Save Your Back-Hire A Bookkeeper To Do the Heavy Lifting
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Our barn has an automatic waterer-it's me. I automatically start refilling water buckets
during chore times.
Depending on a person's
ambition level, a full bucket of water weighs between thirty five and forty
pounds.
Forty pounds isn't much of a lift for a guy six feet- two,
approaching two hundred pounds. But if
you're five feet- two at half my weight, it's a job you want to outsource as often as possible. Ask my wife.
Because even if you have biceps and triceps of steel from
riding, heavy lifting is not your specialty and should be delegated.
In the business half of the horse business, there are some
tasks that are a lot like carrying buckets of water. It's hard work and often no fun, but can't be
ignored.
Bookkeeping is similar to carrying buckets of water.
Essential work, but a task that should be delegated to others when
you don't have the skill, attention span or time to do it. And even if you're good at bookkeeping, is
it the best use of your time as a business professional?
I've found many professional horsemen reluctant to use a
bookkeeper for these reasons:
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Can't find one.
(But, never looked)
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Too expensive. (why pay when I can do it myself, when my other work is done, after 10:00 P.M.)
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Can't trust my
numbers to an outsider to leak. (as if you're earning millions)
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Bookkeeper will
steal. (If they don't handle cash,
deposit checks or sign checks, highly unlikely)
The reasons are
lame. Get a bookkeeper to do that heavy
lifting. There are many part-timers available for the bookkeeping
job. Ask around in your sphere of influence in your community; you can't
find what you're not looking for.
As an alternative to conventional bookkeeping, I suggest you
check out Jennifer Foster's on-line
bookkeeping service EQBookeeping.com.
I
spoke with Jennifer recently about her business. Here is what she told me, "We take the stress and frustration out of
managing the paperwork and details, and allow you to focus on your horses and
clients. We own and breed horses,
compete in shows, and overall understand the challenges you, as a business
owner, have to face. Our goal is to make
things easier for you (and help you avoid problems with the IRS.)
She went on to say, "Most importantly, our services are priced at an affordable
rate that won't cut into your profits.
Running a horse business can be difficult so we price our services at
rates that make the decision to get help a "no brainer."
You input your data-let them worry about debits,credits and balances. Bookkeepers love the heavy lifting of buckets of numbers.
I "met" Jennifer Foster on twitter. While some people think the twitter exercise is a waste of time, the microblog gets results for people in business. Her twitter name is @equineaccountng and she
is followed by many horsemen.
I suspect that our conversation would never have happened without the ice breaker effect of twitter.
Even though the horseman's world is entrenched with tradition and leather bound, you can't ignore technology for results. |
| Others Have Said |
"You can delegate authority, but not responsibility."--Stephen
Comiskey
"Don't throw away the old bucket until you know if the new
one holds water"--Swedish Proverb
"Let silence do the heavy lifting"--from "Fierce Conversations" by Susan Scott
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Back At The Barn |
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The media has been reporting an off year for this year's Kentucky Derby. Discounted hotels with vacancies, cut rate limo service and all kinds of promotions to push business on Derby Week.
For Churchill Downs' sake, I hope the excitement of the Derby, assisted by a mint julep or two, will keep the wagering at the track at pre-recession levels.
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