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Finances
I hate dealing with banks. In a world where currency has more meaning on screen than it does in hand, you would think that banks would be getting better and not worse. The best bank is typically the one you never have to deal with. I generally have to mentally prepare myself for a few days before I call a bank as I know it is going to raise my blood pressure a few points.
Simple.com aims to change that. They believe that well designed web and mobile applications can improve the overall banking experience. In keeping it simple and beautiful, they believe they can make banking a positive experience.
So far, it’s working (more…)
Until I review CronSync over a year ago, I wasn’t sold on using an application to track work hours and manage invoicing. I was perfectly content with my pre-formatted invoice document which I’d print to PDF. Since then automating the process has taken off among freelancers, home businesses and even larger studios and companies. A quick search on the Freelance Switch forums will reveal lengthy discussions on the topic.
Ballpark, a similar app with more of a focus on billing, has recently given their service a facelift promising to make things much better. The last time Ballpark was discussed on Web AppStorm was 2009. Apart from the blue colour scheme, the app looks almost unrecognizable as the same app, with its fully redesigned interface that sets it apart from the crowd of competitors.
Their new version that just went live this week offers the user increased functionality, easier navigation and an updated feel for the app. My question is whether or not it’s a viable option for a freelancing business. Let’s take a look.
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As a business owner, keeping track of your invoices and reminding customers when payment is due can be an extremely laborious and even embarrassing chore. However, it is a chore that needs to be done, because no payments means no cash coming into your business, which is not exactly ideal, to say the least.
Although most accounting programs will remind you when an invoice is due for payment, they don’t actually take care of the entire reminding and collections process. This is where ZenCash comes in. Not only will it integrate with your existing accounting program and synchronize all the data on outstanding invoices, but it also takes care of the collections process quickly and efficiently, so you won’t even have to lift a finger.
Let’s look at it in a bit more detail.
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There are so many invoicing apps floating around. It would be absolutely fabulous if people only have to create invoices and get paid all the time. But things are more complicated than that. To start with, you will need to find a viable lead and convince him/her that your prices are actually quite affordable.
Ideally, the process of closing a deal starts with a well documented quote. Pricetag is a web app for creating, quotes, RFP, proposals and bid pricing documents. It’s easy to use, with an intuitive interface and a healthy dose of customizability. Let’s check it out and see if it’s the quotes and proposals app you need.
PayPal, the original standard for online financial transactions, is still an important part of most of our lives. If you do any work over the internet, from working on a contract for a remote company to designing a website for someone in your own town, chances are you’ll need to send and receive money using PayPal. For the most part, it works great, and even if its website leaves much to be desired, it gets its job done, everyone gets paid, and life goes on.
But then, today I discovered a reason you might want to use PayPal’s website a bit more than for just moving your money around. PayPal’s annoying pre-load ad screen showed me an ad today for PayPal Invoices, a free tool for creating invoices right inside PayPal. Even though I’d already used PayPal for years, I had no idea you could create invoices right inside it. Since you’ll likely need a PayPal account to accept online invoice payments anyhow, it just might be the perfect solution if you’ve been looking for a free online invoice tool.
This time last year, I discovered an unknown web application for time tracking, invoicing and accounting named CronSync. My original review, which can be found here, was a positive one scoring an impressive 9/10.
Unlike some apps however, CronSync hasn’t been lying idle for the past twelve months. The team, based in Germany, has been hard at work upgrading and adding new features. For the past twelve months, I’ve watched CronSync slowly get better and better, and over the last two months several fantastic updates have convinced me that a second review was necessary.
If run a business, hate doing the books and are fed up with Excel, read on.
Finances and dealing with money has been something that I have always enjoyed doing, not for work, but in general. I am always looking for better ways to save money and now with our first child, even more so, do we have to money conscious.
That is why I got really excited when I came across SmartyPig. It is a web application that helps you with your savings goals and gives you the opportunity to create and save for them. Sounds simple, but there is much more to it than just that, so let me show you around the app.
Any time you watch the news, you will find that most of the time, the main topics are related somehow to money. It has been around for centuries, but yet we still can’t seem to figure it out. Money can be a great thing, but yet so destructive as well.
One web app has come out recently that piqued my interest because it looked like it paid attention to the details when it comes to money. Budgetable, which is currently in beta, takes looking at your spending differently than some other apps that do similar functions, like Mint. Instead of just looking at your transactions and categories of spending, you get a more in depth look at your money and how it is affecting your savings.
Being a freelancer, I’ve tried many applications to help me produce effective and professional invoices for my clients. I’ve experimented with everything from Microsoft Word to other applications on Mac OS X and iOS. Recently, I have come across Billable, a web-based application for invoicing clients.
Billable allows you to easily create beautiful and professional looking invoices without leaving your web browser. While this application may not have all of the customization features that sophisticated users may want, it is definitely a great choice for the general user. Below, I have crafted my full review of Billable.me and my thoughts on whether you should give it a try!
Anyone doing business with clients should be familiar with the dreaded invoice. Though they signify that you’re going to be paid at some point in the near future, something you would think would be a a good thing, if you have to deal with quite a few of them on a regular basis, you begin to see them in a very different light. I have no quibbles with invoices, per se, but I must admit that they can be a major headache to compile.
Luckily, we’re in 2012. With web apps proving to be going as strong as ever, this annoying task of creating invoices is made ever-so-bearable through dedicated web apps. One such app is Invoicebus.
