they rely on different skills and experience. Mixing them into a single role often creates problems before you even make the hire. 

Why One Person Can’t Do Both Jobs 

Business owners often tell me they’d rather hire someone who can answer the phones, handle customer inquiries, schedule appointments, and take care of the bookkeeping. It sounds like an efficient solution, but it’s one of the biggest hiring mistakes I see. 

Think of it this way. You wouldn’t expect an electrician to install your plumbing just because they’re already working on your house. The same idea applies here. Administrative work and bookkeeping may support the same business, but they require different knowledge and skill sets. 

The Search for the “Unicorn” Employee 

Once you start adding everything you want that person to do, the job quickly becomes unrealistic. You need someone who can answer customer questions, keep the office organized, understand accounting software, follow generally accepted accounting principles, and prepare accurate financial records. That’s a difficult combination to find in one person. 

At that point, you’re looking for a unicorn. The more responsibilities you add to a single position, the harder it becomes to find someone who can do every job well. Waiting for the perfect candidate often means overlooking qualified people who could excel in the role they’re actually trained to do. 

A Better Hiring Strategy 

If your budget only allows you to hire one person, consider bringing in a strong administrative professional and contracting out your bookkeeping. For many businesses, that approach gives you the daily office support you need while making sure your financial records are handled by someone with the right expertise. 

Professional bookkeeping is often more affordable than hiring another full-time employee. That gives you access to bookkeeping expertise without adding another position to your payroll, while your administrative professional can stay focused on running the day-to-day side of the business. 

The Cost of Hiring the Wrong Person 

The cost of hiring the wrong person doesn’t always show up right away. Sometimes it’s a payment that’s processed incorrectly. Other times it’s interest and penalties from the CRA, missed tax deductions, or bookkeeping errors that aren’t discovered until year-end. 

I’ve seen businesses lose thousands of dollars because of mistakes that qualified bookkeeping could have prevented. When those problems surface at year-end, a CPA often has to spend additional time correcting the records before preparing the financial statements. 

By the time those records reach your CPA, you’re paying them to fix bookkeeping problems instead of focusing on your year-end financial reporting. 

What’s Next? 

When each person focuses on the work they’re trained to do, the business runs more smoothly and bookkeeping is less likely to become a problem later. That’s the advantage of matching the right responsibilities to the right role. 

Next time, we’ll look at another common bookkeeping challenge and what you can do to avoid it before it affects your business. 

Please note: This content is for general information purposes only and does not constitute personalized accounting, tax, or financial advice. Reach out to us to book a personalized consultation based on your business and financial situation.