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Last post 20 years ago by 0patience. 18 replies replies.
small business accounting software?
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0patience Offline
#1 Posted: Mon, Jan 19 2004, 3:56 PM EST
Joined: 07-20-2003
Posts: 1,023
Anyone know of a decent one that doesn't take a rocket scientist to use it?
I'm tired of paying an accountant to do all this stuff, besides, it is biting into my cigar funds. LOL!
I figure if I can get a decent accounting software that we can mangle, I mean manage, ourselves, then we can save about $1500/year.
I've looked at several, but they seem to be more corporate geared.
I haven't really had a chance to look at Quickbooks or Quiken, so I was hoping someone had used the small business versions of those and could give some input.

Thanks all.
SteveS Offline
#2 Posted: Mon, Jan 19 2004, 4:31 PM EST
Joined: 01-13-2002
Posts: 8,751
While my experience is with larger and more sophisticated systems, I can tell you that Quickbooks is an excellent small-business solution ... and that Peachtree is a very good alternative ...

You should also find out what Charlie recommends ... he's got a lot of experience in this field too ...
Cavallo Offline
#3 Posted: Mon, Jan 19 2004, 4:52 PM EST
Joined: 01-05-2004
Posts: 2,796
i don't have that much experience with accounting, and when it was part of my duties as an administration executive (worked at home for an international consulting firm), we just used excel spreadsheets for anything but generating actual paychecks -- for that we used software given to us to use by ADP.

that said, i'd have to second steves. i've heard very good things about quickbooks, and in the market today, peachtree seems to be the big favorite.
0patience Offline
#4 Posted: Mon, Jan 19 2004, 6:24 PM EST
Joined: 07-20-2003
Posts: 1,023
Thanks guys,
I hadn't heard of Peachtree, so will look into it.
A freind has Quickbooks for his small business, so I am going to take a look at it tomorrow night.
I'm afraid I'm not real savvy with the accounting stuff, which is why we've paid an accountant the last few years. If I can find a ledger/accounting type program that we can handle, then it will save us some money and our accountant alot of work. LOL!
Thanks for the info.
RICKAMAVEN Offline
#5 Posted: Mon, Jan 19 2004, 6:50 PM EST
Joined: 10-01-2000
Posts: 33,248
an old man approaches a huge 5 story department store and finds it "closed for inventory"

he goes in and finds his sons who have been running the store since he retired and he asks why the store is not open for business.

his sons tell him they have to take an inventory to see if they are making a profit.

the old man tells one of his son's to bring him an empty shoe box. when he gets it he tells his other son to bring him a spool of white thread, a spool of black thread, some needles and two pair of shoelaces.

he says "this is what i started with. all the rest is profit. now open the store for business."
SteveS Offline
#6 Posted: Mon, Jan 19 2004, 7:54 PM EST
Joined: 01-13-2002
Posts: 8,751
Opatience ... I sent Charlie an e-mail asking him to contribute to this thread and offer the benefit of his experience as well ... of all the guys on this board, he is perhaps the most knowledgeable about that kind of software ...
SteveS Offline
#7 Posted: Mon, Jan 19 2004, 7:55 PM EST
Joined: 01-13-2002
Posts: 8,751
Opatience ... drop me an e-mail when you get a chance, will you?

fromsteves at hotmail dot com

and yes, from IS part of the addy
Cigarick Offline
#8 Posted: Mon, Jan 19 2004, 8:38 PM EST
Joined: 07-28-2002
Posts: 3,078
My wife is a self-employed bookkeeper who specializes in converting manual accounting systems to computers, plus all the training, and she swears by Quickbooks.
ajeroth Offline
#9 Posted: Tue, Jan 20 2004, 2:25 AM EST
Joined: 07-17-2003
Posts: 1,000
0patience.... Let me know if you still need software. I have QuickBooks and Microsoft Money 2002 which I use all the time. I think for a small business Money would work but like I said I have Quickbooks as well. My email address is

