Business Discussions

  You’re opening a business, hooray! Now it’s time to tell the world about it and start bringing in the customers -- without wasting precious time or resources. You don’t have to learn the hard way. Here are the top five common mistakes that brand new businesses often make when launching their marketing efforts -- and how you can avoid them.   Mistake #1: Marketing as an afterthought. With all the expenses and effort expended to open your new venture, marketing dollars may end up getting swept into the discretionary funds column in your overall business budget. Before you know it, your entire budget is spent and there’s nothing left for marketing. Oops. How to avoid: Setting money aside for your business advertising will definitely pay off. With social media marketing, for instance, the more target customers you can reach with consistent campaigns, the more sales you can take to the bank. According to the 2016 The State of Social Marketing Report, 40% of consumers say they

Hi All: First post here.  I'm curious if others have found a methodology for calculating the number of hours per month it will take to support a client.  I'm thinking there might be a per transaction time estimate or a way to determine hours based on a review of financial statements looking at profit and loss and balance sheet accounts.  I'd like to start this new client hourly until I get a full sense of their time needs, then switch to flat fee.  But I'm struggling with how to give them an estimate of the hours needed to get us started.  Thanx for any guidance you have. Elizabeth M. Weber

Hi There,  I have it from several sources that there is no way to pull a Cashflow Forecast from the reports menu in Quickbooks Desktop that takes into account, or includes, open POs and Estimates. I'm wondering what people are doing in the real world to get a cash flow forecast that utlizes your Bills, Invoices, POs and Estimates, preferably without manually entering data that is already found in QB to create the report. I'm open to upgrading to a different version of QB, or utilizing an app--I just haven't found one that will do what we need it to do. Anybody else with similar needs and a workable solution? Right now, I'm exporting reports to excel, then building a forecast by sourcing/linking cells. What are you doing? Many thanks, Katherine

Have you heard about the Seaside Startup Summit yet? It’s only the hottest startup event of the summer! Seaside Startup Summit is a global platform for transforming entrepreneurship and connecting founders, investors, startup enthusiasts, and all other decision-makers of the startup ecosystem from the region and around the world. It’s the first week-long outdoor startup gathering for intensive learning, genuine relationships, deal-making and immersive conversations about the hottest current topics in entrepreneurship. For SSS19 we have united startups from over 20 countries operating in various fields, to ensure that the investors will find the startups they are interested in. 1000+ startuppers, 30+ VCs and Angels, 10.000+ visitorsWorld-class mentors, Mini-Acceleration, 1:1s, Workshops & Masterclasses$100.000 prize fund & $100.000 investment fundBeach fun, night parties, sports & relax. Dates: July 28 – August 3 / Location: Sevan, ArmeniaFor more in

I'm going to create a website using one of the Wordpress themes by TemplateMonster https://www.templatemonster.com/ . So, I'm also looking for a good web hosting. Recently I've found out that Wordpress sites can be self-hosted, but I'm not sure I should choose this way. Thanks for sharing your experience, guys, I've found several great suggestions here.

Does anyone use Quickbooks at their Biotech/Life Science/Pharma/R&D company? I've spent my career in the space, but this is my first time on QBO. Specifically, I'm wondering what creative ways people have come up with to be able to account appropriately for their clinical trials accruals and prepaids (and/or CRO/CMO/Pre-clin studies). Has anyone found a Quickbook App, bolt-on, system, or other solution that can integrate with Quickbooks? Ideally, I want to get out of Excel for these calculations! Any advice/insights/recommendations would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! 

I am not an accountant and don't have a background in finance, so please interpret what I'm trying to ask as best as possible.   We have an S Corp with two 50% shareholders. 50% is in the form of a family trust where the owners helped provide the capital to get the business up and running. The other 50% handles all sales, marketing and runs the day to day business. I understand distributions need to be equal to the 50% halves. However, is there a way to pay the 50% that handles sales additional bonuses/ commissions based on how sales are going? We already have a small biweekly salary set up for the sales half, but want to be able to include a performance bonus. The rest of what we'd be willing to pay out would be distributed evenly among the 50% halves.Ideally the payouts would be on a quarterly basis.I'd appreciate any feedback to know if this makes sense, is possible, and how to go about it.

