Role of small business credit cards

Image by Angela Radulescu via Flickr

by Cheryl L. True

Small business credit cards can play an important role in the success of many enterprises and small businesses. Yet currently most folk's view of small business credit cards is extremely limited. Mostly they only think of them as tools to aid them in obtaining certain incentives for small businesses that credit cards have become famous for giving.

The more significant potential role that small business credit cards can play is that of helping entrepreneurs manage their businesses more efficiently and easily by greatly simplifying the accounting and financial record keeping tasks. There is no doubt that this is a critical area in the management of the affairs of any business and yet keeping constantly updated and accurate records is quite a challenge for any small business.

Many people thought that with the advent of popular and easy to use small business software accounting packages like QuickBooks, this problem was gone forever. Alas, some old problems persisted. One of them was that somebody still had to enter the details and somebody still had to keep all the receipts.

Then there is always the struggle to separate personal expenses from business expenses for a small business. Not to mention the need to divide all the expenses into various different categories for tax reasons.

All these headaches instantly create the position for a full-time, experienced and therefore expensive accountant for any small business.

Most small business credit card statements are very detailed and immediately eliminate the cumbersome need to get and carry around receipts with you. Small business credit card statements can easily be categorized and dividing personal and business expenses is a breeze.

What makes things even easier is the fact that these detailed reporting systems are accessible online and statements can easily be downloaded directly into most of the popular small business accounting packages around. What this means is that there is no need of getting somebody to key in your expenses into the system with all the possibilities of errors and omissions.

So with one master genius stroke of getting a small business credit card and ensuring that all expenses are paid using it, any small enterprise instantly creates a highly efficient and paperless accounting system that virtually requires no manpower.

You really need to have gone through the hassles of keeping track of your expenses by physically collecting and keeping receipts to appreciate how much of a relief a small business credit card accounting system can be.

Even if you choose to retain your accountant (which you should if you can afford him), they will now get involved in doing other more useful tasks that will impact even more directly on the success of your small business like researching for lower cost vendors and generally finding new ways to reduce costs and expenses for the small business.

Meanwhile your small business credit card reporting system will accomplish most of the time-consuming daily tasks of the past. And let's not forget, the frequent flyer, cash back, and other rewards small business credit cards offer are great too.

Track your small business online, make customizable reports, add, edit and delete accounts, get secure data transfer at quickbook invoice

About the Author:
Cheryl L. True is a Manila-based freelance writer who writes on a variety of topics.

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