* prepare and analyze financial statements to stay in touch with the heartbeat of their business
* set up bookkeeping systems to keep track of financial details
* maintain the required IRS records necessary to stay out of trouble
* plan for required taxes due


Ingram
An accurate, retrievable and verifiable system of business record-keeping is critical for planning, analysis and tax purposes. Here's an easy method of keeping the books for small business owners with little or no financial background. Includes numerous sample forms and worksheets, including the latest 1995 tax forms. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
 

Bookkeeping for dummies - brilliant!, March 23, 2002

When I started my first business, I found this book priceless: step-by-step instructions on how to keep business accounts and what accounts need keeping, and when to update them. The appendix contains templates of all the major records needed for a small business. For someone who knew nothing this was a real lifebelt. Very easy to read, and immediately useful. --

This book sucks, November 3, 2001
 

When they say "basic" they mean really, really basic. The book does have some useful sample spreadsheets, like a sample P&L, but the advice is way off base. First off, she recommends you buy a small hardbound journal record in it every thought you have about your business, any expenses, etc. I'm sure her accountant looooves her when she brings this to him every year. Clearly this should not be your primary recordkeeping system. Since this book is about recordkeeping, this serious destroys her credibility.

The book is written to a low-tech, low-IQ audience. It might be useful if you have never had a job before or if you're 12 years old. Otherwise, don't even bother.

Good for SMALL business owners, September 1, 2001
 

I found that this book is great for small business owners who don't have much background in accounting and records management. Keep in mind that this book explains the cash basis and the accrucial basis of accounting quickly and very close to the actual accounting methods that you could learn in a basic intro course. I took an accounting course and it explains a few tricks to remembering the debits and credits of accounting(accrucial basis). There are a few critical components that are left out in it's explanation - although it explained it very well in JUST a few chapters. If you are planning to use the double-entry method in your books, I advise you take an accounting course or consult with a professional for more information on how to keep your books. Also, it didn't put much emphasis on the fact that accrucial basis accounting is actually more effective vs. that of cash basis. - a trade i learned in an accounting course. Although it is argued that either method is just as effective. A Good book for the start up a business or if you just started a business.

Great book!, July 6, 2001

This is a really great book for beginners. I'm not a proffesional accountant (my primary area is computer systems administrations) but I have been working in banks for 5 years and I read a lot of books about accounting basics because it was part of my job. And usually those books were either too practical or too academic. But this one is perfectly balanced. It explains you not only what to do but it also gives you a pretty solid background why you should do this and what for. It shows you a complete picture of a small company accounting including major forms, reports shedule, books etc and that's all in just 200 pages. It's amazing how the author can explain in a couple words some concepts which usually takes a whole chapter in some other tutorials. You can read it to just to get some idea about accounting wording and concepts, or you can keep it on the table and use as a Howto giude in your everyday work, it works both ways. And it's pretty fairly priced. Very, very nice book!