Quickbooks Online, or QBO, is a convenient cloud-based software that helps with your bookkeeping, financial health, and planning for your small business. It’s adored by both accountants and businesses alike!

Its simple-to-use features help save you time and money while it goes to work helping you manage the finances of your business.  Leaving you with the flexibility to work wherever you have internet access.

QBO is the bookkeeping software that we use with ALL of our hundreds of clients, and we’re going to go over a lot of the features that will be helpful to you here!

Features for Everyone

QBO has a lot of features. Frankly, it can be a little overwhelming if you’ve never used any financial software before. We don’t want you to feel out of your element though, so we’re going to walk you through the most useful features that QBO has to offer so you can confidently start managing the finances for your small business!

Overview

In our last blog we went over the best bookkeeping software available to you as a small business owner. Now we’re going to break down the two most popular and widely used programs, Quickbooks Online and Quickbooks Desktop. We use Quickbooks Online, or QBO because, for us it is the best option, but we’ll go over both programs with you here!

Feature Review

Both versions of Quickbooks offer you solid bookkeeping abilities, complete with double-entry for added accuracy. They each include features like invoicing, estimates, built-in reports, and the ever important ability to track expenses and income.

Desktop allows you to recalculate and rebill for job costs, where QBO doesn’t.  Desktop also lets you include discounts by customer.

Meanwhile QBO doesn't required software to be installed on a machine, and sharing your data with your accountant and staff is both instant and secure.  Quickbooks Online offers scheduled invoices...

If you’ve ever done a Google search for “Bookkeeping software”, you already understand just how saturated the market is with options. In fact, there are so many options that it can be hard to tell which best fits your business and personal needs. Some software is great for contractors or really small businesses, other bookkeeping software scales up with growing small businesses. We know your business is unique, so we want to show you the different options available so you can make the most informed decision for your business!

Never fear! This blog is going to show you the best of the best out there, and why it is just so good that we think you should consider them first!

Overview: Best Small Business Accounting Software

We’ve picked out the four best options on the market below: Quickbooks, Quicken, Xero, and Wave Financial. Only the last of the four (Wave) is free, but each program can be extremely useful to you as a small...

Final Round: Keeping Connected

Communicate in Style

Whether it’s clients or colleagues, you’ll need a reliable way to communicate, and there are so many options out there, you could spend each day of the year using something new.

We recommend finding several ways that you’re comfortable communicating with, as different business interactions may require different forms of communication.

Your clients will also have individual preferences, and this is where things like CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software start to be a consideration. Don’t worry about that, we’ll tackle CRM at the end of this post!

G Suite

I know what you’re thinking, “Really, you’re going to tell me about Gmail?!”

No, I’m going to tell you about the wonders of getting your business email and having it be “[email protected]”

Setting up a domain, or even just setting up a dedicated email for business contacts, adds...

Get Paid

The method you choose to track your time is really going to depend on your work style and habits, so we’ve compiled a list of some of the best available software out there to help you choose what’s right for you!

Some of these programs will work fine by themselves, while others will be more useful if you have chosen to integrate them with other applications or software.

Here’s our run-down on some of the best options:

MinuteDock

A tidy web-based application that can integrate with CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Software to facilitate invoicing for billable time. It requires a monthly subscription. MinuteDock is compatible with almost any internet-accessing device, so you’re covered on the go!

It works most like a stopwatch, and allows you to tag client(s) and add a description of your work. They don’t provide timestamps, so if you forget to pause or end your timer, you might have a little trouble; incorrect entries are easy to...

Tech Resources:

A First Look: Document Management

So you’re ready to start bookkeeping, that’s great! There are a handful of things you’ll absolutely need to start:

1. A way for your clients to get their documents organized and available to you.
2. A place to store and access documents.
3. A way to track your work.
4. A reliable way to communicate.

There are enough programs and gadgets available to the up and coming bookkeeper that it’s reasonable to find your head spinning after your initial jump, but don’t worry, we have some recommendations to get you started!

A Home for Documents

There are hundreds of programs that boast quick and easy document organization, but not all of them are suited for you or your clients; below we have curated a list of some of the best and most widely used applications out there:

Wave

Made by Waveapp.com - this offers free basic accounting services and payroll and payments for a monthly fee. It’s billed...

1. A Desk or Other Space

This may seem obvious, but you really do want a work space separate from your regular living space. Working from the couch can limit your productivity, and might not offer you the most comfort or the space that you need to be efficient! Which brings us to our next point…

2. A Good Chair

That’s right, where you sit MATTERS. Make sure that your chair fits your body! You want to have back support without cutting off the blood flow to your legs.

If you are particularly short or tall, we recommend sitting in a chair before buying it, so you know what is comfortable. You also have the option of picking up and exercise ball as a chair - they even make chair frames for them so you don’t have to worry about accidentally rolling away.

3. A Proper Computer Setup

Previous posts have suggested having at least a laptop and a second monitor; and here we’ll expand upon that. Whatever your typing on - you want it low enough...

We strongly recommend that you check and or purchase from https://www.newegg.com/ where you can find competitive pricing and reliable reviews. We do not receive any service or benefits from Newegg for this recommendation.

1. Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)

A UPS is a continual energy source that provides emergency power when your main input source goes out. They provide near instant protection from power interruption, outages or surges, at least several minutes, allowing you to save data and shut down your devices.

They are frequently used to protect databases, sensitive work information, and general productivity, and have a large range of sizes and utility.

There are small and portable versions which are a great starter option. You’ll want to make sure you can at least plug your computer, monitor, and internet router into the UPS, allowing you to save your work in the case of a power problem. If your situation includes multiple employees, you’ll want to...