9. Intuit has a lot of new products that seem like they would be helpful to small business owners. But there's so many options. Where should a new small business owner go to find the right product(s) to get started with?
A good place to start is by going to quickbooks.com and clicking on Products & Services. Here you can see a map of all Intuit products and services for small businesses from financial software and payroll solutions to Website creation and payment services.
The one thing I would add is that when shopping for which product would be the best fit, if you are just starting out, smaller in size, and pretty basic, I would go with a more basic version instead of jumping right into the most expensive version. All versions are rewritten every year with new bells and whistles so you can upgrade to a more robust version within a year if it is necessary. You want to start with a program that is adequate for your current needs, but not too complicated and expensive that it will overwhelm you right off the bat.
If you have relatively simple financial needs, you might want to start with QuickBooks Simple Start, a free basic version of QuickBooks, and upgrade to a more robust version if you need more functionality later on.
10. Billing Manager looks like a great tool for freelance workers. Can you tell us a bit about what you like about it and how it compares to other Web based invoicing tools like Blinksale or FreshBooks?
Intuit Billing Manager helps small service businesses including freelancers create and manage their invoices online. It’s primarily for business owners who are using Excel and Word and want a more effective way to manage their invoices but aren’t yet ready to get QuickBooks. What I like about Billing Manager is that it’s a stepping stone to accounting software and definitely better than spreadsheets. It’s simple to use, letting you send out invoices with minimal effort, and it’s free at billingmanager.com -- you can’t beat that.
I’m not that familiar with Freshbooks and Blinksale so I can’t comment on how they compare directly with Billing Manager. I can say though that Billing Manager is from Intuit so it’s here to stay and it integrates well with other Intuit products like the company’s payment solutions. So once you’ve invoiced a customer, you can get paid faster by accepting their online credit card payment.
[Editor's note: Here are my reviews of the top Web based invoicing apps.]
11. Many semi-pro bloggers earn a few hundred (or thousand) dollars a month. They're using Excel spreadsheets and want a more robust (but still affordable) accounting system. What do you recommend?
As I mentioned earlier, I think any accounting system is better than spreadsheets or envelopes. There are several software packages on the market, but I feel that the QuickBooks products are a perfect fit for the small business owner. The programs range from the most basic to a product that can handle million dollar businesses that need more functionality.
One of the best things about QuickBooks is the price. I have consulted with clients that have spent many thousands of dollars on larger name products and have not had favorable experiences. QuickBooks is an affordable solution for small businesses that need to get up and running in a short period of time without much hassle. As time goes on and they outgrow the program, they can move on to a higher end product, but starting out I think QuickBooks is the best way to go.
I know I probably sound like a QuickBooks salesperson, but I have dealt with many small businesses and have found the programs to work very well for them.
Again, remember that the key is not really the software program you use, but that you use something to organize your records in one place to give you the best picture of your business at any given moment.
12. Can you give us some examples of how an online entrepreneur can use QuickBooks to get organized?
QuickBooks can be used by any business, online or not. It is all a matter of setting up a file to do exactly what you need. There are basics of accounting that need to be followed, but after that, it is time to play and design a program to fit your specific needs. A couple of possibilities would be customizing invoices featuring your own personal flair or setting up different categories to track various divisions of your business. There are many ways to use QuickBooks beyond the basics, it just takes some thought and time to design the program to get the information that is most important to help you run your business.
13. Can the online version completely replace my desktop QuickBooks software? Will I need to upgrade to a desktop version later?
QuickBooks Online Plus does not have an identical set of features to that of other QuickBooks desktop products. It’s best for service-based businesses that need to access their books remotely and/or allow multiple people to work simultaneously. Some of its features are unique while many are the same or similar to other QuickBooks products. You can check out this chart for a side-by-side comparison of online and desktop versions of Quickbooks. Since QuickBooks Online is different from the desktop versions, it’s best to decide if it’s right for you from the start rather than changing to the desktop version later on.