Business Discussions

You have questions about running a small business, and our QB Community members have answers! Everyone here knows the importance of building meaningful member-to-member relationships, and there’s no better way to learn, discover and get inspired as an entrepreneur. Best of all? When members share what they know, everyone benefits. Check out this recent QB Community conversation, and you’ll see what we mean!      AmberR asked: I just became a ProAdvisor & opened a company for bookkeeping. I think we will charge set fees instead of hourly, but I don't know where to begin. Can anyone give me examples of what your pricing is? I've done so much research on this and I can't get a grasp on where to start. Whatever info you have would be greatly appreciated!   @hectorgarciacpa answered: I have a two-prong strategy. 1) Give up 90% of the knowledge for FREE via YouTube, Social Media, Blogs, etc, and 2) PRICE that remaining 10% high enough so you may continue t

Good afternoon Community! Thanks for tuning in to another entry here in the Business Discussion board. We've previously talked about physical, tangible business cards, but what about a digital business card? I read an article posted on lifewire.com that went over all the key points of using a digital card. Here's what they had to say...     You know me, I like to start with the basics - "A digital business card (sometimes called a virtual or electronic business card) is a way to share contact information via the internet. Digital business cards can be created on a desktop computer or mobile device." Pretty straightforward, and the good news is you likely already have the software to make your own digital card! Such as the "contacts" section of your phone.   Much like a regular business card, the digital version is used to as a collection of all of your contact info to easily share with other. Another benefit of virtual cards is this can be done with just a co

Hello everyone in the QuickBooks Community, and how are you doing? Do you at times need help analyzing information? Well, I found an acronym that can assist. It is called CRAAP. No, no I'm not trying to be inappropriate, but this is a well-used and well-known acronym practiced in the business world.  Currency looks at the timelessness of the information. Questions to ask are if the information is recent or out of date? Has it be revised? Relevance highlights the importance of your information in regards to what you need. Questions that can be helpful in this are: Who is the target audience? Does this answer your questions?  Authority references the source of information. Questions that can provide clarity are: What are the person's qualifications to speak/write of these topics? Who is the author source? Accuracy relates to the correctness of the information as well as reliability or truthfulness. Questions that can assist are: Where did this information come from? Is t

Hello, Community! Lovely to have you here in the Business Discussion space. I think we've all heard rumors that could also be considered myths about entrepreneurship. Today I'd like to take a minute to share an article that was posted on the QuickBooks Resource Center that busts some of these notions you may have heard over the years.   Entrepreneurs Are Giant Risk TakersBusted! This one took me a sec. I had to go back and make sure I read it correctly. I did however read that to some people, quitting your day job, and striking up your own business, with no steady income in the beginning isn't the biggest risk you can take! It's simply viewed as uncharted territory.   Entrepreneurs Are Just Tired of Working for Someone ElseAlso not entirely true. While the initial thought of starting their own business may have come from discontent, one thing is for sure. Entrepreneurs all have one universal trait that truly drives them: a passion for their pursuit. Some call i

I think "self-care" has been the trend for quite some time now. Everywhere you go, people are giving you their tips and tricks and asking for yours. We keep hearing how important it is (and how versatile) but why is it so hard to remember? I asked some of my favorite coworkers to share their favorite self-care treats. My goal is to have someone out there book an appointment by the end of this post :)   ++++++   From Morgan:Please whatever you do don't feel badly for me because I LOVE my roles that I've been given but as a full time working mom of two sometimes it's difficult to find the time to practice self-care. However when I do, I absolutely love a good mani/pedi. When I get my manicure and pedicure it takes about an hour which seems to be just the allotted amount of time before mom-guilt creeps in, sorry can't help it, but during that hour I feel a bit like a queen. I usually grab an iced coffee on the way and then sit in a massage chair for the entirety of the visit. W

    After three years, QuickBooks for Mac gets an update. This month, QuickBooks for Mac 2019 finally arrives. With such a long gap in-between the releases, many of you moved to QuickBooks Online and may now wish to return. Yet, what about your company data file? Can it come back and how difficult will that be?   The biggest difficulty is getting past the fact that there is no direct route to get from QuickBooks Online to QuickBooks for Mac. You will need to export your data into QuickBooks for Windows and then convert that file into QuickBooks for Mac. Even though the process appears complicated, you can still get your data back into QuickBooks for Mac.     The following step will get you started on the standard conversion process. After reading this overview, you should have enough information to choose if conversion is right for you. Follow this sequence to help guide you.   *Note: Alternatively, you may wish to have QuickBooks Data Services perform

