Business Discussions

Welcome back to the Business Discussion Board! Have you ever found yourself in the predicament where your customers aren't purchasing your product or service as often as they did before? If so, I've listed a few reasons why they may not be buying, as well as pointers on how to get this resolved.   One reason people may not be buying from you is because your offer lacks clarity. You can't expect them to pay for something they don't know all of the details about. To avoid this you should use plain, descriptive, detailed language in each post, marketing campaign, and listing you present.   Next up, you may be too "behind the scenes." Many sales come from a personal connection. If your customers never see your face or your personality they're going to have a hard time build trust and a connection to your business. To prevent this from happening it's important to share frequently, and you don't have to be an open book but a few personal stories here and there can be really helpfu

  Accounting is a process. There’s an order to everything, from completing sales transactions to running financial reports and reconciliations. Your First Time with QuickBooks Online is a series geared towards first-time QuickBooks users who want to get started bookkeeping right now. These articles cover all of the setup and accounting workflows you need to know for a comprehensive setup, guiding you from your initial sign up through your next financial quarter and beyond. Each article provides step-by-step instructions based on where you are on your journey. We’ve included the essential tasks as well as recommended workflows and optimization practices you can easily integrate into your routine. By the end of the series, you’ll feel completely confident with your accounting in QuickBooks. While we recommend specific time-frames for completing each task, always go at a comfortable pace - it's

Our Resource Center is another place where QuickBooks has your back! Ken Boyd wrote a helpful article on 1099 forms that is sure to add some clarity to your tax work flow.     Many business owners utilize contractors to work, but let’s make sure we know the difference between a contractor and an employee. This is the first step in having a successful filing period with your 1099s. Boyd breaks it down into three main questions to help you determine where your worker stands:   Behavioral control: Does your company have a right to control what the worker does and how they perform the job?   Financial control: Does your company have a say in the material aspects of a worker’s job? In other words, do you decide which expenses are reimbursed or who provides necessary tools and supplies?   Contractual relationship: Is there a written contract? Are benefits such as pension, insurance, or vacation days a part of that contractual obligation?   These quest

If you are a movie-goer, then you know that November and December is when studios put out a lot of their "big ticket" movies to take advantage of the various holidays and extra time off that people have at the end of the year.   So in preparation, I asked the team what everyone's go to movie snack is.  Keep reading to see what they had to say!   ++++++ From Kiala: Our family loves going to the movies and it wouldn't be the same without snacks. My kids and husband always go for the gummy things: sour patch, Swedish fish, Mike n Ikes, etc. I'm more of a hot dog/nachos kind of person. And to top it off, I always need a blue slushy.   ++++++ From Sasha:When I do get the chance to go to the movies, this is what I get. First, a large popcorn, depending on the movie I'm watching, I do not want the traditional large bucket of popcorn but the one with the movie characters on there if available. Second, I get a large Schweppes Ginger Ale because that is the best ginger

Happy Friday! Nice to see you here in the Talk About Your Business segment. Here is a quick thought? As your business grows over time, there may be a moment where you have to outsource to focus on more pressing matters in your industry, right? It can be simple as getting someone to handle your social media pages to help grow your business with their tools and strategies. Today, I wanted to stop by and share this article by Forbes about six questions to ask a social media agency before hiring. Let's dive in!   Can you outline your experience growing a community?Growing your account is the main purpose of a social media agency, but what you would need to look out for is if the tools and strategies they used in the past confirm valid results and truly reach the target audience.   How do you combine organic content development and paid content development?Once asking the agency this question, this will reveal if they use additional advertising funding or are they creative enough

I need a barcode scanning tool to work with quickbooks. I need to scan a barcode on a rental car that would download into into invoice. Anything out there for this?

Do you believe in coaching your team members to do or be their best as a leader? I'm assuming there is a resounding Yes! Perks of doing this are that it helps them make better decisions, solve problems efficiently, learn new skills to advance their career. But the question arises how do I do this? Well, you are in luck! There is a framework that can help, and it is called the GROW Model.   G stands for goal. At this moment, you want to establish the purpose and figure out how you plan to achieve this. A question that could be useful is, does this goal fit with their overall career objectives? And does it work with the team's objectives?   R represents Current Reality. This is where you get insight from your team member about their current reality. Questions that can be helpful here are: Have you already taken any steps toward your goal? Does this goal conflict with any other goals or objectives?   O means to explore all Options. Once their current realit

