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Name: Kari Browne QB Community Member Name: @Karibrowne Former Businesses: LARK Cafe and ELK Coffee Founded: LARK 2013 / ELK 2015 Sold: 2016 When former journalist Kari Browne had her children she knew that the traveling lifestyle of a news producer would be difficult, so she decided to open a kid-friendly cafe in her Brooklyn neighborhood. She built it from the ground up -- wrote the business plan, designed every aspect of the interior, hand-selected all the vendors and employees and managed it herself. This special place, where she was often behind the counter, hosted daily art and music classes for children while providing a relaxed environment where parents could hang out and let their kids roam. Two years later, she bought a second cafe and also styled it into a hip, kid-friendly venue. In 2016 her family followed an opportunity to Sydney, Australia, and Kari sold both of her cafes, an experience she describes as “super emotional.” We spoke with Kari about the process
I am a Quickbooks pro advisor so people who have questions about their quickbooks can email me through the find an adivsor link. Most of the time, this results in clients emailing me about setting up their Quickbooks or an ongoing relationship. However, I have had some who just have a question on how to record a transaction or like a simple question that would not constitute an ongoing thing. How would you handle this? They aren't my clients. Would you still just answer their question and not charge? Or would you charge like an hour rate? Or perhaps like you have a seperate amount that you charge for these things? I am still trying to figure out the best way and figured I would ask others about what they do :) You guys always seem to have great advice! Thank you!
I'm trying to set up Sales tax but when I click taxes on Navigation bar it does not show sales tax center or any option to put in sales tax rate. I can only find add agency, start tax period and filing frequency. What should I do? please see screenshot, I have read and tested all the comments in the community billboards here and NONE of the instructions given in your community help tools have the answer, please help me as this is for school. I NEED this FIXED now, not tomorrow and next week but today.
Hi, does anyone use barcode reader to do inventory in mechanic shope? I want to use it when I do my inventory check and to use it every day to put parts on work order and to put parts in inventory when I receive them from vendors, so I'm wonderinag if all that is possible?
Hi everyone! This is my first post and I'm just helping my friend set up her small bakery business. She has a pop-up shop at the local farmers' market and I want to ensure I'm categorizing her expenses correctly. Could someone do a quick review and let me know? ingredients for her bakery items: COGS-ingredientspackaging supplies for her bakery items: COGS-suppliespop-up tent for farmers' market: Expense-business expenselaptop computer (under $2500): Expense-business expenserent for booth space at farmers' market: Expense-business expense Thanks!
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Hi Community, I have to say that I am absolutely shocked about the experience I had with Quickbooks Online. With this posting I am not trying to find a solution anymore, I just need to share my unbelieveable experience with the buggy software and QB customer support. Last year in September I set up my LLC and decided to run my bookkeeping on Quickbooks - I used Intuit's Mint for personal reasons before and also did my tax returns with Turbo Tax (Desktop version). Two months into business I had fully set up my Quickbooks online account and recorded all my expenses and invoices. I noticed that QBO had quiet some bugs but I also noticed that with Turbo Tax and Mint before so I was not surprised and it also didn't bother me, nobody is perfect. In November last year I tried to log myself into QBO like almost every day and although nothing changed to the day before I got an error message saying that no QBO account is associated with this eMail addy but I should not
Get real insights from real small business right here in this great QuickBooks OWN IT. Every day series about people, just like you, who are out there working for themselves. This time...prepare to feel hungry. Meet the baker-owner of Alexandra's Macarons -- and her trusty mobile-business Volkswagen, Gertrude. How did you discover the passion behind your business? Alexandra discovered her love of baking at an early age. Her food-centric upbringing made opening up Alexandra’s Macarons seem inevitable. What are the pros and cons of a mobile business? Alexandra’s Macarons is always on the move. Alexandra’s bus, “Gertrude,” acts as a great way to attract customers when she can find the right place to post up and sell. How do you attract new wholesalers and customers? Alexandra’s uniquely textured macarons, paired with her wide variety of flavors, makes sampling the best way to get new customers on board. How do you expand your offerings? Alexandra is
I want to create transport company. What logistics software can I use? Or better will be to develop my own?