Regina

@lynda11_2  I would like to give thanks today to my favorite QuickBooks Online Community forum Columnist Lynda Artesani today. She sets the bar for elegant and thoughtful ProAdvisor responses and helpful content every day. Thank you Lynda! :)

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Technically speaking, doing research and development or R&D means officially allocating time and resources to a team of inventors or product manufacturers who think of and develop product ideas. This crack team will make prototypes and conduct formal trials with prospective customers to see if a product will fly. If this sounds like it’s well beyond the scope of your budget and resources (both financial and human), you might be right. But small business owners shouldn’t skip the R&D stage of determining if your business idea is solid. Instead, you get to be creative about eliciting feedback from your target market on a product or idea -- without breaking the bank. Here’s how some entrepreneurs in QB Community cleverly approach their R&D: After Erica Liu Williams got rave reviews from family and friends about her healthful granola, she figured the fastest way to test-market her recipe was to sell at the local farmer’s market. She launched her gr8nola business in three month

Dear fellow ProAdvisors, Recently, I was approached by Colonial Life.  As many businesses do not provide insurance to their employees, I have always struggled giving suggestions on what to do.  Now, I can suggest and implement Colonial Life to my small and large clients. Since I manage the payroll, the deduction set up is a no brainer. The clients and employees feel valued with the coverage so in turn, is helping with retention. PLUS, it is of no cost to the Employer, but a tax benefit at the end of the year. ALSO, TSheets! This is an amazing 3rd party app that I love so much I am testing to be a ProAdvisor in that as well.  With these three areas covered, I feel I can offer my clients what they need to the best of my ability.  I am not a CPA but, partnered with a few to cover that area too J Just wanted to share this info with all of you as fellow ProAdvisors. It has solidified my relationship with clients and I am now able to give them a solution be

All I'm looking for a QBO Professional who's got experience with QBO, Etsy, Square, PayPal, and PayPal Credit. These new retail integrations are cool but they create a whole new set of accounting ... er ... issues, and I'd rather not wander into the swap alone. Anyone have a trusted QBO Advisor with whom they've had an excellent support relationship? I'd appreciate any recommendations.

Hi All!  I am brand new to all of this and am opening my store in August!  Very exciting (and terrifying).  I would like to start things the best/easiest way possible (and have not purchased Square OR QB)....should I set up my inventory in QB first?  Or Square?  Any advice so I don't have to redo things? Perspective on which Square and QB products to buy?  A little about me - I plan to sell from a brick and mortar location as well as online (eventually).  Any thoughts would be appreciated!

As an independent contractor offering rideshare it is inconvenient and time consuming to stop and return home for meals, yet it is also a financial burden to not be able to deduct those cost while earning and income. Often many miles from home...? 

Hello, My name is Rachel Mahrle, owner of ProfitNet, LLC and Advanced QBO Pro. I attended QBConnect last year for the first time and LOVED it....and have recently started hearing about the Scaling New Heights conference in Salt Lake City, UT. Have any others attended? Is it worth the cost? I would be flying in from Detroit, MI to attend :) Thanks All!

1) difficult to read font on mobile. It looks like it’s Grey we out and as thin as you can make it, which makes it very tough to read.2) The login screen within a login screen. Hard to figure out on a desktop and almost impossible (again) to see on the mobile login screen: when I click on “Log In” (and not “sign up”) every other website on the planet takes you to the screen where you enter you username and password. On QBcommunity if you enter those credentials you’ll create a new account - or get an error that your username is already taken. You have to click on the Log In button (on the desktop) or login link (in mobile) to get to the actual login screen. Very Inception - a login within a login.3) Badges. Some work. Some don’t. Some did, some never have. Especially the first three should work - and they don’t. Kind of sad, because I bet we all have added our website to our QB profile pages.So dear QBmasters can we have these 3 issues fixed pretty please? For the new year. Would be ni

