Business Discussions

Every once in a while, we can all use a pick-me-up. If you haven't heard it today or in a while, keep pressing on! I have a few of my favorite quotes that hopefully will inspire you as well or motivate you further. Here it goes!   Martin Luther King, Jr."You will never be completely ready. Start from wherever you are."   Mark Twain"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door."   Robert Frost"Fall seven times and stand up eight."   John C. Maxwell"Motivation will almost always beat mere talent."   Norman Ralph Augustine"Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it."   C.J. Hayden“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”   Feel free to get a sticky note, add your favorite quote, and place it in a spot where you can constantly be reminded and let that drive you! As always, be safe and take care my Community Family!

Does anyone have a pricing template base on number of transactions. I need to give a new client a price quote for my services. Thanks

Hello Dear Community, Hope you are doing fine. I'm the founder Prybox Technologies a B2B start-up based out of Virginia. My startup helps businesses track their purchase orders in real time. The goal is to reduce the manual effort of following up with the suppliers through automation.  I wanted to understand if this is a useful tool for businesses in this community.  

Do you have over 5,000 emails, half of which are not business-related? Many of them are ads, and let's be honest, you only go through some of them. Right now, I'm running out of storage for my Gmail account, and the majority are ad-related.  Steve Strauss with USA Today says it's time for business owners to ditch emails and start texting customers instead. "Between unopened emails, unanswered emails, online newsletters you signed up for – and ones you didn't, flagged mail, junk mail, and other unwanted messages, the fact is, email has become a burden."The approach to texting consumers may be unusual, but it looks promising. Below is a summary of some collected data:   Text marketing campaigns can have up to a 98% open rate. Text reminders result in 40% fewer missed appointments. And businesses generate two times more leads by turning missed calls into text conversations.   The fact is people are more likely to see a text than an email, and missing an appointment or inv

Have any of you seen the movie "The Help"? It's one of my all-time favorite movies and one of the main characters uses the affirmations, "You is kind, you is smart, you is important." What we say to ourselves and about ourselves really impacts our daily lives and thoughts. Here are a few affirmations to remind yourself of to help grow your business...   "I am capable of achieving even my wildest dreams." "I will overcome any challenges I face on the way to achieving my dreams." "I have what it takes to be the most successful version of myself." "My failures do not define me." "My business has a positive impact." "I believe in myself." "I am in alignment with my purpose and path." "Every step I take is a step closer to success in my business."   These affirmations are sure to serve as helpful, positive reminders of what you can do when sometimes it may feel like you can't. You got this! What are some things you do to help you stay motivated? Let's chat in the com

We are just starting to use QBO for an auto repair shop and we are looking for a way to incorporate the concept of Work Orders into the mix.  Each job we do is described by a Work Order.  The Work Orders are aligned to Customers (each customer can have 1 or more Work Orders) and technicians track their time against the Work Orders.  Is there a way to model this within the tool? For extra credit, we'd also like to be able to have a list of cars and then associate specific cars with customers and/or Work Orders.  Is it possible to do this? 

Hello Community! You've reached the Business Discussion page and I'd say you’re ready to discuss... business! Today I want to share an article I found posted on the QuickBooks Resource Center that outlines some tips for marketing a service based business.   Marketing is important for sales as we all know, and marketing for a product can be a breeze. But how do you achieve the same when what you're selling is a service? Service-based business owners, this one's for you! Here are a few pointers to recall the next time you're working on a marketing campaign...   Reel In Customers With IncentivesHaving a hard time reaching new customers? This may be the perfect time to offer incentives. Incentives can come in many forms such as, a giveaway, coupons, discounts for new customers. Be mindful of where you need your prices to be to still profit but be prepared for a growth spurt! There are also several providers available that will help you distribute your incentives to

 Hello, I'm hoping someone can give me guidance to my problem I'm running into. When I receive my Net Payout from DoorDash and UberEats Merchant, I use the "Match Deposit" to my undeposited funds account for which the payouts are affiliated with. Everything matches fine, my issue is how to I then add the deposit to my Income account I have named "Other Sales" for P&L Purposes. I have tried many different ways, but always unable to get it right.  We use daily Journal entries and our DD and UE sales from each day go into our undeposited funds account. Once the payout is received I can get everything to match up. I need help moving the funds to an income account. Hopefully I do not sound redundant, any help would certainly be appreciated! 

In the near future, I may have several clients across the surrounding area where I live.  What share screen apps are Proadvisors using with their QBO clients? Roslyn Morgante[email address removed]

Good afternoon QuickBooks Community! How many of you have an online business? For today's read, Dylan Ogline with Entrepenuer.com came out with an article to give you some "dirty secrets" about online business. Let's see what they had to say:     Marketing is useless without a great productDo you like quality products? I bet you do, and so do other consumers. It is essential to invest in your product. You can have the best ad in the world, but if your products are not up to standard, it is a waste of time. Ogline explains, "No amount of traffic to a business's landing page will result in sales, growth and sustained success [without a quality product]."   Don't focus on your competitionThe goal is to create a service or product that solves a unique problem other businesses still need to solve. With a specificenough niche, competition can be reduced. Here is an example the writer shared here:'" We help businesses get more leads." Hmm needs some work."We hel

Hello Community! Welcome to the Business Discussion board. I know many of you here are small business owners, and as a small business owner you may not have a ton of hands on deck. In fact, it may only be you - the solopreneur. If that sounds like you, here are a few tips on how to grow your business on your own.   Be super strategicThere's a reason behind every action you take.   Use timersTime is money! You likely have a heavy work load. Use timers to work on a certain project for an allotted amount of time and then move on to the next thing. Repeat until complete.   AutomateApply technology, apps, different platforms to automate business tasks to make your life easier.   PrioritizePrioritize projects, financials, customers, and so on. Tackle what needs to be taken first and check it off your list.   You may be feeling like you're spread pretty thin trying to take care of your business as one man/woman show. I hope this pointers help alleviate some of that. W

Hello Community! If you’re an accounting professional, advisor, or bookkeeper, then you’re well aware of the mental roadblocks that your clients may face. Dealing with finances can be a daunting task, therefore, being a good listener and communicator with your client is important. Knowledge is power so let’s take a look at what three of the most common mental roadblocks clients face are according to this article in Firm of the Future.   Mental roadblock 1: Thinking it will just disappear- It’s important clients know about their financial situation even if it’s not the best. Being informed and acknowledging their situation can then lead to actionable steps for an improvement plan.Mental roadblock 2: Fear of looking dumb- Many clients may stay away because of their fear of not understanding all the nuances of managing their books. It’s important to have this understanding in order to build a strong and trusting relationship with your clients.Mental roadblock 3:&

Valentine's Day is less than a week away! I'd like to share a short list of a few ways you can celebrate the holiday as a small business.   Offer a special "We love our customers!" discount on the day or weekend of Valentine's Day. Send a heartfelt expression of gratitude to those on your email list. Decorate! (My favorite.) Something as simple as heart garlands in the windows will do the trick. Bundle relative items that could be purchased together as a Valentine gift. Much like you would send a Christmas card to clients, maybe send a lighthearted valentine. Blog about gift ideas. Let customers show their love. This can be done with something like a chalk board in your store or a comment thread on social media.   I agree it can be a bit overwhelming to try to do all of the things, but these are just a few simple ideas to participate in a fun way. How do you incorporate holidays or events as a business owner? Let us hear your ideas in the comments!

  Hello Community! Have you ever wondered how you can go about increasing your company’s teamwork in order to produce quality results for your clients? If so, then you’re in luck because today I want to talk about capacity planning. Capacity planning is what allows businesses to predict, plan for, and manage staffing and development needs to help with growth. According to this article in Firm of the Future, here are 5 workflow capacity tips to help you be more productive:   Planning for capacity is key to growth Assess the need to hire additional staff and support Understand your ideal staff/client/vendor qualifications Update technology Enhance communication workflow   Those are all the tips! Having the ability to plan for capacity, assess the need to hire more staff, update technology, & enhance communication workflow are all tools that every business owner needs. To check out the full article, make sure to go here. See you next time!

Welcome to the Business Discussion page! Can you believe it's the first Friday of the month already? I hope January was good to you and February will be even better! Today, I have an interesting read from Inc.com, which mentions, "Your staff is watching. Here's something to pay attention to." It goes how to show how the behavior you have towards your business will have a direct impact on your team but also your clients or customers.     Watch the clock with your team.The author tries to show that when leading your team, integrity is at the forefront and how this influences all levels of your business. He mentioned an important question: Do you arrive early or on time for meetings, whether in team meetings or with clients?You may feel like I am the leader; what significance does that show? It shows your team that they and your customers are a priority and crucial to your business. As the writer rightly said, "your actions directly affect your business and your bottom line

As a small business owner you put so much into your business. A lot of that time is during regular business hours, and then even more once you go home for the day. You're committed to your success, but the day in and day out of can lead to exhaustion. Here are a few tips to avoid getting burnout on your dream:   Have a morning and night routine Plan "me time" Take plenty of breaks Get at least 7 (preferably 9) hours of good sleep each night Set clear boundaries Get outside Set healthy working hours Know when to slow down and rest   I know this can be difficult when you have both goals and deadlines to reach, but if you're in it for the long haul remember it's a marathon, not a sprint. You have to take care of you so you can take care of your business. What are some helpful tips you practice to prevent burnout?

  Hello Community! Have you ever thought about how important customer reviews are to potential clients? According to this infographic, 90% of potential clients look at online reviews before even visiting a business! And 88% of consumers view online reviews as beneficial as personal recommendations. The important question here is, how can you get customers to write your business a review? This article in Firm of the Future goes over 7 ways you can go about doing this. Here’s how you can secure more online reviews:   Ask-More often than not, your clients will be more than happy to give you a review if you ask for it. Make it easy- Make sure that the link you’re sending for the review is clear and easy to find. Eliminating the “where do I go” or “How do I do this” will bring more reviews in. Double dip- There are so many review sites out there, including social media, that you might as well take advantage and ask them to post a review in 2 places. Offe

Hello friends! Thanks for joining us here in the Business Discussion space. I'm here to share a great article from inc.com that covers a few pointers on how to use data to optimize your marketing strategy. Let's take a look...   How can using data help optimize business marketing? The short answer is- so you'll be able to understand your audience and potential customers and target them more effectively. Here are a few areas the data will help position your company toward success.   Customer SegmentationThe article mentions the "spray and pray" method, referring to trying to reach everyone with your product or service. Unfortunately, when trying to sell to all, often times you end up selling to none. Collecting data about your audience and target market such as demographics, locations, and interests segments them into different groups and allows you to reach them in a more personalized way.   PersonalizationSpeaking of personalization, "data holds the key to per

Hello, as a new member to intuit, I am not familiar with how the platform works. When I visit the website, I see the discussion about business growing. My question is, is there a way for me to use intuit to grow my business? I have heard from others that it can be a useful tool for promoting a business. If anyone has experience using intuit to expand their business, I would greatly appreciate their guidance. Also, If I have posted this question in the wrong category, please forgive me. Thank you in advance.

  Happy Wednesday Community! This month I’ve been taking part in a 6 week journey designed to aid habit building and strengthen mindfulness. In this week’s session, we touched on the topic of habit stacking. This involves “stacking” the new behavior/habit you’re trying to adopt onto a current behavior/habit in order to help you remember to do it. Here are some key takeaways that I got from that session that I want to share with you all:   Start small Do a brainstorm dump of all your current habits (that you want to keep) Be extremely specific Choose a realistic cue Give yourself a timeline   An example of this would be deciding that after you turn on your tea kettle each morning, that you’ll be mindful and take deep breaths for one minute. What's great is that every time you turn on your tea kettle, you’ll have a built-in reminder integrated into a daily routine that helps you maintain consistency.   Now that I’ve shared my key takeaways, I want to hear from you!

