You Have QuickBooks - Now What?

You have either started a new business, decided to get your financial information in order for your existing business or your tax preparer has announced that he/she won’t do your tax return anymore if you bring in one more year’s receipts in a shoebox or plastic bag. So on the recommendation of friends, business associates, accountant, or other professional in the know you have purchased QuickBooks. And if you are like most people you have installed it on your computer with great expectations. But you don’t have a clue about bookkeeping and so getting started is not so easy. What are items you ask. I am already part through my year – when and how do I start my beginning balances? Do I need inventory? So many questions and so little time.

New owners of QuickBooks usually take one of several paths. The most common I have seen is to use only the checkbook and invoicing features of the program, never diving deeper into the tools that QuickBooks offers the business owner. However, the smart business owner knows they will be better off in the long run to hire a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor right in the beginning to set up their books using the tools QuickBooks provides to the company’s advantage.

A QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor can set up your Chart of Accounts in a way that will allow you to get meaningful financial reports and can also design and save templates (memorized reports) so that these custom reports can be pulled up by you with just a click of your mouse.

Also having your items set up properly by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor (inventory, service, discounts and other types of items) will allow you fill in forms such as invoices, purchases orders, sales receipts and others, quickly and with less key strokes.

And if a QuickBooks ProAdvisor is also an experienced bookkeeper you will also get professional advice on entering your everyday data in a correct and efficient manner thereby assuring your books and reports have correct information and your tax preparer or accountant are not struggling to “fix your books” at year end which will surely save you some money.

And even if your company has an in-house bookkeeper who has used QuickBooks, they have not had the extensive training and experience a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor will have with the family of QuickBooks products. Retraining and updating your bookkeeper’s knowledge of QuickBooks will enhance their productivity and efficiency.

As with anything, doing things right the first time saves time and money not to mention frustration. Just a few hours with a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor will save you hours of work, and give you financial reports that will help you keep on top of your company’s needs and growth and save money as well.

Donna MacMillan, certified QuickBooks consultant and president/founder of MacMillan Associates provides a unique set of services covering all aspects of successful business growth and financial health for all business types and sizes. Offering comprehensive, confidential, and professional services, MacMillan Associates can analyze, design or redesign your current systems to maximize productivity, cash flow and solidify your bottom line.

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