Quick Books...where do I start?

[James Burke]

I've resolved to change over to a computerized accounting system and I'm wondering how easy it was for any of you to make the switch to Quick Books?

I'm having a difficult time customizing my forms & invoices with my logo to the correct size. Am I missing something or don't they let you change size and position of the logo?

I'm sure there will be more questions to follow.


JB

 

[GypsyGraphics]

start by going to your applications folder, clicking on the Quickbooks application and hit delete.

then... go read these two threads and if you download the recommended database, click your heels together three times and wish for a screencast that shows you how to create a custom invoice. (better post your wish in the show & tell thread, just to be sure your wish is heard by the FMP fairies)

Q: Excel & Quickbook not cutting it? ~~~ A: FileMaker Pro!
http://signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80028

gg's FileMaker Pro show & tell
http://signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80441

 

[mountaingraphic]

Quickbooks is a great program if you really devote the time to learning it. It all depends on how in depth you want to go down the rabbit hole

 

[rfsign]

The way I have done it is..

Click on " Lists" than "templates"
Click on the "templates" drop down menu in lower left corner and choose "new"
Choose the type of template you are going to create.
At the bottom of the design page choose "layout designer"

Here you will be able to customize your invoices, estimates and statements.

Hope that helps

 

[ProWraps]

start by going to your applications folder, clicking on the Quickbooks application and hit delete.

HAHAHAHAHA. agreed. and unfortunately I USE IT. WHAT A PIECE OF SH*T!

 

[Vinylman]

I am running Quick Books 2010 on my computer, and I HATE DOING BOOKKEEPING!
Quick books makes it effortless.
Simple to set up, create your own custom invoices, and print them on plain paper from a desk top printer.

I use their three part checks, and it is slick as can be.

Hope that helps

 

[Techman]

i dumped quickbooks when their annual fees went over the line with the endless tax table overcharges.

 

[Bly]

Sure Quickbooks isn't cheap but it works well for me.
I like the feature where you create an estimate then if it's approved you press a button to convert it to an invoice.
Does all the payroll and tax recording easily too... if you enter all the data.

 

[James Burke]

QB has a 60 day money back guarantee.

I'll give it a week or two, but in the back of my mind, I think I might be headed back to Staples.

I've only had it installed three hours and I'm already overwhelmed by the pop ups that keep trying to sell me one thing or another....enough already...I just spent close to $200 bucks and now all they want to do is pitch more stuff to me...grief!

JB

 

[Locals Find!]

QB has a 60 day money back guarantee.

I'll give it a week or two, but in the back of my mind, I think I might be headed back to Staples.

I've only had it installed three hours and I'm already overwhelmed by the pop ups that keep trying to sell me one thing or another....enough already...I just spent close to $200 bucks and now all they want to do is pitch more stuff to me...grief!

JB

Those pop ups go away after a few uses. Have your CPA or Accountant come in and get you set up. Most of them will do this for a small fee. I paid mine a couple hundred to set everything up. Was money well spent. I didn't have to spend weeks programming it. He managed to do it in a couple of hours and showed me how to use it. Now he just logs on once a quarter from his office and takes care of my taxes. Its a lot cheaper than having to print reports and bring them to him with programs like filemaker pro and others.

 

[GypsyGraphics]

Sure Quickbooks isn't cheap but it works well for me.
I like the feature where you create an estimate then if it's approved you press a button to convert it to an invoice.
Does all the payroll and tax recording easily too... if you enter all the data.

with my FMP database set up, everything starts with the project, it's like a living document, changes with the job. with nearly every job the scope of work changes through out the job. at any point during the project, with one click an invoice is created, as many related invoices as i want... click and done.

Its a lot cheaper than having to print reports and bring them to him with programs like filemaker pro and others.

huh???? why would you give your tax guy a printed report when, with a single click, you can output anything or everything to an Excel file?

 

[iSign]

Its a lot cheaper than having to print reports and bring them to him with programs like filemaker pro and others.

this statement implies you have a thorough understanding of Filemaker Pro, and of using it for your books, is that the case? I have FMP, and QBP, and I'm guessing you are not as familiar as your post makes it sound...

