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When you own your own business, you have to wear many hats – bookkeeper, salesperson, designer, and so on.  If you don’t have a way to keep things organized and readily available when you need them, it can get messy and overwhelming very quickly.  Receipts get lost and expenses are forgotten, customer requests can get mixed up between multiple jobs, and the list just goes on and on.  Luckily there are steps you can take to make sure you don’t lose your mind in the process of building your business.

These are some of the things I use to help keep me organized and on track.

1. Business Checking Account.  This needs to be one of the first things you do in order to keep all business income and expenses separate from your personal funds.  Do not mix the two or use one account for the other’s expenses.  Having a business account in place makes things so much easier when it comes time to track accounting items as well. 
2. Business Binder.  Another first that needs to be in place as soon as you start your business is a binder where you keep all your organization documents in place.  If your CPA filed your organization documents, they will probably provide this to you.  If you did everything yourself, you will want to make sure you create one to keep everything safely together.  My binder includes articles of organization, state filings, and Tax ID Documents. 
3. Filing system.  Having a filing system in place is a must.  There is no other way to keep your customers and jobs separated than by creating an organized system.  I assign a file folder for each job and then all receipts and documents related to that job stay in that folder.  I keep these separated by customer name, job, then by year.  I like to go with a new theme each year and pick a new color or design.  I love office supplies, so this is always fun for me.  For 2019 I chose these pretty gold and black folders.  They keep the same color scheme but also have different designs.  This is helpful for me when working on multiple projects at once.  I’m able to quickly glance at the folder and identify which one I need by looking at it instead of having to read the label. I also picked up these black hanging folders that I also use for keeping things grouped together. 
4. Storage Boxes.  I like keeping my hanging folders easily accessible.  These clear acrylic storage boxes are the perfect size and look for what I need.  I use these throughout the year to keep files neat and organized.  At the end of the year when it’s time to pack up and store things away I use these black portable storage files boxes.  These boxes get labeled and stored away since I’d rather keep those items out of site unless I need to access them.
5. Binders.  For flip houses and new builds, I like to use a large three ring binder instead of a file folder.  There are way too many categories that need to be tracked for a project like that to be able to use just a file folder.  I make dividers for things like engineering and permits, electrical, plumbing, paint, etc.  EVERY. SINGLE. ITEM that goes into each house is accounted for in these binders.  From receipts and invoices to paint colors and samples of finishes.  That way when each project is finished, we can easily go back and find an item we’d like to reuse or contractor who did especially nice work (or didn’t). I also keep my expense and budget sheet in the front of each binder so I can see all the costs associated with each category of the project.  
6. Clear Poly Folders.  I like to use these to keep track of my overhead items like bank statements, American Express statements, cell phone bills, etc.  These are also helpful for stashing receipts on the go so they don’t get lost in the bottom of your bag.
7. Label Maker.  I happen to really like my own handwriting, but there is something about having everything consistently labeled that just makes everything better. This one even comes with 3 additional tapes so you don’t have to purchase them separately right away.
8. Quickbooks.  I’ve used other accounting software but Quickbooks is by far my favorite.  It’s so user friendly and help is always easy to find.  It’s also the software my CPA uses so it makes everything that much easier when it comes time to have him double check my work and file our business returns.  Setting up a chart of accounts is what typically takes the longest but once you have everything in place, entering your information is a breeze.  Quickbooks also offers a few templates to get you started depending on what type of business you are running.  I’ve always used the desktop version but they do offer an online version as well if you prefer.

These are some of the main items I use to keep things on track for our remodeling and construction company.  Having these things in place has definitely helped me stay organized and more productive while helping to reduce those overwhelming feelings that can creep up when it feels like we have too much going on.  What are some items that you use to stay organized?