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Accounting is one of those frustrating things that we all have to deal with in business. Recently, I looked at two web-based accounting systems, Crunch and Kashflow, both designed for small businesses with limited IT funds. These systems, along with having low maintenance costs (which usually come in the form of a monthly subscription fee), can be tailored to fit the company’s exact needs and allow for far greater flexibility when it comes to managing the company’s books.
Up till now, I have only reviewed accounting systems for UK-based small business which, due to different accounting practices, are not suitable for US companies. There are plenty out there (just Google ‘web accounting’ for a few) however LessAccounting seems to be a strong contender for a simple, easy-to-use accounting system owing to its intuitive user interface and the fact it integrates with your bank’s data which, according to the developers, can cut down the time you spend doing the books by up to 80%.
Is this the one accounting system for U.S. small businesses? Let’s take a look at it in a bit more detail to find out.
The price of electronics are constantly changing, sometimes every day, sometimes multiple times a day. I don’t know about you, but I want to make sure I get a good price for something that I am buying. But not only that, I want to make sure that the product I am buying is of good quality and one that will last me a little while. After all, it’s always frustrating to buy a new gadget, only to see it’s outdated the next day!
When you feel like you can’t keep up with the industry enough to know when you should buy a new gadget, sometimes you’ll need a little help. This is where a website like Decide comes in to play, a one stop shop for all your electronic buying needs.
Invoicing is a fact of any freelancer’s life. With all of the “glamour” that comes from being self-employed and working with companies on a freelance basis comes the joy that is invoicing, often involving tracking time and logging it carefully.
T:metrack (which, for the sake of my fingers, is going to become Timetrack for this review) is an invoicing solution designed to help you focus less on your invoicing and more on creating excellent stuff.
Christmas has come and gone and you got everything you wanted, right? Like me, some of you may have gotten gift cards instead of actual presents. For most people, they are nice because it gives you the flexibility to get what you want from the store that you got it from. But, what if you got one for a store that you don’t necessarily shop at or have a gift card laying around that you haven’t used in a while and you know that you are not going to use it any time soon?
This is where a website like Cardpool comes in very handy. Whether you are looking to make some nice cash or want to buy discount gift cards, it’s a great resource to tap into to make this happen. Let’s take a look around.
One of the things that I’ve found out about investing is that it can be very confusing if you don’t know what you are doing. I played the stock market and put money in some other things, but it kept me longing for more. I wanted a way to invest that was simple and helpful, and at the same time earning some money. I didn’t need the “get rich quick” mentality; just an avenue to invest.
A few months ago I stumbled upon Betterment, a web application that lets you invest your money and makes it pretty easy to do so. It is a great service that gives you a wide variety of ways to educate you to make an informed decision about investing. But it doesn’t stop there; it is a site where you can put your money into stocks and bonds through Betterment’s portfolio.
For those of you that run a small business, you know that keeping track of your finances is very important. You want to make sure that every penny is accounted for that goes out and that comes in. As someone that does the finances for my wife’s photography business, I am always searching for a way to keep track of receipts.
Over the past couple of years, I have tried to scan them in with a scanner and kept them in an envelope, but have found both methods to be average at best. There is nothing great about them, but something was still missing. I think I found what I was looking for when I started using Lemon, a web app that helps you keep track of receipts.
With the ever-rising popularity of web apps, businesses are turning to online solutions for their business needs, as it allows quick and easy access no matter where you are. The days of being tied down to the office to complete work are over as cloud computing and online platforms become ever more a reality in daily business life.
Last month, I took a look at Kashflow, an online accounting system aimed at small businesses helping them to keep their books in order and process simple accounting tasks such as invoices. However, there is now a new kid on the block, Crunch, looking to steal Kashflow’s thunder. It is, like Kashflow, aimed at small businesses who don’t want to have to shell out loads of money for an expensive IT system.
Is Crunch the one accounting system that your small business has been looking for? Let’s have a look at it in a bit more detail.
Good accounting practices are key to any company, whether it be a sole trader or a large, multinational corporation. It helps keep the company flowing and is vital for end-of-year figures, fiscal forecasting and resource planning. However, given the sheer range of accounting software out there, it is often difficult to choose which one to use. Large companies with plenty of money at their disposal often choose an expensive ERP system such as SAP or Infor, however smaller companies often don’t have the liberty of choice.
Web-based accounting software seems, for the time being anyway, to be the way forward for smaller companies looking to keep their books in order as well as saving money purchasing expensive, mainstream accounting solutions such as SAGE. The one I’m going to look at today is Kashflow, which is aimed towards small businesses based in the UK. There are plenty of features built in to Kashflow which make it a worthy candidate as a great accounting system for small businesses.
Let’s have a look at it in a bit more detail.
Cross-checking credit card statements with your receipts is like checking a lottery ticket: you feel like you should do it, but it rarely bears fruit in the end. I can’t recall a single time I’ve ever been able to find a fraudulent transaction on any of my credit card statements. Likewise, I’ve never won the lottery.
And yet, you can bet your last dollar that once the end of the month rolls around I’ll be hunched over my desk, brow furrowed, crosschecking crumpled receipts with crisp bank statements, almost daring some fraudster to have scammed me. I’m already plotting my revenge in anticipation.
BillGuard, a startup having just recieved their second round of funding, aims to stop the loose-cannon cop in all of us by doing the legwork. Think anti-virus for your credit card - only bigger.
When I was in college few years ago, and even as I’m running a business today, the word accounting always makes me cringe. I’m sure there are plenty of people like me across the globe. But there is no escaping account. Lack of proper accounting might lead to audits, penalties, and more. So it’s better to bite the bullet and get those finances in order. Fortunately, there are many web apps in the market to help you with it.
Outright dramatically streamlines the work involved with running a small business by helping entrepreneurs pay the right taxes, organize their income and expenses, and keep their businesses on track. Let’s see if the app is simple enough to use for those who aren’t really good at accounting.
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