Many small business owners choose Xero because it’s easy to use and offers a range of features that can save time and money. Xero also integrates with many business applications, making it a very versatile bookkeeping solution.
Once you’ve decided to use Xero for your business, it’s time to start setting it up. This step-by-step guide will show you how to set up your account, connect to your bank, and start using Xero to manage your finances.
What is Xero?
Xero is a cloud-based, online bookkeeping software that offers small businesses real-time visibility of their financial position. With Xero, you can manage invoicing, bank reconciliation, and payroll all in one place.
Xero can also help you with inventory management, invoicing, project tracking, bill payments, and more. Even very small businesses can benefit from using Xero, as it eliminates the need for paper records and can save you a lot of time on bookkeeping tasks.
If you deal in multiple currencies, Xero’s financial services support your needs to ensure accurate expense claims and account balances.
Xero offers a free trial, so you can try it out before committing to a paid subscription. The free trial gives you full access to all the features of Xero, so you can decide if it’s the right accounting software for your company.
Advantages of Using a Xero for Business
There are many advantages of using Xero bookkeeping software in your company, including:
Freedom and Flexibility: Perhaps the most significant advantage is that Xero makes it easy to manage your finances anywhere, anytime. All you need is an internet connection to log into your account, check your financial position, create invoices, or run reports.
Improved Cash Flow: Xero provides real-time visibility of your cash flow, so you can make informed decisions about managing your money. With Xero, you can also automate repetitive tasks like invoicing and payments, which frees up time to focus on other areas of your company.
Better Decision-Making: Xero provides insights and analytics to help you make better business decisions. With Xero, you can track your spending, understand your profitability, and measure your performance against key benchmarks.
With just a few clicks, you can be up and running with Xero. Let’s take a look at how to set up your account.
Step-by-step Guide to Setting Up Xero for Your Business
Now that you know the advantages of using Xero, let’s look at how to set it up:
1. Create Your Account
The first step is to create your Xero account. You can do this by visiting the Xero website and selecting the ‘Try Xero for free’ button. You can also choose from pricing plans to set up an established plan.
2. Set Up Opening Balances
If you’re migrating from another bookkeeping software, you’ll need to set up your opening balances in Xero. This is important to ensure that your financial reports are accurate. The date you choose to migrate is known as your conversion date.
3. Add Users
If you have employees or contractors who need to access your Xero account, you can add them as users with the appropriate level of access.
The number of users you need will depend on your current company size. But as your business grows, you can always add an unlimited number of users to accommodate your needs.
4. Connect to Your Bank
To get the most out of Xero, you’ll need to connect your bank account. This will allow you to automatically import bank transactions and reconcile your accounts.
When you reconcile bank transactions, you’ll need to match them up with the relevant invoices and bills in Xero. This ensures that your financial reports are accurate and up-to-date.
5. Set Up Your Company Profile
After you’ve connected your bank accounts, you’ll need to set up your company profile. To do this, click on the ‘Settings’ tab and select ‘Company settings.’
6. Add Your Logo
You’ll also need to add your company logo to Xero. To do this, click on the ‘Branding’ tab and upload your logo file. This is an important step, as it will help you to create a professional and consistent brand identity.
7. Customize Your Invoice Template
Now it’s time to customize your invoice template to include your company branding and contact information. To do this, click on the ‘Settings’ tab and select ‘Invoice settings.’ On the ‘Invoice settings’ page, you can edit the layout, design, and content of your invoice template.
Xero offers unlimited invoices and quotes, so you can create as many as you need. You can also schedule recurring invoices and recurring bills to be automatically sent to your customers on a regular basis.
8. Set Up Payment Terms
In the ‘Invoice settings’ section, you can also specify your payment terms. This is the amount of time you give your clients to pay their invoices.
9. Send Your First Invoice
Now that you’ve set up your account and customized your invoice template, you’re ready to send your first invoice. To do this, click on the online ‘Invoices’ tab and select ‘Create new.’
On the ‘Create new invoice’ page, you’ll need to enter the relevant information, such as the customer’s name and address, the invoice date, and the due date. You can also specify the products or services you’re charging for and add any relevant notes.
Once you’ve entered all the relevant information, click on the ‘Save and send’ button.
10. View Your Reports
Xero features a range of financial reports that can help you to track your performance and make better trade decisions. To access your reports, click on the ‘Reports’ tab.
From the ‘Reports’ page, you can view your profit and loss report, balance sheet, cash flow statement, and more. You can also create custom reports by clicking on the ‘Create new report’ button.
11. Set Up Automatic Payments
Xero makes it easy to set up automatic payments so that you can get paid on time, every time. To do this, click on the ‘Settings’ tab and select ‘Payment settings.’
On the ‘Payment settings’ page, you can choose how you want to receive payments and whether you want to set up recurring payments.
12. Explore the Xero Dashboard
Once you’ve set up your account and added your team members, it’s time to explore the Xero dashboard. The dashboard gives you an overview of your financial position and provides insights and analytics to help you run your company.
In Closing
As one of the best bookkeeping software available, Xero is a great solution for growing businesses. Xero can help you manage your finances for optimal success, from invoicing to payroll.
And if you need professional assistance with your business’s bookkeeping needs, LedgersOnline can help. We offer a range of bookkeeping services and can help you set up and get the most from your Xero account. Contact us today to learn more.
