You’re the catch-all for certain daily activities at your automotive repair shop. In this industry, that's the norm. But there are only so many hours in a day, and your expertise is in your line of work... so why are you trying to do your own accounting when so much is at stake?
Instead of sacrificing your time and still risking falling behind on accounting, outsource your accounting to professionals with experience in your industry.
CSI Accounting & Payroll has been working with repair shop owners like you since the 1960s. In fact, your industry was our first specialty! That's why we've gathered six reasons to outsource auto repair accounting.
6 Reasons to Outsource Accounting for Your Auto Repair Shop
1. Physical Demands of Repairing Vehicles
Working in an auto repair shop - even for an owner - is physically demanding work during the day. If you're lucky enough to be busy, that means you're probably unlucky enough to have to wait until the end of your day to work on your books.
When you're exhausted, you're more likely to make errors. Nobody can jump into accounting at the end of a tiring day and expect to be productive, but if you're not working with a professional, you don't have a choice.
2. Mental Demands of the Auto Repair Industry
Mental cloudiness due to physical exhaustion is one thing, but stress can come from other industry struggles as well. Between other local shops, large chains, and dealerships, there’s a lot of competition. That puts a strain on you when it comes to hiring and retaining employees, attracting new business, and providing the best experience possible for existing customers.
If you're pulled in different directions throughout the day, getting accounting off your plate can help you find some peace. After all, it's hard to focus on any task at hand if something is looming in the back of your mind.
3. Focus on Your Role as an Owner
Smart business owners know how to lead and when to delegate. Defining and sticking to your role provides stability for your business and encourages employees to properly execute their roles. Don’t try to be an owner, a technician, and an accountant all at the same time.
The health of your repair shop relies on maximizing profitability. Instead of working on back office activities, focus on bringing customers in and training employees to increase average repair order figures. Without the time to concentrate on these responsibilities, the potential of your business will suffer.
Learn more about what goes into doing your own accounting - and decide for yourself if you have the time to handle it all.
4. Support Before, During, and After Tax Season
You might have a busy season with winter tune-ups, and annual tax preparers face a busy season with taxes. If you outsource your taxes, your tax preparer files them... along with the business and personal taxes of many, many others.
An annual tax accountant may claim to help with tax planning and projections, but they can't do much besides record your history because they only see your books annually. On the other hand, monthly accounting benefits you year-round with current financial statements, unlimited advice, and a complete tax strategy to minimize your tax liability.
Worrying about audits adds even more stress if you're handling accounting yourself. Stay ahead of the process by outsourcing it all to the experts. If you work with a monthly firm like CSI Accounting & Payroll, you’ll have audit support should the government come knocking.
5. Proactive Business Advice from Experts
Expert monthly accounting services go beyond the numbers. Get proactive advice for any stage of your business. Whether you are looking to optimize or invest in your current location, expand, or sell, you can use your accountant as a resource.
An example of advice we offer that many shops find useful is our Matrix Pricing Templates. With the industry becoming homogenized, you want to know the right way to price your parts and handle your payroll margins to stay in business.
6. Get Payroll Off Your Plate, Too
Accounting and payroll go hand-in-hand. Chances are, if you've been trying to handle your own accounting, you've also been trying to handle your own payroll.
At CSI Accounting & Payroll, we believe that for small businesses to be successful, they should outsource everything they can... at least, until they're big enough to hire an in-house expert. For now, as a small business, it makes the most sense to bundle your accounting and payroll with one provider. If you do this with CSI, you get a discount!
Work With Experienced Repair Shop Accountants
Many of our clients didn’t recognize the burden of handling accounting for their shop until we took the tasks off their plate. They also realized they weren’t handling accounting as well as they thought they were.
Having a monthly accounting service on your team lets you concentrate on your business and the daily activities of managing employees, increasing your customer base, and maximizing your profits. There’s never a wrong time to bring in the experts, even if you’ve let the accounting activities slide for a while.
To see if CSI Accounting & Payroll can be a good fit for your auto repair business, schedule a free consultation by clicking the button below:
Not ready to talk yet? That's okay! In the meantime, check out our Matrix Pricing Templates for auto repair shops:
