When it comes to our physical health, it can be blindingly obvious when we’re not well.
On the other hand, sometimes we can just sense that something isn’t right. As any trained doctor would probably tell you – you can’t treat what you can’t diagnose.
We’d like you to think of the health of your business in the same way.
Sometimes, chaos has bubbled so far to the surface that it’s blindingly obvious.
At other times, you might be looking at your numbers and thinking something just feels off.
We don’t take on new (already Xero using) clients unless we have carried out a Xero HealthCheck
At Fresh Financials, we work with clients who are forward thinking. We love working with people who have an enthusiasm for Xero and how it can transform a business.
But before we set out on that journey, we like to take a breather first. We do an in depth health check on Xero accounts that are new to us. This is to ensure the account is being used correctly, is up to date, so that we can move forward with this client starting on the right foot.
Getting a grasp on a new software can be brilliant but challenging, especially if you’re already feeling like something might be a little off with your numbers.
It can feel like you’re about to run a marathon when you think you might be getting the flu.
You wouldn’t run a marathon without assessing your health.
Imagine you are actually thinking about running a marathon.
If you’ve been feeling a little under the weather and your fitness has taken a bit of a sideline, you’re going to want to check a few things out before you get into any heavy training:
- How’s your blood pressure? You don’t want high blood pressure to cause any damage in the long term
- How’s your heart? A good cardio assessment will check for any underlying issues
- How’s your blood count? You want to be sure you’re free from infections, or have the awareness so that you can treat any issues
This is exactly what we do with your finances.
Be proactive with your finances, not reactive
We don’t send anyone into the business race, until we’ve had a good look into the health of their accounts. We want to be sure we catch any issues before they cause long term damage.
We’ll take a note of your current VAT return figure, and then take a deep dive into Xero to:
- Check in on your bank accounts – Looking out for any unreconciled transactions
- Do a full check of your profit and loss – does anything look out of place?
- Do a full check of your balance sheet: Looking for any discrepancies in your assets and liabilities.
- Note your aged receivables: how long it takes for customers to pay you.
- Note aged payables: how long it takes you to pay suppliers.
- Check in on payroll: Looking for any cross system issues since you moved to Xero.
Once we’ve tidied everything up, we’ll go back to that VAT return amount and take a second look. You’d be surprised what we find.
Recently we saved a client £1765 in VAT, after the health check brought to light that duplicate sales were being put through the system.
All the above and more, is presented in a report and sent to the client. Then a meeting is arranged to run through everything that has been reported on.
In honesty, we’ve never carried out a health check where everything has been spot on.
And we understand why. We love tech, and it’s helping us to become more efficient as business owners and bookkeepers – but there is still a human side to the job. Which means that sometimes you just need someone human to check that everything is running as smoothly as it should be.
We carry out these health checks quarterly with our clients. Although not as intense as the initial check, we like to make sure that you’re always on top of your books.
Of course, if we’re doing daily bookkeeping for you, you’ll sail through because everything will be up to date in real-time. And if you’re not on daily bookkeeping, we highly recommend you check out this blog post to see how it can make a big difference to your business.
If you’re not a client and you feel like something is off with your Xero account – there’s no harm in being proactive and getting an expert to diagnose what the problems are.
Remember, you can’t treat what you can’t diagnose.
Let us help you figure out what you need.