Guides for people who run the business
Plain, accurate, step-by-step reading on point of sale, accounting, payroll and operations — written by the team that builds Sero.
Point of sale
How to choose a restaurant POS system: a practical buyer’s guide
A restaurant POS is the system your staff touch hundreds of times a shift. This guide walks through how to match one to your service style, what to test, and which costs hide behind the monthly price.
POS hardware buying guide: what you need and what to skip
POS hardware is a one-time cost you live with for years. Buying standard, well-supported devices keeps that cost down and makes replacements easy. Here is what each piece does and what to look for.
Operations
How to start a restaurant in Canada: the systems checklist
Menus and design get the attention, but a restaurant also needs a set of registrations and systems in place before the first guest sits down. This checklist covers the back-office side of opening in Canada.
How to reduce food cost with recipe costing
Food cost is one of the two biggest numbers in a restaurant’s P&L, and the one you can move fastest. Recipe costing shows what each plate should cost, so you can find out where the rest is going.
Inventory management for small retail stores
For most retailers, inventory is the largest asset on the balance sheet and the easiest place to lose money quietly. Good inventory management means knowing what you have, what it cost and when to buy more.
How to set up a multi-location business
Opening a second location doubles more than revenue. It doubles the places where prices, stock, cash and staff can drift. Set up systems that treat locations as part of one business from day one.
Payroll
How to run payroll in Canada, step by step
Running payroll in Canada means calculating gross pay, taking the right deductions, paying employees, sending the deductions to the CRA on time, and filing slips at year-end. Here is the whole process in order.
How to calculate vacation pay in Canada
Vacation pay in Canada is a percentage of what an employee earns, set by the province or territory where they work. Here is how to work out the percentage, what it applies to, and how to pay it.
Statutory holiday pay by province: how each formula works
Every province sets its own holidays, eligibility rules and pay formula. Here is how statutory holiday pay works in each part of Canada, and what to pay someone who works the day.
How to issue a Record of Employment (ROE)
A Record of Employment tells Service Canada how long someone worked and what they earned, so it can decide on Employment Insurance benefits. Every employer has to issue one when an employee stops earning. Here is how to get it right.
T4 slips: the year-end guide for Canadian employers
Every Canadian employer issues T4 slips after the calendar year ends. Getting them right means reconciling a year of payroll first. This guide covers what goes on the slip, when it is due and how to file.
How to choose payroll software in Canada
Payroll software has one job: pay people correctly and keep you compliant. In Canada that means thirteen sets of provincial rules on top of federal ones. Here is what to check before you choose.
Accounting
How to file a GST/HST return in Canada
A GST/HST return reports the tax you collected, subtracts the tax you paid on business purchases, and settles the difference with the CRA. Here is how to prepare and file one without surprises.
PST vs GST vs HST: Canadian sales tax explained
Canada has a federal sales tax, a harmonized tax in some provinces, and separate provincial taxes in others. Knowing which applies, and which you can recover, changes how you price, invoice and file.
How to reconcile a bank account, step by step
A bank reconciliation proves that the cash in your books matches the cash in the bank. Done monthly, it catches errors, missing transactions and fraud while they are still easy to fix.
How to switch from QuickBooks Desktop without losing a penny
Many businesses have run on QuickBooks Desktop for a decade or more. Moving off it is a project, but a manageable one if you pick the right date, clean the file first and verify every balance before you switch.
How to do Amazon seller accounting: a complete guide
Amazon deposits a net payout every couple of weeks. Behind each payout are sales, fees, refunds, reimbursements, ad spend and tax. Recording all of it correctly is the difference between knowing your margin and guessing.
Month-end close checklist for small businesses
A month-end close turns a month of transactions into numbers you can trust. This checklist covers each step in order, so you can close in days rather than weeks.