BookKeeping Express 'Balances' Toms River's Small Businesses' Need for Certified Services with Grand Opening of First Area Office

TOMS RIVER, NJ, November 21, 2010 (Press-News.org) BookKeeping Express (BKE), the first U.S. franchise focused solely on outsourced accounting services, announced today the opening of its first office in Central Jersey, which will serve businesses throughout the coastal regions of Ocean, Monmouth and Middlesex Counties, from Toms River to East Brunswick. The new BookKeeping Express office will be the brand's first in New Jersey, and will be situated in Toms River.

"I'm thrilled about the opportunity to provide skilled bookkeeping services with CPA oversight that focus on the small business community," said Joseph Benesch, President of Victory Financial Inc., who owns and operates the new office in Toms River. "We are excited about serving the Toms River area and becoming part of the BookKeeping Express community. BookKeeping Express has more than 20 years of experience in the industry and its proven business model will provide us with the marketing and operations support I need to help grow the business, which will allow us to help others grow theirs."

An experienced Certified Public Accountant, Benesch's professional career includes reporting experience in the areas of Public Accounting and private industry with specific expertise in SEC and GAAP compliance. Joe has held executive level accounting positions in private industry with major financial services corporations and has experience in the retail and pharmaceutical industries. In Public accounting he has held positions with Big four as well as smaller regional firms in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Benesch decided to shift his career out of the corporate world and into entrepreneurship to fill what he believed to be an unmet need for small businesses. Through his extensive experience, he has perceived that many small businesses are unable to afford the services of the the large regional and national accounting firm's top talent. The top-level talents in the larger firms are provided to the large revenue generating and high-profile clients, leaving small businesses as a secondary focus. He knew that opening a BookKeeping Express office would give him the national support he needs to reach his goals, and at the same time, would give him the ability to offer local small businesses the expertise, support, resources and the personal attention they need and deserve without the large firm cost.

"I've seen it day in and day out specifically during tax time. A business will wait to accumulate a full year of information for their CPA's at year-end and end up paying outrageous hourly rates, so their CPA's staff can create all of the needed financial information and schedules to support their tax return. The benefits of allowing BookKeeping Express to come in and maintain their books with CPA oversight throughout the year are enormous from a cost standpoint," said Benesch. "Few business owners truly understand the negative impact of falling behind on and not maintaining their financial records."

With more than 40,000 small businesses in the region, BookKeeping Express offers a much-needed service to companies that are not equipped or do not wish to handle accounting responsibilities such as setting up charts of accounts and general ledgers, monthly data entry, processing and managing accounts payable and accounts receivable, producing monthly reports and tax reporting. Moreover, BookKeeping Express utilizes a Custom Flex Pricing Model that is based on the clients' needs instead of a one size fits all, hourly billing approach.

The expansion into Toms River is part of the company's aggressive national development plan which calls for more than 400 new territories throughout the United States.

"The small business community is growing in Central Jersey and around the country, and BookKeeping Express is expanding with it, providing qualified franchise investors with a niche franchise option that caters to this growing segment," said Greg Jones, CEO of BookKeeping Express. "We are looking to grow with franchisees such as Joe who are serious about building a professional business and sincere about their desire to fill a void in their communities with our distinctive services."

As part of the BookKeeping Express franchise model, local BKE office owners, such as Benesch, have the support of the BookKeeping Express Service Center to take care of any outsourced bookkeeping needs. With the Service Center, franchisees can focus their attention on growing business and working with clients, without hiring additional employees. The Service Center also serves as a new sales channel for BookKeeping Express franchise offices. Local BKE office owners can sell the service in their communities to CPA firms and independent bookkeepers.

In addition, all BKE franchise offices will offer the BKE Connect system, which allows businesses access to all bookkeeping files remotely through an outside server, as well as a dashboard that clearly and visually 'sums' up the business' operations for thorough analysis. Plus, small to mid-sized business owners can synchronize their QuickBooks and enjoy convenient, anytime access to their financial documents through BKE EDocs, a new electronic filing system designed to provide secure, online storage of financial documents.

Two options available to BookKeeping Express investors include Master or Area Development territories that can be operated out of home-based or commercial space locations; per territory start-up fees run under $50,000.

For more information, please visit http://www.bookkeepingexpress.com or contact 877-525-5337.

About BookKeeping Express
BookKeeping Express, a national company focused on providing professional bookkeeping practices to small businesses, was founded in 1984 in California and grew to over 150 locations through licensing agreements. In 2007, Greg Jones, along with Bob Stocker and Merritt Green, purchased the company and launched the new business model in McLean, Va. in January 2008.