It can take several years (or longer) for a new business to turn profitable. So, if you recently opened a small business, you may be inclined to do what you can to cut costs. That could mean taking on as many tasks as possible to avoid having to outsource them or bring in professionals.

One task you may feel equipped to handle is accounting. With the right accounting software to guide you along, you may have confidence in your ability to manage your company's books without having to hire someone with an accounting background to do it for you.

And let's be honest -- it's good to have a pulse on your company's finances. So, there can be a benefit to handling your small business accounting yourself.

But it's also important to recognize the drawbacks you might encounter if you do your own business accounting. Here are three reasons you may want to assign that task to someone else.

If you don't have experience in accounting and you've never been trained in that area, then handling your own books could result in several problematic mistakes on your part. These could include:

Hiring someone to do your small business accounting could mean avoiding these and other blunders that could prove to be a real headache.

Small business accounting usually isn't a 10-minute task each week. Rather, it can be a full-time job by itself.

You know what else is a full-time job? Running a business. So, if you take on the job of accounting, you may be adding stress to your plate that you don't need.

A recent survey found that many small business owners today are suffering from stress, anxiety, and burnout. Why pile onto that by forcing yourself to tackle another tough task?

When you own a business, there are certain tasks that will inevitably fall on you, and only you. You may, for example, have to review every contract that comes in and negotiate every vendor agreement.

The more time you spend doing accounting work, the less time you might have for the most important tasks on your plate. While your goal in doing your own bookkeeping may be to save money, if taking on that work means missing out on other money-making opportunities, then you're not really doing your business any favors.

It's important to recognize that small business owners can't do it all. And accounting is one job you may want to assign to someone else -- someone with the skill set needed to avoid mistakes and the capacity to dedicate enough time to the task at hand.

This article was written by Maurie Backman from The Motley Fool and was legally licensed through the DiveMarketplace by Industry Dive. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.