Success is not about luck and chance. It’s about visionary leaders who intentionally pursue the critical elements every business needs to be successful.
Join Kison Patel from Boss Move Podcast and his guest Lil Roberts, Founder, and CEO in the episode Critical Elements of Success as they talk about the secret ingredients for success and how to get them.
Endeavor Miami hosted their y.FTL panel, the second panel in their y.FLORIDA series. Lil Roberts, Xendoo’s CEO was one of the speakers. As Florida’s entrepreneurial ecosystem continues to develop they will continue to shed light on the strength of Florida’s entrepreneurs. Honored to be part of an amazing night with incredible people!
The Miami tech movement wouldn’t be what it is without the women founders, executives, nonprofit leaders, and venture capitalists who have spent years championing the region’s innovation community. An article by Ashley Portero, Senior Reporter, South Florida Business Journal. Read more here
These are the women in Miami tech you need to know
When it comes to financial health as your scaling your startup there are six steps to healthy financials for scaling your startup. Watch for insightful tips for your small business by our CEO and Founder Lil Roberts, at This Week in Startups – Scaling your Startup. E1224 of Low Burn.
Small businesses are making the leap into digitalization to respond to evolving consumer behavior and expectations, adapting to new working norms, putting data to work to drive performance and building business resiliency.
We believe business owners should have time to do what they love, build their business – not do bookkeeping.
The new buying habits are post-pandemic! What to expect? Xendoo CEO and Founder Lil Roberts is back to share with us the new buying habits post-pandemic and how eCommerce fits into retail’s post-pandemic future.
“We believe business owners should have time to do what they love, build their business – not do bookkeeping.”
Author’s Note: This post was updated on February 23, 2022, with new information, links, and resources.
Bookkeeping is vital to the success of every business, but business owners rarely have the time (or desire) to manage it themselves. Many small businesses save time by partnering with an online bookkeeping and accounting team. However, there are some key features to consider when selecting online bookkeeping services for your small business.
Online bookkeeping, also called virtual bookkeeping, means managing your bookkeeping remotely.
A virtual bookkeeper works directly with your business to manage your company’s accounting and financial reporting. Typically, your company’s financial activity, records, and transactions will be stored in cloud-based accounting software that you are able to easily access.
An online bookkeeper will initially undergo a consultation with you to understand the needs of your business and your regular financial activities. Then, they can set up a system to generate sales invoices, manage accounts payable, and process payroll. With the right online bookkeeper, you can regularly view your company’s financials and make strategic business decisions. How do you choose the right financial partner for your business?
There are many options available, ranging from traditional CPAs to tech-savvy online providers.
Today, we will take a look at two popular options: Xendoo Online Bookkeeping and Bench. Both provide quality bookkeeping and tax services, but there are some key differences in features that may tip the scale for you:
In this blog post, we will explore these differences so that you can make the best choice for your business.
Xendoo’s online bookkeeping and tax packages start at $295, with a bookkeeping-only plan that starts at $195 per month. We reconcile your books weekly, and deliver your reports as early as the 5th business day of the month, depending on the plan you select.
Bench offers three bookkeeping and tax plans, with prices starting at $299 per month ($249/annual). Bench’s Core package requires a partnership with LendingClub. You can connect your existing bank accounts and debit cards on the Flex and Pro plans, which are more expensive. Tax services are available on all plans, but they do not offer a bookkeeping-only package at this time.
You may also want to consider what other financial services your business needs. A virtual bookkeeper offers a wide range of services. These may include any of the following:
Your company may have many cash transactions throughout the month. These can include payments, receipts, and other items. A virtual bookkeeper can connect your cash and lines of credit with your accounting system to record transactions as they occur automatically.
As a business owner, you likely don’t have a lot of time to chase down overdue payments from your customers. Instead, your focus is on growing and managing your business. A virtual bookkeeping service can assist you with client account collections and ensure that any significantly overdue accounts are brought to your attention immediately.
Rather than relying on what you think you have incurred in expenses for the month, you can allow a virtual bookkeeper to record actual and expected expenses. This approach allows you to strategically plan your outgoing cash flow for the upcoming weeks.
Cash flow management tracks the money that you have coming into and out of your business. Online accounting services should provide a clear picture of your cash flow. Simply put, money coming in from revenue should be greater than money going out for employee pay, vendors, tools, and other expenses.
Accurate financial reports are an important part of the monthly accounting process. Xendoo’s financial reports include profit and loss statements and balance sheets. Plus, you can view reports from anywhere with the mobile app.
Frequently, online bookkeeping services will offer tax preparation services. This service can save you a lot of time and effort. You can also make sure that your tax return will be completed by someone who understands your company and its financial performance.
What if you are behind on your bookkeeping? Outside of the ongoing subscriptions, Xendoo and Bench offer catch up bookkeeping services so you can get previous months’ books in order!
There are a number of online accounting software systems available. The most popular include QuickBooks Online and Xero. Both of these services are cloud-based, with modern user interfaces that are easy to interpret. They integrate with a number of third-party applications, which gives them greater functionality.
Prices for both systems are much less than you would pay for a full ERP. However, both systems allow for a wide range of reporting tools that are perfect for small business accounting.
They have the ability to reconcile cash accounts and provide accurate accounts receivable and payable reports. You may also generate a full set of financial statements for monthly reporting purposes.
