6 accounting, payroll and HR templates you can use right now

As any small business owner knows, small business doesn’t mean small challenges.

No two days are ever the same.

And while that can be exciting, it can also make maintaining a sense of control more than a little tricky.

Whether it’s economic fluctuation, evolving markets, or shifts in customer demand, you’re constantly adapting to stay ahead in a world of perpetual change.

This kind of resilience is crucial to the success of any small business—and the good news is that 72% of small business owners are confident about their success, despite the obstacles they’ve dealt with over the past few years.

But how can you build this confidence and know that you can bounce back in the face of uncertainty?

Being well-equipped is a good place to start.

Here’s what we cover in this article:

Creating confidence through productivity

According to research by Sage, small businesses that have used technology to boost their productivity feel more confident.

Why?

Because they know they have the tools they need to adapt quickly and work more efficiently, even in tough circumstances.

Businesses that adopted new technology found that productivity increased by 84% on average, with almost half citing time savings as the biggest benefit they’d experienced.

For these small businesses, confidence comes from knowing that they can be productive and adaptable in any scenario due to the technology they have at their fingertips.

That’s not to say you should rush out and implement new tech right away.

Adopting the right small business technologies (and making sure they’re used effectively) requires time, planning, and training for your employees.

And while you’re researching your business technology options, you can start to boost productivity and build your confidence the old-fashioned way.

Putting the right processes in place can help you nail the fundamentals of running your small business, giving you the confidence you need to thrive no matter what the day brings.

To help you do that, we’ve put together a toolkit packed with useful checklists and templates that you can start using today.

Meet the small business toolkit

This toolkit includes actionable resources to simplify your everyday operations and help you feel confident that your business is on the right track.

Covering accounting, payroll, and HR processes, these checklists and templates can be used right away to help you ensure that your small business is under control today and prepared for tomorrow.

Let’s take a look at what you’ll find in the toolkit.

Business plan template

Business plans aren’t just for budding organisations preparing for lift-off or seeking out funding.

A good business plan is a working document that grows with you. It’s something you can tweak and update as your business evolves.

No matter where you take your business, your business plan can act as a foundational resource that cements:

• The purpose of your business
• What you want to achieve
• How you plan to accomplish your goals.

You can use the business plan template to map out the next steps for your business and your strategies to make them a success.

As well as providing a useful reference point as you grow, the business plan can also be used in pitches to secure funding.

Invoice template

A smooth invoicing process is critical to the operation of any business.

Although the humble invoice might seem like a fairly simple document, getting it wrong can make it harder for your business to get paid.

If you don’t yet have cloud accounting software to help, generating invoices has to be done manually.

Our invoice template features all the information your clients and customers need to settle up quickly, and makes managing your income simpler by standardising your invoice admin.

Cash flow forecast template

One thing that undoubtedly helps you feel confident as a small business owner is knowing you’ll have cash on hand in the coming months.

Without access to the real-time dashboards and analytics offered by cloud accounting software, it can be difficult to get a clear view of your cash flow situation.

But tested templates such as the one in the small business toolkit can help you create a cash flow forecast and assess the financial health of your business.

Using data such as expected and actual monthly revenue figures, this template will provide an overview of your cash flow, allowing you to make informed spending decisions while keeping your finances healthy.

Payslip template

Like invoices, payslips are a critical part of your business processes, and it’s important that you get them right—both for ethical and legal reasons.

The information included on a payslip allows your employees to understand their pay and raise any issues.

The template included in the toolkit helps you make sure you’re including all the required components, creating a consistent experience for your people, and ensuring your business is compliant with all pay-related regulations.

Employee onboarding checklist

Taking on a new employee is an exciting time.

It’s also a busy time, with lots of tasks to do, paperwork to complete, and training to deliver before your new team member is up to speed.

Getting the onboarding process right isn’t just crucial for administrative purposes.

Onboarding is one of the first major employee experiences your people will go through—and that makes it a massive opportunity to create a lasting, positive impression on your new addition.

Use our onboarding checklist to tick off all your administrative tasks and communicate important information to your new employees to help them get off to a great, productive start.

Cloud accounting software checklist

Keeping on top of your business finances can be an arduous job.

But cloud accounting software can transform the way you manage and understand your finances.

Featuring smart functionality, automation, and analytics, these solutions help reduce the time spent on manual accounting tasks, while improving accuracy and helping your business remain compliant at the same time.

Thanks to the popularity of cloud accounting software, there are countless products available on the market today.

Having options is great, of course, but it can make choosing the right software overwhelming.

Included in the toolkit, this cloud accounting software checklist will help you size up potential products and make sure you’re choosing software that will meet all of your business needs.

Final thoughts

Until you’re ready to take the next step on your productivity journey, the resources in this toolkit can go a long way towards helping you ensure your business processes run faster and easier.

This productivity boost—plus the peace of mind that you’re doing everything the right way—will hopefully make you a little bit more confident on your journey.

Ready to start working smarter?