   When the 9 to 5 grind gets to be too much and you feel like your talents are just lining someone else’s pockets, the best thing you can do is break away and start your own business — at least that's what Lottie Hadwen says!   Lottie wasn't content with a stable job in a local salon, so she used her formal training and social media savvy to set up shop as a mobile makeup artist. While she continues to build a strong customer base in her local area, she's also working on branching out by creating a line of her own cosmetics.   We chatted with her about the business of beauty and why she thinks it's important to follow and network with the *right* kind of people for your business.       Name: Lottie Hadwen   Business: Makeup by Lottie   Started: January 2016       Why did you start your business?   I started my business because I was tired of working for minimum wage. I did numerous courses

  You can convert any company file to a Mac version from a U.S. version of QuickBooks Pro, Premier, and Premier Accountant Edition for the same year as your version of QuickBooks for Mac or the two previous years. In other words, if you have QuickBooks for Mac 2019, you can convert your file from QuickBooks for Windows 2017, 2018, and 2019.   Before you start, be sure that you are familiar with what data is converted from QuickBooks for Windows to QuickBooks for Mac.   Data that is and is not converted from QuickBooks for Windows to QuickBooks for Mac   Although Intuit has used reasonable efforts to include all features affected, Intuit disclaims that all features are included in these lists. Be sure to compare the newly-converted data with the original data to learn what data was not converted.    Data that is converted from Windows to Mac Account list (chart of accounts) Customer list Vendor list (notes will not be converted) Item list Payment terms

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    Juggling a full-time job and a side-hustle? It’s not easy, we know. You’ve probably fantasized about ditching the daily grind and working strictly for yourself. Question is, exactly when is the right time to take that plunge? After all, it’s a huge decision, one that impacts everything from your schedule (hello, 24/7/365), vacation time (goodbye, PTO), family life (deadlines always happen when your kid is home sick!) and, of course, your financial security (or, ahem, the lack of it).   We’ve rounded up some tidbits of advice from other QB Community members who, like you, have wrestled with when to go all-in on their part-time gig. We hope sharing their wisdom and experience will help you determine the perfect time to start working for yourself.   Know thyself (and thy willingness to work for others)   Sometimes, the decision to leave a conventional job boils down your tolerance for doing things someone else’s way. Consider what motivated these QB Communi

 “Setting up for Success” is a series of snack-sized summaries based around task-oriented video tutorials, curated around specific accounting workflows and the fundamental concepts behind them. Each article includes several brief video tutorials meant to be watched in successive order - utilize them as a whole or pick the specific areas you wanted to get started with. These videos cover the absolute fundamentals of QuickBooks Online: basic navigation, program structure, the importance of sales forms and lists in QuickBooks Online, online banking and how these all lead to what is likely your first task – sending an invoice.How to Navigate QuickBooks OnlineHow to Use Sales Forms & Lists in QuickBooks OnlineHow to Connect Bank Accounts and Credit Cards to QuickBooks OnlineHow to Record Sales in QuickBooks Online How to Navigate QuickBooks Online 2018: Menus, Transactions & Setup   For the most part, yo

I’m a partner in a business that could be looked at as a “franchise” It is not franchised but we have 50 locations around the US  How does one handle issues whereas the corporate leaders are not actively guiding/helping/facilitating growth and may actually be hindering each locations growth?

Hey guys, if you have a small-medium and are looking for a great way to print Quickbooks checks on Blank Check Paper then I would recommend that you use Online Check Writer. Integrate your Quickbooks today with Online Check Writer to get rid of you inventory of pre-printed checks. With this Blank Check Printing Software you will have the convenience of printing checks whenever you need it. This will therefore save your business a lot of money and time. It sure has worked wonders for my small business, so try it out today!

THIS IS THE FUTURE, This AMAZING service can really do such A BIG step in your projects, if you're tired of checking your printer, don't worry this great website got it for you ! check it out HERE : Blank Check Paper