Business Discussions

Hey there! It's great to have you back, and if this is your first visit to the Business Discussion board - I'd like to extend a warm welcome. You may have previously seen that we share different small business articles from the QuickBooks Resource Center here on the Talk About Your Business page. Today I wanted to switch it up a little and take it a step further by sharing some of the actual tools that are available to you in the Resource Center. Let's take a look! There is a(n):     Paycheck Calculator, for determining quick and accurate wages for both hourly and salary paid employees. Sales Tax Calculator, to easily view the sales tax rate in your state. Invoice Generator, which will allow you to create and use an invoice on the go, even if you haven't decided to use QuickBooks yet. Invoice Templates, to download and switch up the look of your current forms. Guide to setup payroll, just in case you need a helping hand. Employee Cost Calculator, to show

Welcome back to the Business Discussion Board! I hope this work week hasn't been too stressful. However, if you have been stressing about building stronger client relationships, I've got just the article for you! I came across this post on forbes.com that covers different strategies for building deeper, more meaningful relationships with your clients. Here are a few that were mentioned...   Listen More Than You TalkMy husband likes to semi-jokingly tell our kids there's a reason why they were given one mouth and two ears. Turns out this can apply to business relationships as well. When client's are given the opportunity to be heard, they speak more freely about the things they need. This in turn makes them feel valued, which is what every business owner wants to do for their customers.   Exchange Life and Business StoriesCommunication is a major building block of trust. When you exchange stories with your client, you're opening a window for them to see the real you

Hello, Community! Are you an entrepreneur just starting out? Have you found yourself wondering what you'll need to do to get ready to file taxes for the first time as a business owner? If so, look no further. Here are few points of tax prep to get your started in the right direction.       BasicsYou'll need to start with the basics. This information includes your business structure; whether it be a sole proprietorship, corporation, single-member LLC, etc. Additionally, you'll need to know your business tax ID number (EIN). It's also not a bad idea to have a list of assets and equipment.   Get OrganizedWhen tax time rolls around you'll want to be sure all of your related documents are in one place, such as any 1099 forms. That way you're not scrambling around looking for this or that. One way to do this is to create a folder specific for taxes, and then a sub-folder for receipts. Another, even more effective option would be to use QuickBooks! Each business expense a

Hey, Community! You know we share all things small business here in this space. I have another article for you today that came from the QuickBooks Blog. It talks about learning financial lessons. That's always a good thing to learn more about so let's take a closer look: Realize how to use debt wisely. It has been drilled in our brains that debt is bad. And that for that most part is true if you're not careful. However, you can also work debt to your advantage. For example, professionals in the real estate investing industry will make a purchase, go into debt, work a few projects to sell the property, and ultimately make their money back and then some. Leverage is key. Resist the temptation to go overboard with spending. This point is pretty straightforward. As mentioned in the article, Will Smith once said, "We spend money that we do not have, on things we do not need, to impress people who do not care.” Make your budget and stick to it like glue. Find (or create) oppor

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you guys are having a great day! Before you leave today, I want to share this gem by Entrepreneur highlighting five things successful people have in common. Here is what they had to say:   Embrace failureOof! This can be a tuff pill to swallow because no one wants to fail. But know that every experience is a learning opportunity to do better and progress more. The author shared something that struck a chord. He said that hearing no shouldn't hold you back because something even better could be waiting around the corner.   Excel at relationship buildingThe writer mentioned that you want to have a genuine and authentic presence when meeting people or calling them. The goal is to communicate with others and leave them feeling good about you and would want to work with you all the time.   Are comfortable being uncomfortableIt is always good to step out of your comfort zone sometimes because you may miss out on good opportunities, or it may enli

Hello Community! Hope your week is going well so far. Many businesses are making the decision to return to the office but after so many months, it’s hard to know what to expect (or what the transition will be like). So, as usual, I’m going to try my best to give you some tips! Let’s get right to it:Create a new routineIt will take time to get back into the groove of getting up, getting dressed and getting out the door. As someone who spent half their day in pajamas before getting dressed around noon, it was hard to have so many things to do right in the morning again. Give yourself some slack and some extra time in the morning to make sure you have everything you need.ReconnectIf you’ve been used to not seeing anyone during your work day, it can be a bit odd to suddenly be around people. Though for some it may be invigorating to be social again, know that it’s ok to be overwhelmed. Everyone has been through a rough time, so there may be a lot of emotions surrounding returning to the of

