Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. Introduction Welcome to our first blog aimed at helping small business owners interpret and understand their financial statements. This week we’ll be focusing on understanding gross profit, what it means, how to calculate it and how to improve it. What is Gross…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. Introduction I own a business, and on the advice of a friend I took the time to register with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). It wasn’t long after I created the free account that a BBB sales agent called me, trying to…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. Introduction So you’ve started a business, and it’s time to get your bookkeeping in order. There are many different accounting software to choose from, but one that people tend to forget about is Excel. You might be surprised to hear that you…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. If you own a small business then you’ve probably heard the term double entry bookkeeping thrown around, but what is double entry bookkeeping? Put very simply, it means that every single transaction recorded in your accounts must be entered in two separate…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. Introduction When you ask your accountant or bookkeeper for financial reports such as a Profit & Loss (P&L) or Balance Sheet, you’ll likely hear them add the disclaimer, ‘unadjusted’ to the financial reports they give you – but what does this mean?…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. Introduction QBO Payroll and Wagepoint are probably the two most popular small business payroll software in the Canadian market. A common question I get asked is which one is better? In this article I’ll review both software to help you decide which…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. I recently took a free online webinar offered by the SOS Inventory Management team to learn more about their product. As someone who’s worked with major ERP systems in the past, I was curious to see what SOS had to offer. To…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. What is OCR software? OCR (optical character recognition) software have been a real game changer for the small business accounting world. But what is OCR? In a nutshell, it’s software which can read images and pictures, recognize characters, and automatically extract key…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. Who is this software for? A2X is an e-commerce software designed to help integrate major e-commerce sites (Amazon, Shopify, eBay, Etsy, Walmart and BigCommerce) directly with cloud-based accounting software such as Quickbooks online and Xero. E-commerce presents accounting challenges because there can…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. Efficiency and automation, these are the promises of every modern accounting software. Cloud based software such as Quickbooks Online (QBO) and Xero allow you to streamline your accounting processes, but only if your system is well thought out. This blog will take…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. Types of outsourced accounting service This article is aimed at small business owners who are trying to figure out what level of accounting service they need to hire and pay for when outsourcing their finance department. Accounting and consulting firms often categorize…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. As the new year unfolds, small Canadian businesses are gearing up for another tax season. There are a lot of tax filings, payments, and year-end reporting requirements that need to be completed in the first half of 2024, so this blog aims…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. Christmas is nearly here, and in Canada, that also means that tax season is just around the corner. If you own a small business, then you know it’s nearly time to speak with your accountant. But for many people, especially those clients…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. Starting a new business is an exciting venture, but it also comes with its fair share of administrative responsibilities. One of the most crucial aspects of managing your startup’s finances is selecting the right Cloud accounting software. The market offers various options,…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. Managing Payroll for Remote Employees- Traditionally, in the pre-COVID-19 world, people mostly worked in the same province where they lived. This rise of remote work means that many Canadians are now working remotely in a different province from where their employer is…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. As a remote-first business, I’ve been ensuring I connect with other business owners in Vancouver by attending evening networking events. Among the various topics that arise in these conversations, one recurring question from new business owners is about incorporating business in Canada.…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. In today’s fast-paced business world, cloud-based accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero have become the go-to solutions for managing finances efficiently. If you’ve been using desktop accounting software and are considering leaping to the cloud, you’re on the right track. This transition…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. Running an e-commerce business in Canada can be incredibly rewarding, but it also comes with unique tax responsibilities, primarily involving the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), and Provincial Sales Tax (PST). Additionally, if you sell to customers in…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm. Choosing the right bookkeeper is a crucial decision for any business, irrespective of its size. A skilled and reliable bookkeeper can contribute significantly to the financial health and success of your enterprise. Navigate the crucial steps of ‘How to select a Bookkeeper…
Written by Stephen Beard, Managing Director of Plyo Bookkeeping, a Vancouver-based bookkeeping firm – updated November 2024. In Canada, the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) is a consumption tax levied by individual provinces. Each province has its own rules and rates for PST, making it essential for businesses to understand how PST works in their specific…