"There will be interruptions, and I don't know when they will occur, and I don't how deep they will occur, I do know they will occur from time to time, and I also know that we'll come out better on the other end"- Warren Buffet   Good day QuickBooks Community! Can you believe it is Friday already? The week really felt like it flew by. Anyway, I wanted to share with you this article by U.S. Chambers about creating an emergency preparedness plan. As Buffet said, you never know when interruptions may happen, but what you can do to get ahead of the game is to be prepared as much as you can. Here are the seven ways to do so:   Assess the risk that threatens your businessBusinesses would need to assess the most significant threat and the long-term effect of this. You can create different situations and develop a plan for them. The authors listed some potential conditions such as: An environmental emergency, like a flood. A global event, like the COVID-19 pandemic. A physical prob

Continuing our recap of our recent conversation with Alex Ayers from QuickBooks Mobile.  For Part 1, please click here.        Luren: Perfect. So, now that we understand exactly what we can do, could you give us an overview of how it works?  Now everyone's going to have to put on their visualization cap, and sort of imagine what this experience looks like, but could you sort of walk us through the spaces within QuickBooks mobile and what people can accomplish in those areas.   Alex:  Yes, my storytelling abilities are going to be put to the test.  So, when we drop our small business owners into our dashboard it's really cool.  I like a lot of the design, we've kind of modernized our design and you'll get a nice message up top and it'll say, 'Hey, welcome back Rose' and whatever your business name may be.    Nested right under that you've got these quick actions and they're going to be tasks that we have data on as being the o

In case you missed our recent Twitter Spaces Chat with an Expert session on QuickBooks Mobile, you can catch the recap of the session below.  Because this is a longer interview, we've broken it into two parts, and you can find the next part here.         Our Social Program Manager, Luren sat down with Alex Ayers to discuss the QuickBooks Mobile app.  Below is a summary of their session that has been lightly edited for clarity.     Luren: Hello and thank you for joining us today for a discussion about QuickBooks Mobile.  Let's get started with a quick round of intros. I'm Luren and I am a program manager in our social spaces.  Alex, please tell us a bit about yourself.     Alex: My name is Alex Ayers and I represent the QuickBooks Mobile App. I work with our product development team to understand customer needs for our mobile space specifically.  Really excited to join you guys today and hear

Hello there, Community! Looking good today. :) The weekend is on the horizon, you got this!   Today I wanted to talk about some tips that sometimes are forgotten. Whether you are brand new to business owning, or a seasoned vet in this space, it’s good to remember little things that make a big difference. Let’s not waste any time! Continuing Education Whatever field you’re in, there’s always going to be changes and updates. It’s important to stay ahead of the game and make sure you’re knowledgeable in your craft. This can come from online education, seminars, or conferences. Make sure you and your team are always in the know.   Take a break A burnt out boss cannot be functioning at their best. Taking time off and prioritizing taking breaks is good for you, good for your employees, and good for your business. You can’t serve from an empty pot!   Delegate I know, you want to do it all. Your business is your heart and soul and it can be hard to hand off tasks to others. But

Hello Everyone! I hope you guys are having a productive day thus far. Today, I wanted to share this article from our Resource Center about a manager's guide to lead, motivate, and inspire virtual teams. Although the country has fully opened up, some companies have decided to continue being virtual. This article mentioned a few ways to maintain connections while working from home. Here they are:   Some employees may not like to turn on their video chat when communicating. I know for a fact I get slightly anxious if I have to. However,  as managers or owners, it wouldn't hurt to turn on your video chat to communicate with your team members whenever you have the opportunity to develop that personable approach.   Before getting straight into the objectives for the meeting, use a few minutes to connect personally, such as asking employees how they are doing, about the weather; basically, anything not work-related yet respects personal boundaries.   Although you may

How many times have you heard “the customer is always right”? I bet a lot, and even though sometimes the customer is wrong…. they’re still right. How? Because your reputation largely depends on your feedback from customers. Poor experiences, critical reviews, all of this creates your online presence that current and future customers see. CMS Wire posted an article about how to improve your online reputation by listening to your customers and it has some important tips you don’t want to miss. Let’s dive into it!     One of my favorite lines from this article is “The buyer’s journey starts long before customers find your website.” I love this line because your website isn’t typically the first stop for people. The amount of searching customers do before reaching out to you is really the first step in gaining an opinion about your business. Reviews and how you as an owner handle success or horror stories play a big part in whether people keep scrolling or not.   Taking the