Hello Community! Here we are, making moves into a new month. Of course you’ve heard about our Resource Center (and if you haven’t check, it out here). It’s filled with helpful information about running your business, QuickBooks, and everything in between. Today I want to talk about invoices and the not-so-great situation where they haven’t been paid by your customer (yet). There are an array of reasons why a customer would let their invoice go unpaid, but as a business owner you want to do everything in your power to limit this occurrence. Let’s start with some basics.     Before you give the invoice, know these two things:   Who should get the invoice? Sometimes it’s the client themselves, sometimes it’s the accounting department, or both. Make sure you know the procedure to expedite smoother, faster payment.   How do they prefer to pay? Offering your customers more payment options, such as credit card, eCheck, or direct ACH bank transfer, ensures

We took a bit of a break, but we are back with our monthly Community Chatter.  Per a recent look at social media useage, as of 2021 there were over 4.48 billion people using some form of social media worldwide.  So, for this month we wanted to take a peek at what the team's favorite social media accounts to follow are.      From Morgan: Hello, friends! I follow a variety of accounts on several different social media platforms. My top fave TikTok account is @nowitsclean. This gal shares every cleaning tip, hack, and tool you could ever want! Her videos are so satisfying to watch and actually motivate me to clean up around the house. My second favorite TikTok account is @calvingrindz. This is purely for entertainment purposes and his prank videos keep me laughing out loud. Instagram is probably my most favorite social media platform. The list is long so I'll just share my newest favorite accounts. First up is @woven__together. She is a polymer clay artist w

Good afternoon, Community friends. It was about 63 degrees in my area yesterday and it just made me even more excited for spring! So while you're checking out the Business Discussion, check out this article I saw on forbes.com that also put me in mind of spring. It covers a few tips for spring cleaning your business to set you up for the best fiscal year yet. Let's take a look...   Test The Efficacy Of Automated ProcessesThe first quarter of the year is the best time to evaluate what has been working and what hasn't. Among things to evaluate are any and all automated processes. This includes marketing automation, sales, operational, and more. Anything that isn't working the most efficiently is ultimately wasting time and resources.   Set Up Your Accounting CategoriesReviewing business accounting categories is a sure way to determine which cost and profict centers coordinate and drive the most margin. Early in the year is a good time to make sure any new service line

Good afternoon, Community! Spring is in the air! This time of year is perfect for revamping certain areas of both life and business. With that being said, do you have a website for your business? If so, what do you include on the site? And if not, here are a few ideas to get you started...   Clear LanguageThere's nothing much more frustrating than finding something you'd like to purchase but no info regarding price, or how to pay and complete the transaction. This is one I've personally experienced, and honestly if I have to dig for this info I start looking for similar products elsewhere. When building your website be sure to use clear, informative language that tells your customers exactly what to do to make a purchase.   PhotosPictures on your business's website are a must. Pictures of you, of your product, of just the product, and of other people wearing or using your product. All of the above. Photos show your audience you, the face behind the name, and the others show h

We know it takes more than just useful posts and helpful hosts to create an online community you value, feel safe in and want to visit every day. Building a vibrant, welcoming community that truly helps you start, build and grow your business requires a thoughtful exchange of ideas, information and inspiration between all of our valued participants. Our Welcome Video Getting Started Join the Momentum to $1 Million Group Meet the QB Community Team Since everyone here contributes to and helps shape the culture of our QuickBooks Community, we’ve put together some important guidelines about the behavior and expectations that make this community special. As you read the information below, you’ll find we do things a little differently here than in other online communities. We’ve put a lot of thought into creating guidelines that reflect our goals and priorities, and we hope they reflect what you hold dear, too. We appreciate you taking a few minutes to find out more. We encourage network

Original commenter did not share additional details

We are a pool and spa company with 17 trucks on the road daily. Employee's have inventory (such as chemicals and filters) on their trucks that isn't necessarily billed out but is in fact still in inventory. What's the best way to accurately track items like this being that they may or may not get billed out but are not in the store where I'm personally responsible for them? When items leaves the store, I would like for them to be accounted for somehow in order to be able to follow up and make sure they're properly billed out and taken out of inventory. 