ajeroth at yahoo dot com
RICKAMAVEN Offline
#10 Posted: Tue, Jan 20 2004, 2:44 AM EST
Joined: 10-01-2000
Posts: 33,248
i guess no one liked my joke.
smelly4tay Offline
#11 Posted: Tue, Jan 20 2004, 3:36 AM EST
Joined: 11-15-2003
Posts: 2,775
Sounds like a bad Tony Robbins speech, Mavin. Save it for Oprah, and for when you pet Sheeba. LMAO! JK
smelly4tay Offline
#12 Posted: Tue, Jan 20 2004, 3:49 AM EST
Joined: 11-15-2003
Posts: 2,775
A very kind offer, aj, nice work!

Currently in a buisness/finance course I am taking, we are talking about small buisness solutions and tools, and Quickbooks seems to be the the one that our "consumer reports" minded professor backs.

00camper Offline
#13 Posted: Tue, Jan 20 2004, 4:52 AM EST
Joined: 07-11-2003
Posts: 2,326
You can also do everything yourself with excel. Simply link the tables to each other and voila! That way you get custom solutions and reports the way you want them without having to learn new software.
Cavallo Offline
#14 Posted: Tue, Jan 20 2004, 5:30 AM EST
Joined: 01-05-2004
Posts: 2,796
OOcamp: yep, that's how we did it in my old company. heck if i knew how to set those babies up, but after the HQ folks in singapore set it up, all i had to do was punch in the numbers once a month, and that was that. very easy, and no new software needed.

that said, if you're not Excel proficient (as in able to set up the sheets with various formulas to get it to do what you want), i'd say just go with QB.

antonio
drnos Offline
#15 Posted: Tue, Jan 20 2004, 5:32 AM EST
Joined: 10-29-2003
Posts: 2,787
Rickamaven: Yes I did like your joke. And there's more than a little truth in the story too. I am a CPA who specializes in 'micro-businesses', start ups of all types. There is still no MIS system that can beat an experienced operator's seat-of-the-pants feel for a business.

That said, both QuickBooks and Peachtree give you a lot of bang for the buck. I prefer Peachtree, but I have clients on each. One client is a $5M/year mfr. with 6 full-time Peachtree users. Works like a swiss watch; costs like a Yugo.
drnos Offline
#16 Posted: Tue, Jan 20 2004, 5:36 AM EST
Joined: 10-29-2003
Posts: 2,787
BTW, my user name is a nickname I was given about 15 years ago by a business associate: Doctor Numbers. He didn't realize that it could have somewhat sinister implications, but I wear it with pride.
Charlie Offline
#17 Posted: Tue, Jan 20 2004, 5:36 AM EST
Joined: 06-16-2002
Posts: 39,751
I am more into supply chain (manufacturing and distribution) management software, but I know that all who use Quickbook are happy with it and much depends on the size of the organization and what you want to accomplish! Excel will work but you have to know what you are doing, while Quickbook is one of those systems that most can master!

Charlie
Sylance Offline
#18 Posted: Tue, Jan 20 2004, 5:38 AM EST
Joined: 06-19-2003
Posts: 592
0patience,

E-mail me and I'll answer any questions you have. I work at Intuit in the QuickBooks support center. Let me know what your needs are and what questions you have. As a side note, if you have QuickBooks support questions, I may be able to answer them. If not, I can point you in the right direction.

P.S. E-mail me at [email protected]
0patience Offline
#19 Posted: Tue, Jan 20 2004, 6:51 PM EST
Joined: 07-20-2003
Posts: 1,023
SteveS, e-mail sent. Thanks.

00camper, LOL! Too complicated. I need to figure one program out at a time.

ajeroth,
Thanks for the offer, but I am thinking that I need to find the Quickbooks pro 2003 to purchase.
If I can ever get time off from my regular job, I need to go to my friends and look at this quickbooks set up.
Thanks.

Sylance,
Thanks!!
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