In 2025, small businesses aren’t asking if they should automate their finances—they’re asking what they should automate next.
The tools have finally caught up. What used to take hours—chasing invoices, running payroll, sorting receipts—now takes minutes. Automation is no longer just for big companies with accounting departments. It’s built for busy founders, lean teams, and growing businesses that don’t have time to waste.
To find out what’s actually working, we asked five finance and operations experts how small businesses are automating their finances in 2025—and what they recommend others do first.
Here’s what they had to say.
#1 – “Manual Bookkeeping Is a Bottleneck—Train AI Once and Let It Categorize for You”
– Beth Rivera, CEO of Best Financial Planners
If you’re still spending hours each week sorting receipts, tagging expenses, or guessing which category to use in your accounting software—you’re wasting time.
Beth says most small businesses underestimate how much of their bookkeeping can be automated, especially with today’s AI features in tools like QuickBooks, Xero, and Zoho Books.
“These tools are smart now,” she says. “You upload a receipt or sync a bank feed, and the system learns how to categorize based on past behavior. The more you use it—and correct it early on—the smarter it gets.”
The key? Don’t just turn it on and forget it. In the first few weeks, Amelia recommends checking every suggestion. Fix what’s wrong. Mark what’s right. After that, the tool starts doing most of the heavy lifting—automatically sorting things like rent, subscriptions, contractor payments, and utilities without you touching a thing.
She adds that automation isn’t just about speed—it’s about accuracy. “Misclassified expenses can throw off your entire P&L. With AI, you catch fewer errors and don’t have to play cleanup at tax time.”
If you’re looking for a place to start with finance automation, she says this is it: “Train your AI once, and you’ll never categorize another lunch receipt again.”
#2 – “Automate Invoicing Like You Automate Marketing”
– Mat Noti, Co-Founder and CEO of Renn Company Accounting in Spain
According to Mat Noti, most small businesses treat invoicing like an afterthought. “They spend hours building customer funnels, scheduling email campaigns, and optimizing ads—but when it’s time to bill clients, it’s a manual mess.”
That’s a big mistake.
“In 2025, invoicing should work like a marketing drip campaign,” Mat says. “Your invoice gets sent automatically, reminders follow based on timing, and if someone’s late, they get a nudge—without you having to do anything.”
Tools like FreshBooks, Stripe Billing, and Zoho Invoice let you build in smart triggers. For example, you can set invoices to go out the moment a project is marked complete or once a product is delivered.
If a client hasn’t paid after 7 days? They get a polite reminder with a payment link. Still unpaid after 14 days? Add a late fee automatically.
Mat also recommends linking your billing system to your CRM. That way, your team can see who’s paid, who hasn’t, and what conversations are happening—without toggling between platforms.
“Your time should go into delivering great work, not chasing money,” he says. “Automate your invoicing, and your cash flow improves without you even noticing.”
#3 – “Payroll Shouldn’t Take More Than 10 Minutes—If It Does, You’re Doing It Wrong”
– Ben Rose, Founder & CEO of CashbackHQ
Still updating spreadsheets after every trade or manually calculating your tax liability? That’s outdated—and risky.
“Small trading businesses need to treat their finances like a real operation,” says Ben Rose. “The faster you automate the backend, the more time and headspace you free up to focus on strategy.”
He explains that modern tools like Sharesight, Koinly, and CoinTracking are game-changers for solo traders and boutique firms alike. “These tools connect directly to your trading platforms, automatically track your portfolio, calculate gains and losses, and even prepare tax reports based on your jurisdiction.”
Ben says automation isn’t just about convenience—it’s about staying compliant in a fast-moving, multi-market world. “With different tax rules for crypto, stocks, and international trading, there’s too much room for error if you’re doing it all manually. Automation keeps your books tight and your reporting stress-free.”
His takeaway: “You don’t need a CFO to run a tight financial ship. You just need the right tools—and to stop wasting time on things a machine can do better.”
#4 – “Forecasting Has to Be Live—Static Spreadsheets Are Risky Now”
– Bill Sanders, from QuickPeopleLookup
For Bill Sanders, forecasting isn’t just about planning—it’s about reacting fast.
“In 2025, small businesses need to know where they stand in real time,” he says. “Static spreadsheets updated once a month? That’s a liability.”
He explains that connected forecasting tools—like Float, Fathom, or Spotlight Reporting—can pull live data from your accounting software, CRM, and inventory systems. This gives founders and managers a clear, updated view of cash flow, revenue trends, and future runway—without needing to dig through files or ask the accountant for a custom report.
“A lot of small businesses don’t realize they’re in trouble until it’s too late,”Bill says. “But if you’re automating your forecast with real-time inputs, you spot problems early. Sales slowing down? Costs creeping up? You’ll see it weeks before it becomes a crisis.”
He also emphasizes that forecasting isn’t just for big companies. “Even if you’re running a service business or solo agency, you need to know: how much can I spend next month? Can I afford to hire? Should I push for more sales now or hold back?”
Automation helps you answer those questions fast—and with confidence. “Set up the system once, then check it weekly. It becomes part of how you run the business—not something you scramble to build when things get tight.”
#5 – “Don’t Wait for Tax Season—Automate Compliance Year-Round”
– Steve Morris, Founder & CEO of NEWMEDIA
If your tax prep still turns into a mad scramble every March, you’re leaving money—and peace of mind—on the table.
“For agencies, taxes aren’t a once-a-year task anymore. If you’re not automating it month by month, it piles up fast,” says Steve Morris, founder of the digital agency NEWMEDIA.
He recommends tools like Bench, QuickBooks, or Avalara to handle ongoing compliance automatically. “We’ve got recurring invoices, freelance contracts, ad spend across platforms—it’s a lot to track. Automation keeps it all in sync and up to date.”
With integrated systems, he explains, agencies can automatically categorize expenses, calculate quarterly tax estimates, and even prep 1099s without lifting a finger. “Once it’s connected, the system handles the routine. You just approve and move on.”
Steve also highlights the power of automated alerts and reminders. “It’s like having a virtual CFO. You know what’s due, what’s missing, and what’s coming up—before it becomes a problem.”
His bottom line: “Agencies should spend more time on campaigns, not compliance. Tax automation frees you up to do the work that actually grows the business.”
Final Thoughts
Each of these experts made one thing clear—finance automation in 2025 isn’t just about saving time. It’s about making smarter decisions, staying compliant without stress, and finally getting out of the weeds.
Whether it’s invoicing, payroll, forecasting, or taxes, small businesses now have access to tools that used to be reserved for big companies. Start small, automate one process, and let the systems grow with you. The less time you spend buried in admin, the more time you have to actually build your business.