Have you ever walked into your work space and did a full face-palm and said, "Where do I even begin?!" There's receipts, highlighters, envelopes, packing supplies, un-finished projects, sticky notes, you name it, all piled high. I've got a few tips for you to get your business organized and keep the overwhelming clutter at bay.   Use a PlannerFor me personally, I really like a tangible notebook style planner. I like to physically highlight and check off things to do and appointments. However, electronic planners are also easily accessible. A big plus to this means one less thing on your desk! There are some really great (and free) options available.   Content CalendarThis is kind of a 1b. to the 1a. above but part of your scheduling and planning should be social media content. Plan a month's worth of social media content for your business and write it or type it into your calendar. Many platforms also have the option to schedule posts so once you have everything planned, you

Good afternoon, Community friends! Morgan here, back to share some more small business tips and tricks. I found an article posted in the QuickBooks Resource Center (you should check it out!) and it covered all the details for electronic payments. Now I don't know about you, but the more options to get paid - the merrier! Let's take a closer look...       Personally speaking, having cash on hand is a rare occurrence for me. Nowadays just about everything can be done electronically, especially paying for goods and services. "Electronic payments are when a customer pays for a product or service electronically, rather than exchanging physical cash or a paper check. Electronic payments are especially common for e-commerce retailers who complete online transactions and need their customers to pay online. However, businesses also use electronic payments in-person through debit card or credit card payments."   Now let's take a look at a couple of different

  Do you have a question about QuickBooks but haven't gotten around to reaching out to us yet? QuickBooks Experts are live now on this post to answer! Simply reply to this post with your question. We'll take questions this morning, 2/22, from 8am - 12pm PST.  Topics include, but aren't limited to: Invoicing, Payroll, Account Management, Product Features, and more.   Click here to ask your question. We look forward to helping you get the most out of QuickBooks.

Good afternoon everyone! It's Fridayyyy! I hope you are just as excited as I am! Before the day end, and since February is also known as Black History month, I wanted to share this article by ABC that highlights black-owned small businesses that you can support this month and even for years to come. Here are a few of my favorites that they shared:    Beaux and PawsThis business was started by a young man named Sir Darius to help shelter dogs get adopted. He sells beautiful bowties for dogs. With every purchase, he donates one to a shelter pet to attract a potential family.    Uncle NearestUncle Nearest is the most awarded American Whiskey or Bourbon in 2019 and 2020. They have acquired over 150 awards worldwide since their debut in 2017. Nearest Green is the first African American master distiller on record in the US.    Ni'Abri BeautyThis brand was also started by a young entrepreneur named Nia Phillips. She sells 100% vegan and cruelty-free makeup. Nia w

Welcome, everyone! Did you know that Pinterest has 459 million monthly active users worldwide, including 98 million in the United States? You might be saying, " Umm, okay, and why is this important?" Well, let me tell you! This is important because this is another market you can tap into if you haven't already! Christian Pollack from Entrepreneur shared 5 Pinterest marketing strategies to optimize your content. Here is what she had to say:     Set upThe writer's first step is to create a business account on Pinterest. Once that is made, enter as much information as you can, such as your mission statement, the availability of your products, etc., so potential customers can get to know more about your business.   Account Bio and BoardsWith Pinterest, customers usually use keywords or phrases to assist them when browsing throughout the app. A great idea is to use your account bio and boards and add keywords relevant to the product you are selling and common enough tha

Good afternoon everyone, and welcome back to the QuickBooks Community! When last have you taken the time to review your organization? It is a great idea to do this within your business from time to time to see where improvements can be made or changes. Here are some questions that would challenge your perspective of  your organization:   Is there a culture of excellence within your organization? During your day-to-day, how much time do you spend on things that don't add customer value? Do you think your employees are being obedient or actually committed to the organization's success? Why are your employees leaving? Would you do business with yourself if you were a customer? Is everyone on the same page? Are your resources being appropriately used or being wasted? Is your business performance consistent with your business goals?   These are just a few that give you an idea of the questions that should be answered when evaluating your firm. If you have any questions to a

“Nothing like waking up and reading negative views on your business page,” said no one ever. While it can be hard to get this kind of feedback, today I want to discuss Jonathan Bill’s article on our blog about why those reviews are important and how best to handle them.   If you’re worried about those negative reviews deterring potential customers, know that 95% of people suspect fake reviews if they don’t see any negative ones. We’re all human and anticipate someone may have a negative experience. What does make a difference is seeing someone respond to that negative review in an attentive way. Like having an elephant in the room, bad reviews should not be ignored. Use it as an opportunity to flex those customer service skills and show people that you are present and that you care. Bill writes, “Try to address a negative review transparently and quickly. An honest response is best.”   I encourage you to keep up on your reviews page so that follow up is fast. Ask them their p

Happy Monday! If you can't stop giggling at the singing cat in the QuickBooks & Mailchimp ad during the big game, you're not alone. I thought it might be nice to start the work week off right, and focus on what matters:  Our pets! 😻 🐶 🐦   tl;dr, reply to show us the pets who make your work days better.    Meet Brie. I adopted Brie only 2 months ago. Brie had a tough start in life, so she has a few special needs, and that's easy peasy! Brie is 3 years old, loves snacks, cuddles, and rubbing her face on literally everything. She makes every work day better and brighter.      Working with Brie nearby is the best part of every day. The second best part of every day is when I'm in a Zoom meeting and someone's pet makes a cameo. Last week, during our Coffee & Donuts live Zoom event with Accountants, it was especially awesome when a cat jumped up on one Accountant's desk to join our conversation. Whether it's barking, head-butting the l

I don’t know about you, but reading is something I am always trying to do more of. It can be hard to prioritize but recently I have been getting into nonfiction. It’s quite a change from my usual murder-mystery genre, but I have found there’s a lot of great tips to apply to life and I think a couple books would be great for business owners. Here are a couple of my recommendations:     The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan HeathWant to know what “magic moments” you can create for you customers? What makes a moment truly stick out to someone, and lead them to remember it forever? This book talks about how things can leave an impression and help you be more intentional about creating those moments so they aren’t accidental.   Radical Candor by Kim ScottThis book clearly outlines how to have “radical candor” as a boss. What does that mean? It’s a way to lead that emphasizes honesty, relationship, and heart. Scott highlights the common managing failures and how to build trust

Welcome back to the Business Discussion Board! Or maybe just, welcome! If it's your first time visiting us, it's great to have you here. This area of the Community is where we chat about just about any and all business topics. Next up is an article I found from clintoncourrier.com that discusses the reasons behind why more and more people are starting their own businesses. Let's take a look...   CreativityThe pandemic has left the majority of us with the feeling of being in a rut. As a means to think outside of the box and to still be able to work we've seen many becoming more and more creative. This creativity has lead to many new home based businesses.   Direct-to-CustomerOne study recently showed that newly developed businesses, nearly 80% of them in fact, are selling directly to customers. This direct-to-customer, or B2C (business-to-consumer), is the business model of choice. With this method you cut out the middle-man, therefore there isn't a chain of money tr

Hi there, friend. Thanks for joining us! Tax season is upon us once again and maybe you're braving this task on your own. If you are and seem to notice some things just aren't adding up, this may be just the post for you. Today I want to share a few bookkeeping mistakes to be mindful of and how to fix them moving forward.   Too Many CategoriesMany business owners want to get really specific in their books. While this isn't always a bad thing, there is such a thing as having too many categories. The problem with this is that many of them end up being very similar. For example; "office supplies", "miscellaneous supplies" and "materials" can all be grouped under one of these names. This can be fixed by removing any categories that aren't related to your business, renaming any confusing titles, and/or combining categories that are basically the same thing.   Not reconciling bank accountsWhen was the last time you reconciled your accounts? Hopefully the answer is, "last month!" bu

Hi, Any Canadian expert in eCommerce bookkeeper here? I'm planning to start an eCommerce business, but I'm based in Canada.So most of the customers will be in the US and other countries.And I want to accept in USD only, then I can also pay my supplier in USD, no double-conversion between USD and CAD. Conversion can add up a lot! Here's how I might structure the banking for my business as a Canadian. (as I saw a lot of Canadian selling in the US doing that way, not sure am I right or not)1. U.S based USD Business bank account (To receive USD from customer purchase, and Paypal)2. Canada based USD Business bank account (Receive USD from my U.S based bank also pay off the credit card)3. Canada based USD business credit card (purchase products from suppliers, pay bills that in USD cuz Canadian can't open U.S based credit card)4. Canada Based CAD business Bank account (Paying myself in CAD, and pay the income return)5. Canada Based CAD credit card (stuff that needs to use in Canada