Hello Community! I hope you all are thriving, not just surviving. :) We had an article recently about Fall Cleaning Hacks, which got me thinking about how you can “clean up” your business before the end of the year. We all are aware of spring cleaning, but why should spring get all the attention? Let’s look at how you can declutter and reorganize your business this fall.     Clean up your spaceSo, no surprise I mention this here, but having a tidy and clean space increases productivity. You may think you work fine in a cluttered space, but when there’s takeout from lunch and old receipts on your desk, you may want to rethink that statement. If your desk is looking good, maybe look at your storefront or business vehicles.   Take a look at MarketingWhat forms of marketing are giving you the most business? Your time is limited, so spending it on your Facebook Page while Instagram is providing more engagement is definitely important to be aware of. If you aren’t tracki

Did you know that 61% of small business owners struggle with cash flow problems? Positive cash flow is the goal for any business, and the lifeblood to keep it going. However, cash flow problems affect businesses on a global scale! I found an article in the QuickBooks Resource Center that explains how to bounce back to positive cash flow.     To start, there are a few things that would impact the flow of money, specifically causing it to be slow:1. Lacking cash reserves2. Expensive borrowing3. Decreasing sales or profit margins4. Outstanding receivables5. Uncontrolled business growth6. Too much inventory7. Seasonal changes in demand   With that come several effects of cash flow problems on small businesses, such as: Late payments to suppliers, leading to strained relationships. Late or missed debt repayments, resulting in decreased credit ratings. Additional debt to cover business expenses. Missed opportunities to grow the business through investments. N

It's almost like clockwork - every few months when we are discussing topics to cover in these chatter posts, money always comes up.  (See our previous posts about budgeting for planned expenses, our favorite splurges, and how we keep our budgets under control during the holidays.)  This month we wanted to talk about those odd and quirky ways that we save money.   Keep reading to see what gems the team had to share this time.     ++++++   From Rose:  Saving money is a personal hobby of mine. I thoroughly enjoy watching the savings come off at the end of a shopping trip. One "odd" thing I do to save money is if it's not a necessity, like food, specific clothing, etc. and it's just a want, I will not buy it unless it's 30% or more off the original price. Even shopping the clearance racks at Target, if it doesn't have that 30% off, it won't be being added to my cart. This not only stops me from impulse buying just because it

  From the makers of QuickBooks and TurboTax, we bring you a new beta product called Intuit Accelerate. Accelerate was co-created with entrepreneurs like you to supercharge how you run your business virtually.   Having to manually organize and navigate a virtual practice across many different tools that don't speak to each other means you have less time to focus on doing what you love. This also translates to lost ‘jobs’ and missed opportunities to showcase your expertise.   Intuit Accelerate’s mission is to enable you to show up like the expert you are.   Use Intuit Accelerate for free, as often as you like. (Since we are currently in beta, we look forward to your occasional feedback when a member of our team contacts you)   Unleash your NEW superpowers here   Want to know more?    Accelerate helps you qualify leads, schedule meetings, capture notes, and summarize important takeaways and next steps so you can focus on providing the best servic

We have a specialty business that manufactures and sells made-to-order products as well as product sales and service.  What Industry would I use in QB's Premier 2019 in company setup?

Hey everybody, thanks for joining us! I don't know about you but I'm all about working smarter not harder. There are so many services available to us in this day and time that are able get a lot of the behind the scenes work done for you, and more often than not there's an app for it! Utilizing this type of technology allows you the time to focus on perfecting what you sell. One area you can use business services to help out with is actually hiring! I read an article shared on apppicker.com that explains the benefits of using a recruitment service for hiring new employees. Here are some of the main points...   Tailor Your Job Opening to the Current MarketRecruitment services provide the means to ensure your job opening is viewed by the proper audience. For example, you aren't going to show a job opening for a flower shop to delivery drivers looking to pickup work. Recruitment services make sure that doesn't happen.   Regular Reports and UpdatesAn added bon

Hello, friends! I hope your day is productive and your coffee strong. :) Here in the Community we always focus on you, our customers, and try to help you as much as we can in your business. Whether it’s how to market yourself, or goal setting, we know that success trickles down from the top.   Today, I want to focus on self-care, but this time we’re looking at how you can promote this practice to your employees. Happy and rested employees are one key to a successful business. Let’s look at some simple ideas that you can start now!   Lunch BreaksI know this is pretty basic, but are your employees taking a true lunch break? Do some of them work through their lunch if they feel behind? Opening up this conversation with your workers during meetings or 1 on 1s is a great way to gauge whether their lunch break is being used as it is intended. Having a mental break is essential to having a good day at work.   Active MeetingsWho says that meetings have to be in a room with every

