I saw the post below for QuickBooks, which seems to be popular. What do most of you use for invoicing and marketing your customers? Is it Quicken? I am looking for software that will let me access customer information and track sales and expenses relativley easily (of course!). I realize there is the ol' learning curve, but I don't need anything too elaborate for my operation.
Thanks in advance for any responses.
DD
------------------ Dan Donnelly www.DonnellyArt.com Atlanta donnelly@bellsouth.net
Posted by Ken Morse (Member # 1799) on :
Quick Books Pro is what I use and almost everyone else that has a small business. Never had a problem, we do shipping, sales, sales tax, statements, pending estimates, job status...everything! Good luck.
------------------ Ken Morse Jamn Graphics Santa Cruz, CA
Posted by Ken Henry (Member # 598) on :
I use my wife...she could get blood out of a stone if necessary, so getting invoices paid promptly is a cinch for her.
------------------ Ken Henry Henry & Henry Signs London, Ontario Canada (519) 439-1881 e-mail kjmlhenry@home.
Some days you get to be the dog....other days, you get to be the fire hydrant.
Posted by Mike Pipes [in a cubicle] (Member # 1841) on :
I use Microsoft Excel right now because Im familiar with it and it does everything I need it to now that I've developed my own scripting, macros and other customized things.. my inventory, sales and estimating are all tied together.
Then thanks to database technology, I can also use Excel to build a database of stock items I carry and use it to aid in building my online shopping cart.
Quickbooks is probably the best option as it is already setup for what you want.
I like Excel because I've customized it to the point that it does 10 times the work Quickbooks could even dream about doing, but I have also spent the past few years learning the programming that's required to make it do all this stuff.
At the end of the month, doing my books is as easy as hitting the print button and walking away... then coming back to file the papers away.
------------------ Mike Pipes -----trapped in a box with a computer and a slice of cheese-----
Posted by David Fisher (Member # 107) on :
Ditto what Mike said except I use MS Access. I looked at quickbooks and MYOB (Mind Your Own Business)when the tax system changed here at the beginning of the financial year. Both were packed full of features but about .01% of them were applicable to my business and both were an extrordinarily steep learning curve for such a relatively simple process. I now have one database that keeps all my customer/contact details, financial details, quoting package and invoicing, with more additions being added as I think they are needed. When I was originally learning to use MS Access it took me about 3-4 days to get a decent handle on the program and about a week of evenings to write the application. 7 months since it was installed I'm still trying to figure out MYOB at the place I contract to. But then again, it eventually boils down to "what you're used to". Good luck, David
------------------ D.A. & P.M. Fisher Signwriting Brisbane Australia da_pmf@yahoo.com
Posted by Mike O'Neill (Member # 470) on :
Been using Simply Accounting for a quite few years, works great, easy to learn / use, does everything including payroll. Whatever you get, just make sure it's something your accountant is comfortable with, these guys charge by the minute and if they have to spend time figuring something out, you're the one who pays more.
"The best things in life aren't things" Art Buchwald
Posted by Mike Pipes [in a cubicle] (Member # 1841) on :
There's another accounting package available by a company called Peachtree.. I've heard from the accountants here at my contract job that it's the best stuff on the market.
You might want to check it out.
------------------ Mike Pipes -----trapped in a box with a computer and a slice of cheese-----
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
QUICKEN HOME &SMALL BUSINESS......will do the job...
------------------ joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-944-5060 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND
