Discuss Your Business

My bank details are not showing when you print my invoices sent from Quick books.  Can someone fix this for me?

  Name: Alana Rivera  Business: Etta + Billie Founded: 2009   When Alana Rivera began making skincare products in her small city-centre flat, she never dreamed she’d one day quit her job to create Earl Grey soaps and poppy seed body scrubs. Four years after launching Etta + Billie, however, Alana was ready to turn her side-passion into a full-time career.   What’s the story behind your business?   In 2009, I was a full-time recruiter at a solicitor’s office making body skincare products on the side. I didn't go to school for business, and I don't have a chemistry degree. Essentially, I taught myself everything by reading books, taking a few courses and going to conferences.   I left my full-time job at the end of 2013 and moved into a workshop where we manufacture all our small-batch, farm-to-bottle products: processed bar soap, lotions, body scrubs, skin balms, body oils and room sprays. We make every single Etta + Billie product in our workshop. I think

  When it comes to getting customers to stick around, Todd Eby knows what it takes. This self-described “anti-consultant” launched in 2016 to help small businesses get big results. Now, after nearly 25 years in the customer success space, Todd has plenty of practical, effective tips on how to build a loyal client base.   Why you should focus on return customers When you work for yourself, you spend a lot of time thinking about how to get new customers through the door. But Todd reminds us getting existing clients to stick around is just as important as finding new ones—and not just because it’s more cost-effective. “Retention matters as much, if not more, than acquisition, so make sure it’s a focus.”   “Don’t assume your business will be successful just because you’re acquiring new customers. If you can’t keep bringing them back, you’re more likely to fail.” When you’re solely focused on the acquisition, eventually you’ll reach market saturation, and bringing in new bus

  Hello and welcome to the QB's Community!   If you’re new to the QuickBooks Community and wondering what’s happening here, you’ve come to the right place. Here you’ll find information about our community and guidance on how to find your way around and get the most out of your experience.   Why we built the QB Community   There are tonnes of people out there trying to offer you “help”. From sketchy pyramid schemes to unknown “experts” stating little more than the obvious, there’s plenty of noise to distract you from the real business of starting and growing your business.   We know the noise can be deafening. Frustrating. Exhausting. And downright confusing.   We wanted to escape the din. We knew we needed a place for real conversation. We wanted to be able to share real stories about our adventures—and misadventures—in entrepreneurship. We want to enable millions of people who work for themselves to grow and keep moving forward.

Am I the only one shocked at just having been given a 71% price increase in my Online account?Maybe Intuit think Brexit will be so good for us in the UK we can afford it?None of the updates are of any use to me and the product is certainly not good enough to merit an increase of that size.Yes they'll respond and say something slimy like "you can evaluate yourself what you want" or "move to another supplier".Very helpful since they don't make it easy to move away or back to the more useful desktop version.Not impressed!

How do i categorise payment received from my clients then paid to the suppliers for the work completed at their properties, this also includes payment of Labour. Thanks in advance for your help 

Raising the price for your goods or services can be daunting. What if you lose your valued customers as a result? On the other hand, you need to turn a profit if you're going to stay in business, so sometimes a rate-hike is a smart business strategy.   Tell us: Have you ever raised your prices? What happened? In the long run, was it a good or a bad decision?

Hi Everyone, Has anyone here ventured into garden design? Do you have any particular advice about doing it successfully? I'm based just north of London. I've been gardening pretty much for 40 years, and a professional gardener for 20 years. My strength is mainly in Planting Design. But the challenge is how to actually get clients for this. It isn't a cheap service. I recently joined Houzz for a 1 year contract, for an eye-watering £210 per month, with promises of being able to earn enough to justify that amount. There's a lot of marketing involved there. I have a website, and a sponsored listing in Yell.com. And I am with Rated People, and have a monthly rolling contract with The Directory Guys who promise to raise my website into the first 5 results locally on Google for garden design. My hand is in too many pies maybe? Well, Rated People seems good for "bread and butter" work. Yell.com shows good reviews for me. (I started to add a review section to my websit

I was paying£38pm for desktop version, changed over to online version, got it half price ie £9pm for 6 months, then i was told it would be after the trial offer it would cost me £18pm cheaper than desktop version i thought great, but im noticed that there is a payment of £46.80 being taking from my account for quickbooks online, there a few elements i don,t use ie payroll, anybody think they are being over charge seems strange Peter

Does anybody know how to get QuickBooks to account for the different Scottish Tax rates? I'm a business owner in Scotland so my tax rates are different from the rest of the UK but I can't see anyway of QuickBooks being able to solve this issue.

how can you organise the chart of accounts in QBits sorting at the moment is totally random and rubbishdoes anyone agree or worry about this or is everyone happy to be a mess

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Name: Kevin Gambini Business: Breakaway Bikes Founded: 2014   Kevin Gambini was due to become a licensed property surveyor when he noticed that inventory was unusually low at his favourite cycle shop. Turns out the owner was getting ready to either sell off all the inventory or find a buyer for the business. Something clicked—and Kevin decided to buy the store.   Suddenly, in addition to being a newly minted business owner, Kevin was also a manager, a merchandiser, a salesman, a marketer, an accountant and an HR department. He tells us about the challenges he’s faced and why learning to accept his own shortcomings was critical to his success.    How did you go from cycle enthusiast to business owner? It was a steep learning curve, for sure—and there were a lot of hard knocks. Early on, I got advice from people who wanted to see me succeed. A friend of my dad’s was a business coach, and he helped me as I picked my way through understanding purchasing, sales trends,

