Fair’s Fair “For Book Lovers”

Every three months my accountant comes in to update my books so I can get my GST (Goods & Services Tax) taxes paid for the quarter.

For me, a person with an entrepeneurial rather than a manager or a technician mindset, there are few experiences more traumatic than having a person absorbed by the minutia of everyday life start to drag me into their world of mindnumbing mindboggling details. Particularly so when they are holding the higher ground and all the questions they ask seem to be so vital (if I want to continue being in business).

The dread of her next visit starts up again about one month after the bill is paid and then gradually builds until the paralysis sets in the last week before her arrival when I know I have to assemble all the stacks of information into some sort of order.

The strange part is – everything she wants done is very simple and straightforward if the little details were taken care of each time they presented themselves.

How difficult is it to enter the details of a receipt for a meal into a journal entry – enter the date, who was fed, how much tax was deductible and what was the total amount of the bill. All very simple and would take 5-10 minutes with no stress at all - including the time to open the accounting program – a timesaver would even be to do the accounting chores for all such bills weekly with very little stress – would probably take no more than 5-15 minutes – done quarterly it is about a 90 minute job with loads of stress.

Another thing about putting it off until the last minute is the fact there is almost no time to do anything else – scheduling staffing (except to make sure my own shift is covered) and attending to the myriad of other details involved in operating a retail chain are all pushed back and seem to dissolve into nothingness.

The only good thing that ever comes out of this quarterly problem is the realization that if this was easy – every other booknut would be in this business. The other thing is – how many people working for a living are able to get away with having only one high stress week out of thirteen. Yes, life in the used books business is wonderful.

 But I look forward to incorporating a comprehensive accounting program into our point of sale – database program.