Building the right accounting team is one of the most critical steps to growing a successful business. But for non-business people, the titles can get confusing fast. You might have heard of the core financial players: your bookkeeper, your controller, your CFO, your banker, and your CPA.
Today, let’s look closely at two of the most vital internal roles: your bookkeeper and your controller. What do they actually do, and how do you recognize a good one?
How to Recognize a Good Bookkeeper
The bookkeeper’s job is to make things happen on a day-to-day level. They are the ones creating transactions, billing your customers, paying your bills, running payroll, recording everyday financial details, and reconciling transactions.
When you are looking to hire a great bookkeeper, there are two distinct qualities you want to look for:
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A high attention to detail: These individuals are truly obsessed with accuracy. Our founder once worked with a bookkeeper for many years who literally had trouble sleeping at night if a bank reconciliation was even a nickel off. That is exactly the kind of person you want managing your books.
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A love for consistent, repetitive work: A great bookkeeper doesn’t mind repetitive tasks. In fact, they actually take pleasure in doing the same thing over and over. They thrive in a well-defined process and enjoy executing that process flawlessly without needing constant changes or sudden innovation.
What to Look for in a Great Controller
While the bookkeeper handles the daily entries, the controller’s function is really to be in charge of the overarching accounting operations in your company.
If you are expanding your team and ready for a controller, keep an eye out for these two core skills:
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Strong bookkeeping and supervisory experience: A good controller typically has foundational bookkeeping experience. They need to know how to do all the work that the bookkeepers do. This is essential because controllers are often responsible for hiring, training, and supervising the bookkeeping team, whether that means managing just one person or an entire department.
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A systems-oriented mindset: A great controller doesn’t just think about what work needs to get done: they look closely at how and why it gets done. They think in terms of systems. They analyze all the workflows in your accounting department to find the most efficient pathways, put strong financial controls in place to prevent embezzlement or theft, and ensure everything happens in a timely, consistent, and predictable fashion.
Building Your Financial Foundation
Both roles are vital, but they serve different functions. Your bookkeeper keeps the engine running smoothly with daily accuracy, while your controller builds the tracks and designs the safety systems. Knowing these differences ensures you hire the exact help you need, right when you need it.