Hi All.  This seems like the perfect place to ask or look for some inspiration to make some business changes.  I have been a Proadvisor for over 15 years.  I started training and consulting but realized very quickly that in order to be the best teacher I could be, I had to learn how best to "take care" of the books.  I then got trained as a full charge bookkeeper.  Circumstances in my life since then have change, and I have had to concentrate on the bookkeeping for my bread and butter.  I find myself at a crossroads: I have to pay the bills and work to survive but I am feeling little inspiration to continue on the straight bookkeeping front.  I put this out to this community and ask for ideas on where I can go from here.  Any suggestions of other opportunities or business paths that I might pursue that will utilize all my years of QuickBooks and bookkeeping experience and challenge me in ways that I may not be thinking about but will still e

    Chances are you’re reading this post because you’re curious about our QuickBooks Community. If you like what we’re doing, we hope you’ll sign up as a member and join our active, engaged community. After all, we built it for small business owners just like you.   Here are our top 5 reasons to join the QB Community.    Our members are supportive Sure, you work for yourself. But that doesn’t mean you have work by yourself. Whether you’re celebrating a new customer, solving an inventory problem or venting your frustration about a late payment, you’ll be cheered - or cheered up - by others in our supportive community.    “If I’m in the middle of my worst day ever and someone else is having a great day [in the Community], I remind myself tomorrow will be easier” — Danielle Vincent, soap maker and QB Community member.   Our members are resourceful When you work for yourself, you have to figure out a lot of things on your own. This Co

I have been a small business owner in the past. It failed. I work for "the man" and love it, but want to take another chance at being my own boss.      The question I have is: How do you find your inspiration to continue to be your own boss? Pop your tips and tricks in the comments below!

    We’ve already shared some tips for invoicing like a pro to help you get paid faster, strengthen your brand presence and make you the first person a client calls to get a job done. Here, we’re giving some advice on upping your invoice game even more.   Embrace new technology There are so many digital technologies at your disposal today that make life easier for both you and your customers. Here are a few you should add to your invoicing strategy.   A financial management platform—like QuickBooks—makes it quick and easy to create, send and track your invoices online. And it will minimise payment hassles for your customer Mobile payments—Speaking of painless processing, mobile payment technology lets you swipe a credit or debit card anywhere, any time. On-the-spot payment (no invoicing required!) is particularly useful for small business owners who deliver products or services directly to a home or office Cloud storage—You may be planning a much-deserved beach ho

    Getting paid is a priority for every entrepreneur. We're guessing you've all got stories to share about your experiences asking for, waiting for or getting (or not) your hard-earned payment. We want to hear all about it!   Tell us your favourite or, perhaps, your least favourite moment related to getting paid in the comments below!    

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  Does your accountant often use words that you never know the meanings of?   Then this is the guide for you!   Accounting terminology can be complicated and daunting to many sole traders, partnerships and small business owners especially if you are new to the business world. There are often so many other aspects of running a business that take time to learn. Taking the time to learn a whole other language is the least of your worries so let this Jargon Buster help you out.   BALANCE SHEET TERMINOLOGY Here are a few terms you’ll want to know when working with balance sheets:   Balance sheet: The financial statement that presents a snapshot of the company’s financial position as of a particular date in time. It’s called a balance sheet because the things owned by the company (assets) must equal the claims against those assets (liabilities and equity). Assets: All the things a company owns in order to successfully run its business, such

  When you think back on your life, what milestones stand out as moments when you “pivoted” and deliberately chose to move in a new or unexpected direction? Maybe your pivot was inspired by something personal -- you got married, had a baby, moved to a new city, lost a loved one. Maybe your pivot was based on a professional experience -- you got (or, perhaps, didn’t get) a promotion, your beloved boss retired, you were made redundant, the company you worked for relocated.   Whatever the milestone, we know people who work for themselves embraced the opportunity to reset a traditional career path and strike out alone. In fact, we’re constantly wowed by the “can-do” attitude of our inspiring QB Community members. That’s why we asked you to share what persuaded you to turn your passion, hobby or side gig into a full-time job. Turns out everyone has their own reason for making the pivot!   Goodbye corporate world, hello startup Plenty of folks consider a stable, long-term, we

Out of the box thinking, long-term goals and increased business awareness.   What role does long-term strategy play in your daily decision-making process? Comment below!

    There’s so much to see and do on the QB Community site that we know it might be a bit overwhelming at first.   Here are all the areas you’ll find once you sign in:   Here’s what has been happening: Once you’ve signed in, you’ll land on your personalised QB Community homepage. Look around. See the welcome message? Underneath is a list of everything that’s happened since you last visited the site. If other members have cheered your post, replied to your question or mentioned you in a comment, you’ll be notified there. If you ever need to make changes to your profile, select the "My Profile" button just below your list of notifications.   Featured: Here we shine the spotlight on some of our favourite articles, resources and information on the site. Featured content might be a profile of an inspiring QB Community member or some news or updates about the site. You’ll find articles, questions and conversations, plus answers to all your question

  Ever had a moment when you needed cash right away? So much so that you headed to your couch to see what might be hiding in the cushions?   Yeah, we've done that, too.    But here’s some good news. We’ve learned there's always a way to manage expenses better and, as a result, find extra cash when it's needed most. Over time, we’ve figured out how to ditch expenses we can live without. We’ve scrutinized where every penny and pound is going. We’ve cashed in on money hiding out in long-lost invoices. And that’s just the beginning.   Today, we’re sharing some of our go-to strategies for managing expenses and making the most of our moolah. Best of all? There’s no couch reassembly required.    Hack #1: Cut one expense right now (even pens count!)   When cash gets tight, pull out your chopping block.  We guarantee some of your precious pennies are hiding in sneaky places like high credit card interest rates, rent increases and unnecessa