[Hidden-tech] Alternative to Quickbooks

[Neal Priestly]

Kristen-

Which accounting tool is "best" depends on how complicated your accounting
needs are.  Quickbooks is a very good tool if set up properly - if you have
complicated accounting needs, you would be well served to engage someone to
help with getting whatever product you choose set up the right way.  One
benefit to using Quickbooks is that most accountants who work with small
business clients are familiar with it and are set up to work with the file
Quickbooks can export for accountants.  It also benefits from the "Microsoft
Advantage" - it's widely used, so it's widely taught, so you can find people
who know how to use it when you need one.

The templates they developed a while back really did seem to take some of
the pain out of initial setup, but if you get some of the accounting geek
setup steps wrong and don't have an aptitude for accounting to begin with, I
can see where people might want to consider tableware self-mutilation before
accounting tasks.

There are things that could be better - no general purpose tool is perfect,
and no targeted tool is perfect forever - but there's a reason so many
people pay to upgrade even as they gripe about the places that the tool
isn't perfect for them.

An aside-

If you are considering changing accounting systems - or are automating for
the first time - you may also want to take the opportunity to have a brief
conversation with your accountant about whether your chart of accounts and
business process accounting steps are a good fit for where your business is
now and where you hope it will be in the near future.  If you have outgrown
the physical practice you used to use to keep your books, you may have
outgrown the logical processes as well.  It's probably cheaper to buy an
hour or two of your accountant's time and automate the right stuff than to
automate what you're doing now and then have to change both the practice and
the process later.

-Neal Priestly
 Free Range Technologist


On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 12:46 AM, Kristen Sund <kristen.sund at gmail.com>wrote:

>   ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area.
>   ** If you did, we all thank you.
>
>
> Hello everyone-
>
> I am wondering if anyone has had good experiences with any type of
> accounting software besides Quickbooks? I was all set to buy it until I read
> the reviews on Amazon, and the references to poking one's own eyes out with
> a fork made me think twice. Just want to explore my options before I make a
> commitment. Thanks a bunch!
>
> -kristen sund
> _______________________________________________
> Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net
> Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net
>
> You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list.
> If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members
> page on the Hidden Tech Web site.
> http://www.hidden-tech.net/members
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.hidden-tech.net/pipermail/hidden-discuss/attachments/20110928/cf3e418d/attachment.html