Hello Community! If you haven’t checked out the QuickBooks Resource Center, you should head over there this week. There are many amazing articles to help you start, grow, and understand your business. Today I want to talk about beginning inventory. Not sure what I mean? Read below for the breakdown.     Most likely you know what inventory is but beginning inventory is the valuation of all inventory held by a business at the starting point of an accounting period.Being able to compare beginning inventory period over period allows an accurate look into business performance, such as the value of your inventory. There are so many reasons why knowing the value of beginning inventory can prove useful to your business, including:   Noting changes in demand Identifying inventory management issues Highlighting supply chain issues Preparing to file your taxes Keeping an eye out for shrinkage  Now that we’ve gone over what beginning inventory is, how do we calculate it

Hello Fellow QB Users! I was interested in seeing if it were possible for some firms to share their experience the good and the bad with me regarding QB Intuit Practice Management - the firm that I work with is looking at bringing it on and I really would like to hear from some firms about the good, the bad, and the ugly, when it comes to your experience with the platform. I'd love to hear answers to questions like there; What do you find the most useful feature?What was the most unexpected feature that you didn't plan to use but couldn't go without now?How did your firms productivity respond to bringing on the program? Is there anything that you found particularly hard to train your team on? Thank you in advance for taking some of your time to answer my questions, and happy resting after the deadlines! Rand

Hello everyone! While I sit here in my office, this thought came to me. How can one save money, but rather how can you save money for your business? Here are some points I jotted down:     Buying the NecessitiesGrowing up, my mother always told us, "Don't buy things that you want but rather the things that you need." That statement has stuck with me every day since then, and I apply it to every aspect of my life. So my question to you, business owners, are you buying things your company needs and not what you want.   Tracking your ExpensesSometimes it is best to take a few hours to look at your business expenses. Running an expense report is beneficial because you can see exactly where and how much money is being spent. In doing so, you may be able to find cheaper alternatives to save cash.   Taking care of your staffThis can benefit your firm in the long run. Taking an interest in your team like motivating them, engaging in conversations daily outside of work-rela

Hello Community! Fall is in full swing and I hope you're loving the cooler temps and all the cozy things. My current fall favorites are wearing all of my biggest comfiest sweaters and sipping hot coffee with pumpkin spice creamer, of course! Anyways, back to our regularly scheduled program - small business topics that is! Today I want to share an article with you I read on entrepreneur.com that talked about the importance of your business email signature. Let's take a look...     With the ever-growing popularity and use of social media among small business one may think email is a thing of the past. This is actually false. The writer of this article explains, "While your email signature may appear to be a trivial aspect of your day-to-day business operations, it can have a significant impact on your company’s profitability and how your customers perceive your brand. This is especially true if your business relies on outbound sales, email marketing, or di

Hello everyone! I hope you guys are having a good day thus far. Today, I wanted to stop by and share this article from our Resource Center pertaining to essential startup expenses and unnecessary ones. Here are some essential startup expenses they mentioned:   Business planAccording to 69% of small business owners in a QuickBooks survey writing a business plan is the best first step. This can typically range between $1000-$20,000. This investment can be costly, but it is worth it.    Business permits, license, and insurance This is an investment that is needed. Because of unforeseen circumstances, it is essential to protect yourself and your business and ensure your business is compliant. This cost ranges from $500–$30,000.   EquipmentThere is a high chance that everything can't be done with just your hands. There are other equipments need to help with your business. This could be simple as using an internet connection to assist with a consultation. A way to lo

Happy Friday, everyone! Welcome back to the Talk About Your Business page! Today, I wanted to share this article by TechRadar about the benefits of moving your business to the cloud. Here are some key benefits they provided:                                                                Reduce CostLet's be honest, we are always looking for ways to reduce costs. It could be as simple as signing up for clothing brands or restaurants' email subscriptions to get a discount. Moving to the cloud can reduce the upfront cost of computer equipment from different devices to save information. However, you could simply pay a monthly or annual subscription with the ability to upgrade or downgrade and extend your storage, depending on your business needs. The author even highlighted that your energy bill could also be reduced, allowing y

