Guest Blog Post - Caroline Armstrong

As a busy Mum of two under 5 (one of which I home educate) and having my own accountancy business, it’s fair to say it can be overwhelming sometimes.

If you are a Mum in business then you will understand the pressures of trying to be everything to everyone - ALL OF THE TIME! Home maker, cleaner, educator, good wife, good Mother, good daughter - all of that on top of being a successful business woman too.

It can make you wonder why we bother and don’t just go out and get an employed job. But you know why we don’t. We are here to make a difference, to share our passion, to help people, while doing something we enjoy and having the flexibility and freedom to live OUR lives, OUR way.

So how do we deal with the overwhelm?

I wish I had all the answers but what I do know is that taking the pressure off where we can is paramount. So I’m here to share with you my top 3 tips for staying on top of your bookkeeping and accounts, something I know many business mums find stressful and procrastinate over.

TIP 1 - Schedule It Into Your Busy Month

Knowing you have that 2 hours (or however long it takes you) put aside to concentrate on getting your paperwork up to date means you are far more likely to do it. And by being on top of it each month, your annual accounts should be a doddle, saving you time and making it a lot less worrisome.

TIP 2 - Don’t Overcomplicate It

You really don’t need fancy software that you struggle to use. A spreadsheet or good old pen and notebook do the job in a much more timely manner (and are a lot cheaper too!). If you are a sole trader with a small business then a simple list of what comes in and what goes out is really all you need to do each month.

TIP 3 - Get Somebody To Do It For You

Do you have a cleaner at home (or would you have one if you could)? Outsourcing your bookkeeping and accounts is no different. It will save you time to concentrate on the bits of your business you love and are good at. It could save you money on your tax bill because an accountant will know what extras you can claim and give you advise on where you can be saving money in the everyday running of your business. No more stress and worry. It would be out of your hands and out of your mind. Let’s face it, if it’s one less thing for us Mums’ to think about, it’s a winner!

You can check Caroline out on Facebook or drop her an email to caroline@armstrongaccountancyservices.co.uk if you’d like to find out more about the services she offers.