In this guide
What bookkeeping actually is
It is not accounting theory. It is a reliable record of money coming in and going out, so you can answer three questions at any time: how much did we take, how much did we spend, and what is left.
The records worth keeping
Keep it small enough that you will actually do it.
- Every sale, with the date and how it was paid.
- Every expense, with a receipt or an invoice.
- Who owes you, and how much.
- Who you owe, and how much.
- Your stock, if you sell goods.
A weekly routine
Once a week, at a set time, sit down for half an hour. Check that every sale you remember is recorded. Photograph or attach any receipt still in your pocket. Compare what your records say you have with what is actually in your accounts. Look at what is overdue and send reminders.
Keep business and personal apart
Paying yourself a set amount is much easier to track than dipping into the till. Pay personal bills from your own account, not the business's, so that at any time the business's records mean what they say.
Why it pays off
Clean records make it easier to see which products earn, which costs are growing and whether you can afford to hire or expand. They also make it far easier to talk to an accountant, a bank or a lender, because you can show, not just say, how the business is doing.
The short version
Record every sale and expense on the day, keep receipts with the entry, set aside half an hour a week to check, and keep your own money separate from the business's.
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Last reviewed 26 September 2026.