In answer to @Sangeethmathew's recent post on social media impact, @jessbru99568, an organic baker in Gary, IN, had this to share: "We actually found out the advertising power of Facebook today. A food group put up a post today about our products, within a short time it had more than 30 shares and other allergy friendly groups were also posting about our products. We got several new customer email inquiries and lots of orders. Its amazing!" You can read more about her family-owned bakery Organic Bread of Heaven in this profile by our awesome content chief and interviewer extraordinaire @WillowOlder. Think your biz might make a great story to share with our community? Shoot me a direct message and tell me about it!
For those of you who are starting up a new business please give social media its due. Its truly the most cost effective way of reaching out to a huge segment of prospects.Under listed are the top 6 Social Media Networks. ====================================================SNo Name of the Media No of Users Cost ====================================================1 Facebook 2.7 + billion Free2 YouTube 1.3 + billion Free3 
What’s on your mind right now? We know folks who work for themselves have plenty to say about the business of doing business. That’s why we want to share your insights, ideas and best practices. Today, we’re chatting with QB Community member Adam Wegener. Adam started his company Trash Amps because he wanted to create a DIY kit so makers could build their own affordable, portable music amplifiers from everyday objects like soda cans or Mason jars. But getting this economical product to market came at a high price, which is why he decided to get by with a little help from his friends (and family). Asking those closest to you for start-up cash can come with a whole set of issues. It’s awkward. Stressful. What if you can’t pay them back? What if the transaction sours your relationship? Adam, who was a featured vendor at QB Connect 2017, realized these potential pitfalls were actually opportunities in disguise. Not only did he pay his family and friend
Now almost 30 years into his career as a small business owner running his own design studio in New York City, Scott Santoro has learned a ton about how to find new clients and what it takes to run a business with all the right pieces in place. We asked Scott to share his top tips for identifying the right people who can help you succeed and why he loves using LinkedIn ProFinder to get new project leads. Name: Scott Santoro Business: Worksight Design Studio Started: October 1988 How did you get started as a graphic designer? I formally studied graphic design at the Pratt Institute. After school, I worked for about five years and then went back to school to get my graduate degree at Cranbrook Academy of Art. The chair of my department asked what I planned to do after graduation and I said, ”I think I’ll freelance.” Luckily, she suggested that I not use the word freelance, but instead set up my own small c
Once, while on a business trip, I decided to thank my biggest advertiser with a baker’s dozen from my fave San Francisco cookie shop. I had to fly the gift box home with me in my carry-on luggage, which was a big deal – I only had room for ONE box! (Oh, the things we do for love.) So tell us… How do you show your customers how much you love and appreciate their business? What are some creative ways your customers have returned the favor?
Name: Jennie Nigrosh QB Community member name: @Jennie Business: The Green Garmento Founded: 2008 When Jennie Nigrosh first conceived of her company, The Green Garmento, she had no idea she’d wind up in the laundry business. Before launching her reusable dry-cleaning bag company in 2008, Jennie worked at a Los Angeles record label. She spent her days meeting famous people, enjoying “two-hour prosecco lunches” and dashing off to the Cannes Film Festival with her husband (and, now, Green Garmento co-founder) Rick. Turns out Jennie was far more passionate about plastic than prosecco. Today, The Green Garmento is used in over 1000 dry-cleaning chains and by hoteliers across 25 countries. Jennie and her products have been featured in the New York Times, The Today Show and on Shark Tank, and have won awards from the hospitality and housewares industries. Most impressively, thanks to her reusable dry-cleaning bag that doubles as a duffle, Jenn
Name: Lee WeinsteinBusinesses: Intentional Life Planning, LLC and Weinstein PR Founded: Weinstein PR in 2007 and ILP in November 2017 One morning about ten years ago, Lee Weinstein was standing in front of his bathroom mirror, shaving. He asked his reflection a question: Do you want to keep working for someone else? To his surprise, the man in the mirror answered with a resounding, “Hell no!” Lee listened, and, after 15 years happily working as a public relations executive at Nike, he opened his own PR firm in Portland, OR. In 2017, he wrote a book called Write, Open, Act: An Intentional Life Planning Workbook, which details his goal-setting methods. He and his wife, Melinda, offer companion workshops to help individuals plan out their life’s goals. Since there is no better time than the start of a new year to take stock of life’s goals and to set new intentions, we asked Lee to share his own story, and offer tips for getting what you want out of lif
Hello, first time here. Does anyone have any types for growing a daycare/childcare service?