Oh hi there! Today I want to talk about an article I found over on the QuickBooks Blog. It covers something that's going to happen from time to time as a business owner because, let's face it, you can't please everyone. That is the topic of negative reviews, AND how to handle them and get more business (yay!). Let's take a look...   ImportanceReviews are important to any business. I know I personally always like to check out a few reviews before making a purchase. The importance can be said for both good and "bad" reviews. I quote "bad" because they're not necessarily slamming your business, but your product or service may not have been the exact fit for their current need and that's ok! And of course positive reviews are always great. They let potential customers know how your company was in a real life situation.   GeneratingNow you may be wondering how to generate reviews. Simply start by asking your customers to write a review right after helping them wit

Welcome to the QuickBooks Business Discussion Page! I hope you are looking forward to the weekend just as I am! Here's a quick riddle for you before you leave for the day. Up for the challenge?   I have lots to say but never speak. I open, but you cannot walk through me. I have a spine but no bones?    Have you figured it out as yet? Well............................it is a book! With school in session, I thought we, as business owners, should be reading and learning some more! Blogher shared some best-selling books for today's article that small business owners need to keep on hand.     Edge: Turning Adversity Into Advantage by Laura HuangHuang uses her experiences to create a tactical book that focuses on being resilient during the ups and downs as a business owner!    Masters of Scale: Surprising Truths From the World's Most Successful Entrepreneurs by Reid HoffmanDo you love listening to podcasts? Well, here is another one to a

Hello again everyone, thanks for joining us here in the Business Discussion space! We've talked a lot about gaining clients, but what about when it's time for a client to move on? I've put together a list of what to provide your client with when it's time part ways.   Thank YouFirst and foremost a thank you message! Let them know how much you appreciate their business and for choosing you in the first place.   ResourcesProvide a list of resources your client can refer to help them out if they get stuck in the future. Pamphlets, video tutorials, maybe even your own website.   TroubleshootingOffer a list of some starter troubleshooting steps just in case.   Feedback RequestAsk your client to provide some constructive feedback for you when they get a moment. I'm thinking a survey!   Review RequestRequest your customer leave a review on your social media platforms or website so potential clients can check out how your services were used in real life.   GiftOne

Hello Community! Who says there's only one way to succeed? I know we talk a lot about branding and your digital identity, but there are so many ways to be successful in your business. If you head over to our QuickBooks Blog, you’ll see an article by Andy Latkovskis about how a podcast can help grow your business.     Especially this past year, podcasts have become not only a source of entertainment but a place for knowledge and connection. According to statista, the number of U.S. consumers who ever listened to audio podcasts increased from just 11 percent in 2006 to 57% in 2021. If that isn’t reason enough, let’s get into how this can help your business.   Company branded podcasts: The power of the story“People learn from stories, not statistics.” Use this opportunity to connect with people and share your story. What is your mission? Business vision? You can really paint a picture for customers and potential customers by being authentic and sharing what you

Have you been in business for a while? Do you feel like you have a lot of valuable knowledge about your industry? Forbes Magazine came out with an article on 5 Ways You Can Position Yourself As An Expert In Your Field. Let’s take a look!   Put Yourself on a PodcastWhat a great, innovative way to talk about what you know best and engage with your customers/audience. People are always looking for solutions to problems that an expert like you probably see all the time. Answer some common questions you hear a lot, or draw from your own experience and talk about what customers should know. View this as an opportunity to put your knowledge on display and talk about what you're passionate about.   Write an Article for SubmissionThere are a number of publications that look for industry experts. If you have the time to contribute consistently, even better. Getting your name out to a wider audience is not only great for your brand, but becoming published will help boost your publi

Good afternoon Community friends! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day. We've all heard about the algorithms for social media and how they can affect business platforms. One way to be sure your posts are reaching the largest audience is to increase engagement. Well how do you do that? I just so happen to have a few ideas for you to get your customers talking!   Name something popular that everyone seems to love but you don't care for. What was the last project you worked really hard on? What was your favorite toy or activity as a kid? What is one thing you cannot leave the house without? What is your guilty pleasure meal or dessert? What's an irrational fear that you have? What app do you use most on your phone? What place around the globe would you like to visit that you haven't been to yet? Do you have a hidden talent? If yes, what is it? What's your current hobby? These kind of posts are a great opportunity for you to answer your own question and connect with your custom