How it works
How to run your business on Zivobooks
Here’s what a well-run back office looks like: a few minutes a day, half an hour a week and an hour or two at month end. Here’s how to set it up, and what you do and when.
Getting started
Set up in an afternoon
Four steps, and you can stop after the first two and still send invoices today.
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Create your account
Sign up with your email. We send a code to confirm it’s you, and you’re in. No card, no sales call.
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Tell us about your business
Your country, currency, VAT registration, logo and bank details. Zivobooks sets up a chart of accounts and the tax rules for your country.
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Bring what you already have
Import customers, suppliers and products from a spreadsheet, or bring your full history from Xero, QuickBooks, Sage or SAP. Enter opening balances if you start mid-year.
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Invite your team and accountant
Give each person a role with exactly the access they need. Your accountant can work with one client business on the free practice plan.
Your routine
The rhythm of a well-run business
This is the routine we see working for owners everywhere. Use it as a checklist, or hand it to whoever does your books.
Every day
About 10 minutes
- Send quotes and invoices From your phone or computer, by email or WhatsApp.
- Record what came in Online payments record themselves. Confirm mobile money and transfers with the proof the customer uploaded.
- Snap your receipts Photograph each receipt and send it on WhatsApp before it gets lost.
- Answer customers Reply from the shared WhatsApp inbox, or let the assistant handle the simple questions.
Every week
About 30 minutes
- Check who owes you The dashboard shows overdue invoices. Reminders already went out, so you only call the stubborn ones.
- Approve bills Look over the bills your team entered and approve the ones that are right.
- Import the bank statement Download it from your bank, drop it in and confirm the suggested matches.
- Pay suppliers Pick the bills that are due and pay them all with one bank upload.
Every month
An hour or two
- Run payroll Post the pay run, email the payslips and pay everyone with one bank file.
- Reconcile and review Finish the bank reconciliation and look at profit and loss and cash flow.
- Prepare your returns VAT, PAYE and your other taxes are already filled in from the month’s records. Review, then file.
- Close the month Lock the period so nobody changes it by accident.
Every year
With your accountant
- Year-end with your accountant They work in your books directly, requesting any documents they still need.
- Fixed assets and depreciation Depreciation has been posted every month, so the register is already up to date.
- Annual returns Annual payroll reconciliations like the EMP501 and income tax figures come from a year of clean records.
- Lock the year Close the financial year and start the next one with the right opening balances.
Your team
Who does what
Eight ready-made roles cover most teams. If none fits, build your own: tick View or Edit for each area, and choose whether it applies to one business or all of them.
- Owner
- Everything, including billing, people and tax approval. The account holder is always an owner of every business.
- Administrator
- Runs the business day to day: everything except approving and filing tax returns.
- Finance
- Invoices, payments, bills, banking, payroll and fixed assets. Can see the plan but not change it.
- Branch manager
- Sells, approves invoices, records payments and reconciles the bank for their branch.
- Sales
- Quotes, invoices, customers and products. No banking, payroll or tax.
- Accountant
- Journals, period closing, reconciliation, payroll and preparing tax returns.
- Tax practitioner
- Prepares, reviews, approves and files tax returns.
- Auditor
- Can look at everything, including the audit log, and change nothing.
Running more than one business?
Add each one from the same login. Every business keeps its own books, currency, tax setup, team and plan. Switch between them in a click, and open the overview to see cash, money owed and bills due across all of them, per currency.
- Each business has its own plan, from $5 a month
- Your first business gets 30 days free
- Give an administrator access to every business, including future ones
- See totals across businesses without mixing currencies
Questions people ask
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Ask us directly, and a person will answer.
How long does it take to get started?
Most owners send their first invoice within 15 minutes of signing up. Importing a full history from another system takes a little longer, depending on how much there is.
Do I have to do all of this?
No. Many businesses start with invoices and payments only, then add banking, payroll and tax when they’re ready. Each part works on its own and gets more useful as you connect the rest.
Can someone else do the books for me?
Yes. Give a bookkeeper or your accountant access with the right role and they can handle the weekly and monthly work while you stay in control.
What happens if I make a mistake?
Drafts can be changed or deleted freely. Once something is issued or posted, you correct it with a credit note or a reversing journal, so the history stays honest and your accountant can see what changed.
Your first invoice is fifteen minutes away.
Try every feature free for 30 days. No card, no contract, and your data is always yours to export.
30 days free · Then from $5 a month · Cancel any time · Works on phone, tablet and computer