Hello, Community! It's me, here to share another wonderful business tip on the Business Discussion board. I hope the work week has been good to you so far and continues to do so. While you're here I want to chat a bit about action words and phrases. There's something people love about exclusivity and beating others to a purchase. One way you can encourage this feeling and promote customers to take action is to include these words and phrases in your marketing and sales posts:   "While supplies last" "Limited access" "Only __ days left!" "Limited time only" "Ends today" "Subscribers only" "Expires soon!" "Only available until ___." "Subscribe to our newsletter for 15% off." "Featured" "Exclusive" "Today only" "Hurry!" "One-time offer" Just to name a few. These, among others, are a great way to encourage customers to take action when they see your product or service. How do you get viewers to take immediate action to make a purchase rather than putting it off? We'd love to hear i

Hello beautiful Community! You all know about our Community page, but did you know about our QuickBooks Blog? There are some amazing articles and information there on a variety of topics. You should check it out and learn something new today. :)   Today I want to highlight Andy Latkovskis article on ethics in your business. Maybe you think about ethics often or not that much. Either way, it’s a constant presence in your interactions and decisions.   This leads me to the main question: What basic ethics should be followed in your business?   1. Keep your employees happy.This of course covers adequate pay, but there are so many other important aspects to customer employee satisfaction. Feeling valued and like they are a part of the bigger picture is just as critical as how much they’re compensated.   2. Honesty We all have heard honesty is the best policy and it couldn’t be truer to a small business owner. Charging fair prices and being transparent

You have questions about running a small business, and our QB Community members have answers! Everyone here knows the importance of building meaningful member-to-member relationships, and there’s no better way to learn, discover and get inspired as an entrepreneur. Best of all? When members share what they know, everyone benefits. Check out this recent QB Community conversation, and you’ll see what we mean!      AmberR asked: I just became a ProAdvisor & opened a company for bookkeeping. I think we will charge set fees instead of hourly, but I don't know where to begin. Can anyone give me examples of what your pricing is? I've done so much research on this and I can't get a grasp on where to start. Whatever info you have would be greatly appreciated!   @hectorgarciacpa answered: I have a two-prong strategy. 1) Give up 90% of the knowledge for FREE via YouTube, Social Media, Blogs, etc, and 2) PRICE that remaining 10% high enough so you may continue t

Good afternoon Community! Thanks for tuning in to another entry here in the Business Discussion board. We've previously talked about physical, tangible business cards, but what about a digital business card? I read an article posted on lifewire.com that went over all the key points of using a digital card. Here's what they had to say...     You know me, I like to start with the basics - "A digital business card (sometimes called a virtual or electronic business card) is a way to share contact information via the internet. Digital business cards can be created on a desktop computer or mobile device." Pretty straightforward, and the good news is you likely already have the software to make your own digital card! Such as the "contacts" section of your phone.   Much like a regular business card, the digital version is used to as a collection of all of your contact info to easily share with other. Another benefit of virtual cards is this can be done with just a co

Hello everyone in the QuickBooks Community, and how are you doing? Do you at times need help analyzing information? Well, I found an acronym that can assist. It is called CRAAP. No, no I'm not trying to be inappropriate, but this is a well-used and well-known acronym practiced in the business world.  Currency looks at the timelessness of the information. Questions to ask are if the information is recent or out of date? Has it be revised? Relevance highlights the importance of your information in regards to what you need. Questions that can be helpful in this are: Who is the target audience? Does this answer your questions?  Authority references the source of information. Questions that can provide clarity are: What are the person's qualifications to speak/write of these topics? Who is the author source? Accuracy relates to the correctness of the information as well as reliability or truthfulness. Questions that can assist are: Where did this information come from? Is t

Hello, Community! Lovely to have you here in the Business Discussion space. I think we've all heard rumors that could also be considered myths about entrepreneurship. Today I'd like to take a minute to share an article that was posted on the QuickBooks Resource Center that busts some of these notions you may have heard over the years.   Entrepreneurs Are Giant Risk TakersBusted! This one took me a sec. I had to go back and make sure I read it correctly. I did however read that to some people, quitting your day job, and striking up your own business, with no steady income in the beginning isn't the biggest risk you can take! It's simply viewed as uncharted territory.   Entrepreneurs Are Just Tired of Working for Someone ElseAlso not entirely true. While the initial thought of starting their own business may have come from discontent, one thing is for sure. Entrepreneurs all have one universal trait that truly drives them: a passion for their pursuit. Some call i

