Do I need an accounting program for my small business?
Do I need an accounting program for my small business?
I run the office for my small mobile locksmith company. I can not find an accounting program that is right for my business. Do I have to have one? And is there a free program that will let me create my own invoices and track A/P, A/R, and inventory?
Answers:
Chosen Answer
Smilin'_Bob_The_Enzyte?_Guy: That's an easy one--- QuickBooks Pro And here's why... The program itself is quite inexpensive. When you initially install the program, it makes you go through a detailed interview, asking you a series of questions as to what you do, how you do it ( manufacturing vs. service), do you have employees and if so--how many, how is your company set up ( IE is it incorporated) etc etc etc. From the answers to that interview, Quickbooks will set up your company file and a whole series of Accounting charts of accounts ( IE balance sheet and other items) and as you set up vendors you pay bills to, it will ask you for what purpose they are being paid ( IE a liability, an expense or equity item etc etc etc). It also allows you to set up inventory, sales orders, invoicing from sales orders it literally does EVERYTHING except run your business for you and I do mean EVERYTHING... :O) Here's the kicker----- QuickBooks will absolutely NOT let you make any type of journal entry that is out of balance or incorrect in format, which basically reduces the program down to a simple key-punch operation. Here's an even bigger kicker--- at the at the and of the year, you can make what is called an " accountant's copy" to send off to your accountant for your tax filings. When the accountant is finished, they can make any journal entries needed to make the books clean, and then they send the file copy back to you. When you get it, QuickBooks allows you to " Import accountant changes" and then your books look EXACTLY like the accountant's version. The program is basically dummy-proof and I have used if for the last 15 years in growing my business. Feel free to contact me and I'll help where I can if you want to download a trial version from Intuit. The couple of hundred dollars the professional version costs is worth every penny in headaches it prevents... trust me on this one.....
2010-05-22 14:45:17
Smilin'_Bob_The_Enzyte?_Guy: That's an easy one--- QuickBooks Pro And here's why... The program itself is quite inexpensive. When you initially install the program, it makes you go through a detailed interview, asking you a series of questions as to what you do, how you do it ( manufacturing vs. service), do you have employees and if so--how many, how is your company set up ( IE is it incorporated) etc etc etc. From the answers to that interview, Quickbooks will set up your company file and a whole series of Accounting charts of accounts ( IE balance sheet and other items) and as you set up vendors you pay bills to, it will ask you for what purpose they are being paid ( IE a liability, an expense or equity item etc etc etc). It also allows you to set up inventory, sales orders, invoicing from sales orders it literally does EVERYTHING except run your business for you and I do mean EVERYTHING... :O) Here's the kicker----- QuickBooks will absolutely NOT let you make any type of journal entry that is out of balance or incorrect in format, which basically reduces the program down to a simple key-punch operation. Here's an even bigger kicker--- at the at the and of the year, you can make what is called an " accountant's copy" to send off to your accountant for your tax filings. When the accountant is finished, they can make any journal entries needed to make the books clean, and then they send the file copy back to you. When you get it, QuickBooks allows you to " Import accountant changes" and then your books look EXACTLY like the accountant's version. The program is basically dummy-proof and I have used if for the last 15 years in growing my business. Feel free to contact me and I'll help where I can if you want to download a trial version from Intuit. The couple of hundred dollars the professional version costs is worth every penny in headaches it prevents... trust me on this one.....
2010-05-22 14:45:17