Do You Know How Hard Your Employees Are Working for You?

Do You Know How Hard Your Employees Are Working for You?

“We hate keeping track of time,” the business owner told me, shaking her head. “We really suck at it. But I want to know how efficiently our employees are working. I’d also like to see how our billable hours stack up against our competitors. Isn’t there another way...
Do You “Speak QuickBooks”?

Do You “Speak QuickBooks”?

We’ve all been in situations where we thought we made a clear request. “How much did we have in sales last month?” “What did we spend in overtime on that project?” “How do our profits look so far this year compared with last year?” When the information comes back, we...
The True Cost of Not Doing Job Costing

The True Cost of Not Doing Job Costing

The owner of a marketing communications business—let’s call her Christine—was sitting across from me. She cradled her head in her left hand and sighed. Then she looked over at me with large, pleading eyes and said, “My people have never been busier. But in the 10...
Do You Have a “Splitting “Headache?

Do You Have a “Splitting “Headache?

An accountant walks into a bar . . . No, it’s not the beginning of a corny joke. It describes a visit I once made to a client. Her books were in shambles. She was bouncing checks right and left. She never had as much money in the bank as she thought she should. And...