Here's another fun installment of our QuickBooks Ways to Grow series. Lyon Porter, owner of Brookly's Urban Cowboy B&B, shares his thoughts on why being a small business owner is so rewarding. "Our whole thing is: Arrive as strangers, leave as friends." Do you connect with your customers in a way that lasts beyond the first transaction? How important are customer relationships to your business?
It's a new year, a new you and a new era for *your* business. What's it going to be this go around the sun? Are you looking to expand your market, increase supply, hire your first employee, bring in brand-new clients or take over the world? If the answer to any of the above mentioned possibilites is "YES!", we've got some great reading for you. Check out these recent QB Community articles: Getting Customers: Four Marketing Tactics to Help Your Customer Base Soar Working with Suppliers: We Share Answers to Three Burning Questions Employees on Your Mind? Some Hints Before You Hire Freelance Illustrator Sarah Clement on Tracking Her Time and Learning to say YES! Do some future tripping with us right here in the QB Community! Tell us what you see for your 2018 in the comments below :-)
When you own a business, time is money. As such, you're probably willing to do whatever it takes to scale things to the point that they're more efficient for everyone involved – from headquarters to employees and even your customers. In the past, your only help here came from video conferencing, but even it wasn't very helpful. It was actually quite costly because of the special equipment it required. Today, you have another option in the form of web conferencing.With web conferencing you get to host or attend business meetings via your computer and Internet. This is how many companies are conducting their internal business meetings today. Some companies are also using web conferencing to speak with their prospects and clients as well. This is because it doesn't need any special equipment. As long as both parties have a computer with an Internet connection, you can enjoy the many great benefits web conferencing has to offer. These benefits are worthy of a closer look because th
Everyday tasks like doing dishes, school pick-up and never-ending laundry can take a huge chunk out of the working day. Hiring someone to work in your home (think nanny or house cleaner) definitely frees up some time, but it also means you are now considered a Household Employer by the IRS and will need to comply with certain requirements. Have you hired a household employee or are you planning to? How do you handle payment and IRS reporting for them?
Hello everyone! There are only a couple real reasons that an accountant receives a new client: They opened their business and need a bookkeeper They realized the benefit of someone else doing the books Their bookkeeper is retiring soon They do not have any books They found out they currently have a bad bookkeeper The one I want to focus on is the last one, when they are changing from one company to another. It is bound to happen to us all, I am certain we have not been the best fit for all our clients, but I am interested to know what other accountants do when they are taking over a company file from another local bookkeeper? As a growing firm in a smaller beach community, we have good relationships with a lot of our fellow accountants and bookkeepers and we want to keep it that way, so what is the best way to request the clients old existing data without offending? Has anyone created a checklist of information to request such as company file and prior
If someone wants to grab coffee to learn about your business, do you usually take the offer even if you're not interested in the product they're offering? If no, what would be a polite thing to say? A guy I met at the local Chamber told me that he wanted to learn more about my business and see how his "product" can help me. I'm not really interested in his product but I think my services can help him as his website is ancient (I develop and update WordPress websites). Do you think that meeting up with him would be a good idea? If I do meet up with him, what can I expect?
Any one out there have proseries in the cloud? I have heard some customers have without any problems, but some have had issues. My understanding Proseries does not recommend. Any thoughts out there
Hey All, So yes, a lot of people in here are very much ahead of the times and already all equipped to do all their year end stuff without a shred of paper (ha!) in sight. But some of us don't have that many employees or 1099s to do. And some of us aren't really into not having paper copies to give out. And some of us are just old school, picking and choosing what we can cloud as we go. So if you find yourself here, in December, with the January deadlines beginning to grumble in the back of your mind about getting w2 and 1099 forms, and how much they cost, and what a pain it is --- STOP. Do your future self a favor and order some FREE (that's right, FREE) forms direct from the IRS. No shipping charge. No paper charge. And obviously IRS compliant! Need that crazy 1099 form that deals with forgiven debt? Check.Need the one for interest paid in almost any amount to any person? Check.And if you really want to set your
