Running a small business is a constant struggle over how to spend your time. Any time you spend working on accounting or running your business is time you are taking away from your family or personal time. This is always a tough tradeoff.
While I can’t really solve this dilemma in its entirety, I can address how I help my clients leverage their limited time. As a certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, I always ask myself before working with a client: what services are out there that my client can use to make their (accounting) life simpler?
What apps can do for you
From my first meeting with a client, I review the many QuickBooks apps that might simplify life for my client. Sometimes these apps can provide a function or service not available in the version of QuickBooks they’re using. And sometimes these apps provide a service that works better for their business than an existing feature available in QuickBooks.
One example of an app that saves professionals or service-based businesses a considerable amount of time is a comprehensive time and expense tracking system. Apps like TSheets and eBillity let employees fill out timesheets and expense reports online — via the web or mobile app. These apps offer the additional benefit of routing time entries and expenses (including supporting documents like receipts) to supervisors for approval before being imported into QuickBooks for payment.
In addition to working seamlessly with QuickBooks, another huge benefit of apps is that they can all be managed at your office, on the web or, if you prefer, “in the cloud.” As a small business owner myself, I travel a fair amount for work. This often requires me to process payroll while I’m on the road or pay a bill or invoice a client. In all these scenarios, I can manage the process in the cloud, by simply logging into my apps.
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