The biggest difference between Xendoo and Bench is the software used to do your bookkeeping and accounting.
Xendoo works with both Quickbooks Online and Xero. The biggest advantage of these two programs is that you own the software. Working with Quickbooks Online and Xero, you will always have access to your financial records, no matter who does your bookkeeping.
Bench only uses its proprietary software, which does not integrate with any other accounting programs. If you ever need to leave Bench, your records will not go with you and your financial history will have to be rebuilt. If you want to be able to hold onto your data, Bench may not be the best choice for your business.
Xendoo offers a free trial. The online accounting team completes your books from the previous month and provides a Profit and Loss Statement and Balance Sheet.
What happens if Xendoo is not the best fit for you? In that case, we will gladly connect you with others in our network so you can find your ideal financial partner. The completed books and financial reports are yours to keep in your QuickBooks Online or Xero subscription!
If you decide not to work with Bench, you can hold onto the financial reports, but you will no longer have access to the previous month’s bookkeeping as it is done in their proprietary software.
We’ve done a detailed Xendoo vs Bench comparison, but we’ve highlighted key differences in the chart below: 
*Some options may only be available on certain plans.
It depends! Every business owner needs their bookkeeping done, and they deserve the freedom to take their data with them. Xendoo Online Bookkeeping works with industry-standard accounting software, ensuring you will always have access to your financial records and data.
Are we a fit for your business? Schedule your free consultation today!
One of Broward County’s biggest startup success stories continues to grow at a rapid pace.
Fort Lauderdale-based xendoo has developed a SaaS bookkeeping platform targeted at small businesses. The startup reported a two-year revenue growth of 777% from 2018 through 2019.
Ecommerce is booming. Total revenue will reach nearly $4.6 billion in 2021 and grow at an annual rate of 4.6% over the next five years – reaching $5.6 billion by 2025. It’s easy to see why owners of small and medium businesses are asking themselves how they can get a piece of the eCommerce pie. One popular option—the Amazon small business marketplace.
In the first quarter of 2021, 55 percent of the units sold on Amazon were from third-party sellers. For a company with sales of more than $300 billion, that’s more than pocket change. But what are the pros and cons? And is it worth the trouble?
The Amazon marketplace is an eCommerce platform that allows independent vendors and sellers to sell their goods on Amazon. The platform allows Amazon to forego the typical retail model, where it sources materials, then produces and stores each of its products until shipment. Instead, third-party vendors put products on Amazon and take care of the details, while Amazon gets a cut of the profits.
Photo by Bryan Angelo on Unsplash
There’s no question that Amazon is popular with small businesses: In 2018, nearly three-quarters of Amazon sellers had between one and five employees. And Amazon for small business does have plenty of benefits, like the following.
One of the biggest benefits of selling products on Amazon is that it can connect you with a wider audience: There are more than 200 million Amazon Prime members worldwide, and that’s not counting site visitors who don’t subscribe to Prime. That’s a huge audience for Amazon small businesses.
Getting set up with Amazon marketplace is relatively easy: Just sign up and add products to the catalog. If you want Amazon to do more work for you, you can sign up for Amazon FBA, or Fulfilled by Amazon, which allows you to use Amazon’s warehousing, packaging, shipping, and customer service.
In addition to Sponsored Ads – which actually make Amazon the third-largest digital advertiser behind only Google and Facebook – Amazon small businesses have access to MerchantWords, a proprietary keyword research tool. It uses actual Amazon data to help you optimize your product names, descriptions, and ads.
Amazon Seller Central is the platform’s support team for Amazon small businesses. It’s available 24 hours a day, although most sellers will be required to submit a request and wait for a callback. Still, most sellers receive a prompt response and are happy with the support they receive
Photo by Syed Ahmad on Unsplash
Amazon Marketplace sounds pretty great, right? For many small and medium businesses, it is. But it also has a few drawbacks you should be aware of.
With charges for selling, referral fees, and Amazon sales tax, the cost of selling on the marketplace can quickly add up. Sellers without a monthly plan will pay 99 cents per item sold, while those with a Professional Plan pay $39.99 per month. If you opt for extra features, like Fulfilled by Amazon, expect to pay more fees.
Getting set up with Amazon Marketplace is easy – understanding how to be successful there can be more time-consuming. Diving into the tools Amazon provides and optimizing your product take time. Plus you’ll need to figure out Amazon bookkeeping and accounting, inventory management, and more.
There were 1.1 million active Amazon marketplace sellers in the United States alone in 2019. Amazon Marketplace is also incredibly popular with Chinese merchants, some of whom sell products at super-low, factory-direct prices. You’ll even compete with Amazon’s own private label brands. And fake reviews abound on the platform, with competitors using bots to write thousands of five-star reviews at once.
Some Amazon small businesses feel they don’t have much power over the selling process. There are reports of Amazon punishing businesses for selling at lower prices on other marketplaces, or pressuring them to sign up for extra services.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to whether you should sell products on Amazon. Certain categories, like personal care, beauty, and home goods, seem to have greater success on the platform. Businesses with high margins, who can afford to give Amazon its cut, can also do well. However, success with Amazon for small business depends more on your ability to figure out what works for you than on the type of business.
Xendoo can help dive into your books and help you make a sound decision on whether to sell on Amazon Marketplace. If you’re already a seller, we can ensure your books are in order – allowing you more time to focus on selling.
