17 replies to this topic

[torka]

Quicken comes in several editions. They have a Quicken Home and Business edition, which may be a good choice for individual practitioners (it doesn't include modules for payroll, for instance, so it won't help people with employees). I've used it satisfactorily for several years now.

It has small business features, such as custom invoice templates, tracking of receivables, business oriented reports, etc. but is as easy to use as the "personal accounting" versions.

For some, Quickbooks has a fairly harsh learning curve (especially if you aren't an accountant/bookkeeper to start with). If you aren't running payroll or maintaining a physical inventory, it may be overkill.

I do have a degree in Accounting, but still opted for Quicken rather than Quickbooks because my business accounting needs were (and remain) fairly simple, and it filled the bill nicely.

--Torka

[dragonlady7]

Hm. I may stick with Quicken because 1) it's apparently free, as it came on my computer, and 2) my needs should be fairly simple. I have no employees or subcontracts, and I have no cash flow as of right yet.
And, oh, 3) my online bank lets me download my accounts in a Quicken file format, apparently. Crazy! (I've had this bank forever and only just noticed that.)
I'll probably reconsider at some point. I'm going to get an accountant once I can afford one, because I'm hopeless with math. (Even counting is hard.)
Good thread, folks!

[don1]

While we're on topic, has anyone heard of Quicken? It came installed on my computer and I have no idea how suitable it is for a small business...

dl7,

Knowing you are 1) on a Mac and 2) starting your business I would say Quicken and a word processor program like TextEdit are all you need.

We used Quicken but moved to QuickBooks Pro because of inventory tracking and purchase orders. If we just did our consulting or provided our services we could and would probably have stayed with Quicken. If we continue to grow like we have then we will have someone write a program for us. After trying several options QB was what we felt most comfortable using and we can send the files right over to the accountant.