I think "self-care" has been the trend for quite some time now. Everywhere you go, people are giving you their tips and tricks and asking for yours. We keep hearing how important it is (and how versatile) but why is it so hard to remember? I asked some of my favorite coworkers to share their favorite self-care treats. My goal is to have someone out there book an appointment by the end of this post :)   ++++++   From Morgan:Please whatever you do don't feel badly for me because I LOVE my roles that I've been given but as a full time working mom of two sometimes it's difficult to find the time to practice self-care. However when I do, I absolutely love a good mani/pedi. When I get my manicure and pedicure it takes about an hour which seems to be just the allotted amount of time before mom-guilt creeps in, sorry can't help it, but during that hour I feel a bit like a queen. I usually grab an iced coffee on the way and then sit in a massage chair for the entirety of the visit. W

    After three years, QuickBooks for Mac gets an update. This month, QuickBooks for Mac 2019 finally arrives. With such a long gap in-between the releases, many of you moved to QuickBooks Online and may now wish to return. Yet, what about your company data file? Can it come back and how difficult will that be?   The biggest difficulty is getting past the fact that there is no direct route to get from QuickBooks Online to QuickBooks for Mac. You will need to export your data into QuickBooks for Windows and then convert that file into QuickBooks for Mac. Even though the process appears complicated, you can still get your data back into QuickBooks for Mac.     The following step will get you started on the standard conversion process. After reading this overview, you should have enough information to choose if conversion is right for you. Follow this sequence to help guide you.   *Note: Alternatively, you may wish to have QuickBooks Data Services perform

"There will be interruptions, and I don't know when they will occur, and I don't how deep they will occur, I do know they will occur from time to time, and I also know that we'll come out better on the other end"- Warren Buffet   Good day QuickBooks Community! Can you believe it is Friday already? The week really felt like it flew by. Anyway, I wanted to share with you this article by U.S. Chambers about creating an emergency preparedness plan. As Buffet said, you never know when interruptions may happen, but what you can do to get ahead of the game is to be prepared as much as you can. Here are the seven ways to do so:   Assess the risk that threatens your businessBusinesses would need to assess the most significant threat and the long-term effect of this. You can create different situations and develop a plan for them. The authors listed some potential conditions such as: An environmental emergency, like a flood. A global event, like the COVID-19 pandemic. A physical prob

Continuing our recap of our recent conversation with Alex Ayers from QuickBooks Mobile.  For Part 1, please click here.        Luren: Perfect. So, now that we understand exactly what we can do, could you give us an overview of how it works?  Now everyone's going to have to put on their visualization cap, and sort of imagine what this experience looks like, but could you sort of walk us through the spaces within QuickBooks mobile and what people can accomplish in those areas.   Alex:  Yes, my storytelling abilities are going to be put to the test.  So, when we drop our small business owners into our dashboard it's really cool.  I like a lot of the design, we've kind of modernized our design and you'll get a nice message up top and it'll say, 'Hey, welcome back Rose' and whatever your business name may be.    Nested right under that you've got these quick actions and they're going to be tasks that we have data on as being the o

In case you missed our recent Twitter Spaces Chat with an Expert session on QuickBooks Mobile, you can catch the recap of the session below.  Because this is a longer interview, we've broken it into two parts, and you can find the next part here.         Our Social Program Manager, Luren sat down with Alex Ayers to discuss the QuickBooks Mobile app.  Below is a summary of their session that has been lightly edited for clarity.     Luren: Hello and thank you for joining us today for a discussion about QuickBooks Mobile.  Let's get started with a quick round of intros. I'm Luren and I am a program manager in our social spaces.  Alex, please tell us a bit about yourself.     Alex: My name is Alex Ayers and I represent the QuickBooks Mobile App. I work with our product development team to understand customer needs for our mobile space specifically.  Really excited to join you guys today and hear

Hello there, Community! Looking good today. :) The weekend is on the horizon, you got this!   Today I wanted to talk about some tips that sometimes are forgotten. Whether you are brand new to business owning, or a seasoned vet in this space, it’s good to remember little things that make a big difference. Let’s not waste any time! Continuing Education Whatever field you’re in, there’s always going to be changes and updates. It’s important to stay ahead of the game and make sure you’re knowledgeable in your craft. This can come from online education, seminars, or conferences. Make sure you and your team are always in the know.   Take a break A burnt out boss cannot be functioning at their best. Taking time off and prioritizing taking breaks is good for you, good for your employees, and good for your business. You can’t serve from an empty pot!   Delegate I know, you want to do it all. Your business is your heart and soul and it can be hard to hand off tasks to others. But