 

[Locals Find!]

this statement implies you have a thorough understanding of Filemaker Pro, and of using it for your books, is that the case? I have FMP, and QBP, and I'm guessing you are not as familiar as your post makes it sound...

I used filemaker pro took forever to get setup and running. My CPA hated it. He charged me extra to work with it. Quickbooks was just so much easier on my life, and its so easy to use I got the kids able to type out invoices and record deposits. Its all about personal preference I guess. Just like their is Corel & Adobe users. We each have different needs. You gotta find what fits yours.

 

[Pat Whatley]

huh???? why would you give your tax guy a printed report when, with a single click, you can output anything or everything to an Excel file?

Because if I take either one of my tax guys an Excel file I have to pay their data entry people to move all the info into my accountants software. The software they're using will convert QB files automatically.

 

[David Wright]

I have used quickbooks for over 15 years and once it is setup it makes office accounting very easy. Of course i have 2004 pro version so I am not hampered by some of the annoyances others experience.

Is Filemaker a true accounting program (double entry) along with the database functionality?

 

[CES020]

We use Quickbooks and I hate it because it's an accounting program and it works like accountants do. There is no common sense involved in much of it. Make a mistake and you'll have to figure out the official way to correct the mistake. It's not like you can just delete it and do it correct. You have to figure out the accounting method for reversing the mistake, which, to non-accountant people, is like trying to do Chinese Arithmetic.

I despise that software and we've been using it for 5 years now.

I'd rather pay someone extra to work through an excel file one time a year than have to live with something like that 364 days a year, on my watch. If I could have billed for all the time I wasted on that program, I'd be rich.

I'm messing with Filemaker now and it's a steep learning curve for that as well, unless you do the route GG suggested, where's it's all set up. It's a bit overwhelming if you start from scratch. I'm doing the lynda.com tutorials on it and it's getting easier by the day, but it's a complex, very powerful program that's 100% fully customizable.

 

[GypsyGraphics]

We use Quickbooks and I hate it because it's an accounting program and it works like accountants do. There is no common sense involved in much of it.

I'd rather pay someone extra to work through an excel file one time a year than have to live with something like that 364 days a year, on my watch.

two really good points... i'm NO accountant and hate this end of the business... i need it to be workable and tolerable.

and if i had a need for a quickbook file, i'd get this...
Exchanges data between QuickBooks® and FileMaker® Pro.

oops... wrong link
but helpful if you're switching from QB to FM.

i'll see if i can find the appropriate info.

looks like this could be it
http://developer.filemaker.com/solutions/detail/?item=solution.10000000546

 

[CES020]

In my years in Manufacturing, I can say that my biggest battles were almost always with accountants and their "logic". I've seen offices full of accounting people try to tell me it made sense to lay off production workers to save money. At the time, each manufacturing guy was making us about $150,000 per year, while costing us about $60,000 in wages and benefits.

I asked them how many billable hours their entire department was responsible for. You could hear crickets chirping in the room. I made the motion that we lay off people from the accounting department to save money instead of the people actually producing products that we billed for. They didn't care for me much after that.

If I live to be 100, I hope and pray I never understand the logic some of those people use.

 

[mark in tx]

rfsign gave the steps above.

Common complaint I hear is that quickbooks makes you think like an accountant.

Is that really a bad thing for someone running a business?

The thing I like about quickbooks is that once you figure out the basic functions, you can dedicate a short period of time each day to get everything done.
I take 15-30 minutes every morning while the coffee is brewing to be completely caught up on invoicing, bill paying, banking, etc... once a quarter or once a year visit from the accountant and your life is good.

Just have to make it a habit.

 

[Techman]

I use quicken for the checkbook.
I use a CPA for the accounting.
They do it for such a good cost that they can have it all as far as I am concerned.
There, no more problems with Quick Books and their high yearly fees to update the tax tables. The fees are about a quarter of what the CPA costs.

Then when I go to the bank for cash flow needs all I have to do is give them the CPA reports and its done. EAsy Peasy lemon squeasy.