Hello QuickBooks Community! I can't believe January is almost finished, and February is around the corner! Can you believe how time flies? Anywho, did you know an estimated 17 million U.S. employees want to start a business? It can be a risky choice right now, but as the saying goes, the higher the risk, the higher the reward. According to our QuickBooks Blog article, "An overwhelming 83% of people who want to start a business say COVID accelerated their plans. This is either because they spotted a new opportunity online during the pandemic or because it made them rethink their priorities."Some motivations for others included:   To be my own boss To have more control over my future To earn more money than I could by working for someone else   What about you? You may what to start, but you need to know how. The first rule of thumb is funding. Although many people use personal savings, many also need a small business loan. You can use these resources (Small Busine

I need help really bad. I started with a real estate/ construction company in March 2022. I purchased QBooks an vegan setting up the company best as I could never doing accounting for a company that buys properties( apartments) rehabs them then hires property managers to run them. My part of this is the rehab side. Construction. The company last year did books in a spreadsheet with lump set numbers nothing to carry over to new year 2022. I linked the bank account an transactions from Jan to March downloaded. Which they’re nothing to match to. Most bills they set up as Ach payments so nothing in A/P I’ve tried to catagorize the transactions but it’s not going very well. We have a lot of transactions that are billed to a property and a lot of transactions that the company is responsible for. I would get my bosses credit card bill from his assistant to pay then she would breakdown which property was charged what expense an then break down the companies expense part. I invoiced each proper

Good afternoon, folks! Thanks for joining us here in the Business Discussion board. I hope you all are doing well. It's currently snowing where I'm at so I plan to stay in and stay warm. Anyways, today I'm stopping by to share an article with you from inc.com that offers some pointers on how to not only find key battles for your business but win them as well. "Morgan, did you say finding the right battles?" Yes, certain battles in business are going to happen, that's a fact, however the writer mentions a lot of times people will spend their time on the wrong problems, and not on focusing on what actually matters. Here are some tips: Set personal objectives and make your own decisions"Listen to others and seek their input, but don't allow them to make your decision for you. Follow your own interests and business insights to increase satisfaction and long-term success." Help others who have the potential for helping youBy helping others you ca

Good afternoon QuickBooks Community! Is everything going well? I would hope so. Today, I was thinking about when you last reviewed your revenue model? This is basically a model that helps you determine if your business model and the success of your small business will create enough income to cover costs. If you havent, I found six questions to ask yourself to build or rebuild your revenue model.    What type of value is my company selling to my customers?  Where is my value compared to the competitor’s value?  What do my customers think about the value that I will give them? How many products and services you will sell with your revenue model? How will you charge for your value? How much will you charge for your value?   I hope asking these questions will give you a better understanding of your position and allow you to make adjustments or changes as you see fit. Until next time my Community family, be safe and take care. Bye for now.  

Hi there! Thanks for joining us today in the QuickBooks Community. I'm stopping by to share an article I read earlier on the QuickBooks Blog that discusses how to choose the best payment method for your small business. Let's take a look.There are more options available for receiving payment from your customers than ever before. Here are a few examples:   cash/check credit card online mobile   Cash or checkTraditional, yet effective.   Credit cardModern and handy. Can be used in person or online. If you decide to accept card payments, keep in mind which processor you'd like to use as well as processing fees.   OnlineAs mentioned, these include credit card payment, as well as eChecks and direct debit.   MobileMobile payments consist of digital wallets, money transfer apps, mobile card readers.   When choosing the right payment method(s) for your business, consider PFFFS: Price, Features, Flexibility, Functionality, and Security. Ultimately t