Key Takeaways

• Put consistent recordkeeping practices in place early on. You can also expand them later, but you want to retain records for their prescribed time and ensure that your records are accurate and backed up.
• Before you decide to dump old files, check the retention schedule first. Also, double-check the records you are eliminating to ensure others more current didn’t end up in the folder or file.
• Choose a platform that matches your business needs. It should be expandable but not so complex that you never use many of its most time-saving features.
• Pick one recordkeeping system or a combination and stick with it. If you start with manual recordkeeping, you can always digitize it later, but doing so can be time-consuming.