Margaret, this is one of those age-old time vs. resources questions. Quickbooks is obviously the cheaper option, but it will cost you in time. Vice versa for the accountant, who will be more efficient for you, but cost more. You get the picture.
So, I tend to sort this out with another metric — by expertise and my needs. If your business is small enough that you don’t need special financial counsel (and you have a little time), go with the software and save the money for marketing or other critical spending. But I’ve found that the right financial partner can help guide me into better business decisions, acting as a de facto CFO. And sometimes they more than pay for themselves by steering you to better business strategy.
One note: Regardless of whether you do it yourself, make sure you have a very firm handle on your company’s finances, especially cash flow. There is no more surefire way to cripple your business than losing track of money.
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