There are many obstacles to starting your own business, of which one of the most daunting (aside from the lack of a steady paycheck) is the bookkeeping requirements that come with being self-employed. Bookkeeping is a complicated, headache-inducing endeavor. It's certainly understandable if someone is hesitant to start his or her own business because of the looming specter of bookkeeping services.

Yet it shouldn't deter someone from branching out on his or her own and starting that long-dreamt-about business. Sure, there are many challenges associated with bookkeeping for the self-employed, but it doesn't have to deter your ambitions and doesn't have to be a nightmare. Follow these self-employed bookkeeping tips to make bookkeeping exercises easier as you start your own company!

-Invest in computerized bookkeeping services such as QuickBooks. There's no need to do things the old-fashioned way and live up to the textbook definition of bookkeeping-i.e. keeping all the company's records in a book-especially in the 21st century! Programs such as QuickBooks can be learned easily by even the most inexperienced of self-employed businessmen and women. These programs allow everyday bookkeeping tasks to be handled with a minimum amount of stress. That said, while computerized bookkeeping services are the way to go, there's also no substitute for establishing a paper trail, at least at the beginning. So…

-…organize your paperwork promptly. From invoices to receipts to bank statements, everything needs to be accounted for and shouldn't be discarded until confirmation arrives that a bill has been paid. Self-employed bookkeeping is about staying on top of things-don't let up! The only person who will suffer from procrastination is you!

-Along those lines, set up a schedule for filing tasks and make sure you stick to it. A good idea is to, once a week, sift through the all the paperwork that has accumulated and sort it into folders or binders before inputting the data into the computerized bookkeeping services software you've purchased. The less you fall behind, the less likely you are to feel overwhelmed by the task of preparing your tax return every spring.

Self-employed bookkeeping becomes much easier when following these tips. When you run your own business and every cent counts, you have to rely on yourself to take care of your bookkeeping. While time-consuming and, yes, tedious, it shouldn't stop you from starting that business you've been dreaming about for years. By purchasing computerized bookkeeping services software and remaining steadfast and committed to your efforts at organization, you can come to not only grasp the tasks associated with self-employed bookkeeping but even embrace them! Good luck with founding and running your own business, and remember that good bookkeeping habits will soon become your best friend!